Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning.
St teresa of calcutta
Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.”
St. Teresa of Calcutta was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun born on August 27, 1910. Named Agnes, her father died when she was eight years old, so her mother raised her. Devoted to God from an early age, Agnes entered religious life with the Sisters of Loreto to become a missionary of India when she was just 18 years old. She took the name Sister Mary Teresa.
After teaching Indian children for 20 years and becoming the school’s headmistress, she felt that she was called to serve the poor but was dismissed a few times by her superior. On September 10, 1946, Sr. Mary Teresa boarded a train while heading to her annual retreat. Upon leaving Calcutta, she heard God’s voice inspiring her to begin a mission of charity to serve the poorest of the poor; this is what is known as her second calling, or the “call within the call.” On that day, Jesus’ love and thirst for souls took hold of her heart, and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life.
When men and women enter into religious life, they take three vows. But Mother Teresa decided to adopt a fourth vow stating: “Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience. I would like to include a fourth vow. To give hope to those who have lost it and to recognize the face of the Lord in those who suffer. This is our vocation.”
Mother Teresa was viewed as the most charitable woman and welcomed by all faith denominations. Her authentic charity and love for humanity stole the heart of millions. She won 17 nationally distinguished humanitarian awards, including the most recognized–the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Her authentic beauty came to be genuinely adored in how she served the suffering.
She lived her mission in true humility and love for the Church. The love of Jesus, which she cultivated through prayer and silence, poured out of her, especially on the poor that the world had abandoned. Mother Teresa taught, “Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.”
Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa on September 4, 2016. St. Teresa of Calcutta still inspires others from heaven to put their love into action for Jesus and his Church, especially through her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity.
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