Since I'm here in the birthplace of the Missionaries of Charity, a radical order of human beings, mostly women, who think, "hey, all these dying, poor and suffering people who have been utterly forgotten . . . why don't we, y'know, help them?" . . . it might be a good idea to hear what the MC's have to say, to explore further what they are about. So I witness how they live their lives, how they respond to situations . . . and I learn about Mother Teresa.
On a train ride from Darjeeling, Mother Teresa had long, vivid visions from God to start a new order in the church. This was over fifty years ago; now there are hundreds of MC homes all over the world, with thousands of MC sisters, brothers, fathers and "laypeople" who take vows to honor and serve God by serving the poorest of the poor.
The MC sisters are no-nonsense. They do not get dolled up, they do not have email or television, they wear only the MC sari every day, they read, they serve, they pray. They are gracious and grateful. Though they are still human: I wonder to what extent they bicker or gossip; to what extent do they have close relationships or friendships? Sister Arul Prakash told me that I was her only friend outside India . . . and she's lived in MC homes in several countries.
When I first arrived I marveled at how "cut off" from society they were, how much they were missing out on. Then I think about all the things "society" offers, so much of it crap and frankly not worth nearly as much as we think. To wit: my friend Denise is known at work to say in meetings, when there is arguing and disagreement: "We're not saving babies here, folks. Let's move on." I now understand that the simplicity of the lives of the MC's is actually quite liberating. And the character and humility that come from that simplicity is the real deal.
Mother Teresa made several trips to the United States in her lifetime, once in 1994 as the keynote speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC. The Prayer Breakfast is an extraordinary gathering of the most powerful and influential leaders in the world: heads of state, judges, leaders of Fortune 500 companies, parliamentarians and congressmen, presidents of non-profits and others who have attained high positions in governments. At the head table sits the President of the United States, the First Lady, and the Vice President and his wife. They all come here to a large hotel ballroom to eat together in honor of Jesus. Religion is immaterial: there are Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Sikhs, various regional or tribal faiths, or those with no structured faith. They keynote speaker talks (not preaches) about Jesus. And this year, it was Mother Teresa who spoke.
She began by saying, "We are reminded that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what is that good news when He said 'My peace I Ieave with you, my peace I give unto you.' He came not to give the peace of the world which is only that we don't bother each other. He came to give the peace of heart which comes from loving." My friend Bill H. was at the breakfast and described the scene this way: "In a room filled with people who have all the power that the world can give, Mother Teresa, a tiny Albanian nun who had made her home among the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, was by far the most powerful person in the room. By far. Her moral authority outweighed any authority granted by political office or professional accomplishment. Her life lived of faithfully loving the poor for over fifty years, the first half in utter obscurity, gave her a gravitas that cannot be conferred by this world."
Mother Teresa was not perfect; she has her detractors. The equipment used and the medical treatments given at Kalighat and other MC homes in Calcutta are not the most modern, the most effective or even most beneficial. Yet the most advanced and shiniest technology cannot begin to replace the authentic love, respect and sacrifice the MC sisters make day-by-day, moment-by-moment. Mother Teresa had no idea that one day her vision would become a world-wide force, one of which hundreds of thousands of volunteers of all faiths or no faith would want to be a part. She would say she was "simply obeying Jesus, loving her 'husband'." She and the other sisters, fathers and brothers of Missionaries of Charity live out the words of Matthew 25: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me."
I have a picture of Mother Teresa sitting next to me as I type, for inspiration. Her authenticity and humility inspire me. Thanks, Mo. T.
