Mother Teresa - An Embodiment of Universal Peace

Mother Teresa - An Apostle of Love, Compassion and Universal Brotherhood.
Mother Teresa - A Brief Insight…..
Mother Teresa, originally named as Agnes Gonxha Bojadziu in Latin was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun, with Indian citizenship. She was the founder of Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950. She was a renowned humanitarian whose untiring efforts brought the poor, destitute, sick and dying people into her open arms through her charitable missionaries.
Her Early Years….
Agnes Gonxha (meaning "rosebud" in Albanian) was born on Aug 26th 1910, in Skopje, the present capital of the Republic of Macedonia, to Nikola (father) and Dranafile (mother). While Nikola who was involved in Albanian politics died in 1919, Agnes and her only elder sister were raised by their mother as Roman Catholics.
An analogy between Rose Bud and the inherent characteristics of Mother Teresa….
The natural characteristics of a rose bud namely its color and fragrance are synonymous to the innate characteristics of Mother Teresa. The fragrance of the rose is synonymous with the acclaim she earned worldwide for rendering philanthropic services to mankind. She made her presence felt to the needy by offering her frail shoulders for them to rest their worries on and finally solving them through her self-less service. The beauty of the color of the rose is juxtaposed to efforts made by Mother to make this world a better place to live in, through her unconditional love and care to the needy.
In sharp contrast to her frail body, she had a rock hard faith in her capability in uplifting the lives of the unloved and unwanted people to which she attached utmost importance. She opined that satiating hungry pangs of the poor is only momentary since hunger resurfaces again. In contrast, addressing the problem of unwanted, deserted and unloved people by offering a helping hand has long standing positive effects. Hence she was more inclined towards caring for the unloved and destitute.
The inspiration behind missionaries……..
Written sources about her life have mentioned that stories of lives of missionaries and their nature of service were instrumental in inspiring her to serve mankind. The influence of these stories left an indelible mark on the 12 year old Agnes that at such a tender age she committed herself whole-heartedly to a religious and disciplined life, dedicated to the lives of the needy. When she was 18 years old, she left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. The biographies also mention that she never met her mother and elder sister.
The call from within…..
The 10th of September 1946 bears utmost significance in the life of Mother. Her decision to dedicate her life to serve mankind was prompted by a revelation which she refers to as “call from within”. This was an order from the Almighty to surrender herself to the benefit of mankind. She had to obey it, lest it would tantamount to breaking the faith in Almighty. Hence this eventful day marks the journey of Mother to universal brotherhood, when she responded to the call from within.
Missionaries spread their wings wide……….
What started as the first Home for the Dying in 1952 in the city of Calcutta with 13 members then, the number of missionaries increased manifold to account for a phenomenal 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospitals and charity centers world-wide. The year 1955 saw the birth of Nirmala Shishu Sadan, a home exclusively making place for lost children and shaped up as a haven for orphans and homeless children. By 1960, the missionaries made their presence felt in all the spheres of human service. This paved way for many recruits and charitable donations to support the causes of the missionaries. The year 1963 saw the birth of Missionaries of Charity Brothers, in an attempt to support the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. Two years later in 1965, the missionaries gained a strong foothold in many countries like Rome, Tanzania, Austria and in many parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and the US. By 1996, Mother Teresa was operating 517 missionaries in more than 100 countries. Over the years, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity grew from 12 to thousands serving the “poorest of the poor” in 450 centers around the world.
Awards and Criticisms….
It is but natural for successful people to experience the prick of the double-edged weapon namely ‘Popularity’. Criticism is the price such people pay for all the acclaim they earn as a result of their noble deeds.
The Laurels…….
1. Mother Teresa was conferred the Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 1962.
2. She received the Phillipines-based Ramon Magsaysay Award, in 1962 for her work in South East Asia.
3. The first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize was conferred to her by Paul VI, in 1971.
4. She garnered acclaim through the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1972.
5. Mother was a receiver of Terri’s Award in 1976.
6. The notable Nobel Peace Prize was conferred to her in 1979, honoring her work. She received a cash prize of $192,000 which was utilized to cater to the needs of the poor.
7. The prestigious Bharat Ratna, referred as India’s highest civilian award was presented to her in 1980.
8. Mother Teresa became a humanitarian with international recognition she gained through the President Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House Ceremony in 1985.
Other civilian awards include: the Balzan Prize promoting humanity, peace brotherhood in the year 1978 and the Albert Schweitzer International Prize in 1975.
When asked to comment on the above recognitions, Mother opined that these were dedicated to the glory of God and in the name of the poor.
A solution to world peace……..
When asked “what can we do to promote world peace?” Mother replied, “Go home and love your family”. This response speaks volumes of the fact that efforts to maintain peace in a small minuscule fragment of the world like a family, will trigger off a global peace revolution.
The criticisms…….
Although Mother Teresa gained recognition worldwide, she was not spared of her bitter experiences with criticisms in the form of brickbats from her then critics. David Scott opined that Mother Teresa focused exclusively on keeping people alive without addressing the root cause of all miseries: namely poverty. The British Medical Journal disapproved of the quality of care offered to terminally ill patients in the Homes of the Dying, citing the poor living conditions. Mother was criticized for misappropriating funds received as donations aimed to support the poor being diverted to other projects.
Words straight from her heart……..
These words are a manifestation of the deep-sense of humane character of Mother Teresa.
“Keep the joy of loving the poor and share this joy with all you meet. Remember works of love are works of peace. God Bless You”.
“It is only by mental prayer and spiritual reading that we can cultivate the gift of prayer”.
“God still loves the poor and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor”.
The last days of Mother…..
Mother Teresa suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983, enroute her visit to Pope John Paul II. She was put on an artificial pacemaker following her second attack in 1989. The year 1991 saw further deterioration in her health when she suffered a bout of pneumonia. In 1996, bouts of malaria and failure of the left heart ventricle worsened her condition when she came under the knife of a surgeon for a heart surgery. But in vain……. Disease had the better of Mother, the apostle of love when she succumbed to it on September 5th 1997. This event brought the end of the compassionate era of a lady who can rightly be called the Mother of all the needy people. As the saying goes “GOD COULD NOT BE EVERYWHERE AND THEREFORE HE CREATED MOTHERS” is very apt in her case.