Mother has received the Noble Prize of Peace on earth – she also completed her mission on earth and happily left for her heavenly abode on 5th September 1997. Today she is no more in this world, but her sacrificial love epitomize God's love and millions of people still remember and pray on her 11th Death Anniversary. Mother Teresa – a rare masterpiece of God's creation on earth. Her selfless nature and sacrificial love to the poor is incomparable with any other ordinary man on earth. She was very clear of her calling from God to serve the poor to her last breath. She lived for the poor and died for the poor taking nothing with her to her grave.
When think of Mother Teresa, the first thing that comes to our mind is her love, kindness, compassion, and her selfless act for the humanity especially for the poor and needy people. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore her great works and sublime example to the community as a whole. The saintly woman was born on 26th Aug. 1910 in Skopje (now Macedonia). She was born to a family whose father was a grocer. Since her childhood, she has keen interest to serve the people (to be missionary). She was a student of Public school in Skopje, and a member of Catholic sodality with a special interest on foreign mission. Since her young age of 12, she knew that she had a vocation to help the poor. Later at the age of 15, she was inspired to work in India by reports sent home by Yugoslavia Jesuit missionaries in Bengal (Bangladesh). Having filled with aspiration to fulfill her long cherished dream, at the age of 18, she left her own hometown to join the Irish branch of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as Loreto sisters. After training at their institute in Dublin and in Darjeeling, she made her first vows as a nun in 1928 and her final vow was taken in 1937.
Her work to serve the poor begins when she received a "call within a call" in 1946. She was convinced that she should leave the convent and help the poor, while living among them. She was later received the permission to leave the Loreto Sisters and follow her new calling under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Kolkata. She took three months medical training under the American Medical Missionary Sisters in Patna (India) and then she went to Kolkata slums to bring the children cut off from education into her first school. Later many volunteers joined with her to help the poor in the slums. She also founded a Missionary of Charity. The Missionaries of Charity became a diocesan religious community in 1950. Later in 1965, the Vatican recognized the Missionaries of Charity as a pontifical congregation. To lead a life in pious and ascetic is an impossible for an ordinary people but in case of her life; it was added by living with the poorest of the poor. In 1952, Mother opened Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitute in a dormitory donated by the city of Kolkata. The primary function of the home is to provide shelter for dying-poor who may die in dignity. She has done tremendous services to the downtrodden and underprivileged people giving her love to the sore lepers by dressing them that no an ordinary man would be even disgusted to see.
Mother Teresa's commitment and tireless crusade for the upliftment of the poor earned her to honor Noble Prize for Peace in 1979. As she had completed all her missions on earth, she left for heavenly abode on 5th Sept.1997. The entire world mourned as she leaves for her heavenly abode but the heavenly angels sung in great jubilant welcoming her to Heaven. Sister Nirmala rightly said, "Today, Mother is with God. Now in His presence, she has more power with God." Mother is in heaven giving intercession prayer for the poor and for the poor in spirit. Pope John Paul II beatified Mother Teresa on 19th Oct. 2003 at St. Peter's Square, Rome. Mother was beatified based on the miraculous healed to Monica Besra, a 30 years old tribal woman, who was suffering from giant tumor in her stomach. On 5th Sept. 1998, Mother's First Death Anniversary, she visited the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata to pray, and she was miraculously healed. This miracle was certified by a section of Doctors as "scientifically inexplicable." The Vatican then approved of for institution of the beautification to Sainthood. But the critic like Kolkata based rationalist Prabir Ghosh, General-Secretary, Science and Rationalist Association of India disapproved the miracles by saying that the claim is all bogus, unfounded and not based on medical examination. Whatever the critic may disapprove the claim of giant tumor healed Mother Teresa's sacrificial love, caring, devotion and perseverance itself is the miracle. Any ordinary man on earth cannot carry out such kind of sacrificial love and devotion like her. The critics may not concede the claim of tumor healed but they have seen the living example of Mother Teresa Charity work passed to Sister Nirmala.
Mother's commitment and tireless help to uplift the poor in the slum areas since 1948 to her last breath on 5th sept.1997 is impossible with the will power of man without inspiration from God. She was the friend of the poor and lived for the poor. She worked for the poor regardless of their religion, caste and creed. Her sacrificial love, caring and devotion epitomize God's love and empathy to mankind on earth. Mother's noble character and generosity runs endlessly throughout her mission's life on earth. Her tireless caring and exemplary work she undertook could have not completed without the clear calling from God and acceptance by her. Mother Teresa has completed her mission on earth and left for heavenly abode to rest forever in peace. But we still need many mor Mother Teresa who will pray and work for the poor and dying souls of this world. She had received the Noble Prize for Peace on earth, which is ephemeral but now she is living in Peace in Heaven, which will be forever.
* R.B. Thohe Pou contributes regularly to e-pao.net.
The writer can be contacted at thohepou(at)rediffmail(dot)com.
This article was webcasted on September 05th, 2008
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