Saint (Mother) Teresa of Kolkata (1910-1997), while serving as a
nun and teacher decided to devote her life to serve the poor. She founded the
order of the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ in 1950 in the filthy slums of Kolkata
in India
One day, she found a
poor, dying woman in a heap of rubbish. Her body was bitten by maggots, ants
and rats. The mother carried her to a safe place, cleaned her and gave all
possible medical attention and loving care. Her life could not be saved, but
she died with a sweet smile on her face. She died with dignity. The mother
remained close to the woman till her death. This incident gave Mother Teresa
the inspiration to start a home for the dying, where people could die with
dignity, receiving tender care and affectionate attention till the last moment
of life.
In 1952, the Mother
opened the ‘Nirmal Hriday’ meaning ‘pure heart’ as a home for the dying. Dying
destitute people brought to the Nirmal Hiday received the religious rites of
their own faith before their death. The Christians received the Last Rites of
Christianity, the Hindus received the Holy water from the sacred river, Ganges (Ganga ) and the
Muslims could hear the recital of the Holy Quran while approaching death. Thus
they could die in faith and dignity, with the feeling that they are wanted and
loved.
The home was meant to
gift a beautiful death to people who could not be saved by medical care. There,
they could face death with the feeling that they are loved and wanted.
She came to be known
as ‘the Saint of the Gutters’. She spent all the money received as gifts,
donations and awards for the care of the poor, sick and destitute people. She
accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 “in the name of the unwanted, unloved
and uncared people.”
The mission of the
Missionaries of Charity, according to her, is to “care for the hungry, the
naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who
feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become
a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.”
To persons who
volunteered to join her acts of charity, she said, “What I can do, you cannot.
What you can do, I cannot. But together
we can do something beautiful for God.”
Her words reveal her
vision about her mission, “We are all
pencils in the hand of God. In this life we cannot do great things. We can only
do small things with great love."
She had a clear view
about religion and conversion. She said,
“There is only one God and He is God to all; therefore it is important that
everyone is seen as equal before God. I have always said we should help a Hindu
become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Christian become a better
Christian.”
In her view, “The most
terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” She said, “Kind
words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. I see
God in every human being. When I wash the lepers’ wounds, I feel I am nursing
the Lord Himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?”
.....................................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu,
Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John,
Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala , India
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