Saturday, June 30, 2012

Mother Teresa and Mother Church: Two Faces of Love


tgm_erick,

Friend, here's an anecdote about the encounter of a poor cancer patient and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  


HER SMILE REACHES OUT...
                                           to the suffering poor 

At the home for the dying which the Missionaries of Charity have in Calcutta there was a man who had cancer, his body half-consumed by the sickness. Everyone had abandoned him as a hopeless case. Mother Teresa came near him to wash him tenderly. She encountered, at first, only the sick man’s disdain.

“How can you stand my body’s stench?” he asked.

Then, quite calmly the dying man said to her, “You’re not from here. The people here don’t behave the way you do.”

Several minutes went by. And then the terminally ill man murmured a typical Indian expression: “Glory to you, woman.”

“No,” replied Mother Teresa. “Glory to you who suffer with Christ.”

Then they smiled at each other. The sick man’s suffering seemed to stop. He died two days later.

Suffering by itself is nothing. But suffering as a share in Christ’s Passion is a great gift. Man’s greatest gift is the possibility of sharing Christ’s Passion. Yes, it is a gift and a sign of God’s love. This is the way the Father showed his love for the world: giving us his Son to die for us. This is the way Christ showed that the greatest gift is love: he gave himself in suffering for us.----Mother Teresa





Reflection:


Mother Teresa did not heal him but her smile touched his heart. Despite the pain, he smiled before death came and dragged him down to the grave. That's the miracle! What a beautiful way of dying! 


Pope John Paul II asked "Where did Mother Teresa find the strength and perseverance to place herself completely at the service of others? She found it in prayer and in the silent contemplation of Jesus Christ, his Holy Face, his Sacred Heart."


For agnostics like me, the human spirit inspires every man and woman of good will to be a brother and a sister to the poor, the sick and the dying. 


She is now known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, but she's more than blessed; she's a saint. I prefer to call her "Mother Teresa" which is more inspiring, nurturing and life-giving.


Sadly, Mother Church walks away from the suffering humanity. She is gravely sick and suffers "hierarchology" and "she gets unreasonably disquieted when confronted with the outside world on equal terms."    


Hope you like it. You can read more stories about her life and ministry. See the difference from the original? By selecting one story you will have more time to reflect and savor its message in your heart. Of course, the original source is intended to collect stories of Mother Teresa. 


Thanks to the editor, Jose Luiz Gonzales-Balado.


Happy reading... Keep well.


8 comments:

  1. Nice story and reflection.

    You attacked the Catholic church through her saint. Wow, cool... Keep it up!

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  2. I like it very much Joaquin, my friend. It is no doubt it is you speaking through this story. I have read so many of your comments and i believe that you don't need to be under any kind of religious worship for you truly love your poor brothers and sisters. Jesus has chosen you to be an instrument of his message of love and so is Mother Teresa. If you look at Mother Teresa, she looks old and worn out but there is that kind of beauty in her that does not fade, her beautiful heart and you have that beautiful heart, too. The love you both have to the poor is not even platonic but sublime. In this regard i respect you even more.

    Keep well my friend. In my own little ways I'll join you in your endeavor in reaching out to the poor through my chosen religious worship, RCC.

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    1. Thank you, my friend,

      It is good to hear from you here. I actually write a response now but I decided to make it as a new entry in the blog.

      Hope I could publish it is today. Keep well.

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    2. I will be waiting for it, my friend. From time to time I'll visit your blog. I invited Violet55 to visit your blog, she thanked me and said she will.

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    3. As promised, I will make one today. Thanks. As for your inquiry, I am not a priest and never was. Keep well.

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  3. I think it was Gandhi who said "I like your Christ. I don't like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Jesus himself showed what sets Christians apart, he set the example by washing his disciples' feet and then telling us to love one another, because by our love we will be shown to be his disciples. Mother Teresa is truly admirable and should inspire us all to display our faith through our actions.

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    1. I agree with you. Actions speak louder than words.

      While I often use this message of Gandhi to awaken Christians to be living witnesses of Christ, these words of Gandhi is viewed by some as a critique against Christianity as a fake religion, made more luminous in his refusal to be converted to Christianity.

      I will make a new entry focus on Gandhi and Jesus. Read it, if you have time. Thanks for visiting and commenting on this blog.

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    2. Thank you also. Your blog here is much appreciated, I have learned a lot. Will read your entry on Gandhi later today.

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