Mother Teresa Ain’t Foolin’!

Oct 8, 2024

Mother Teresa, who was awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, dedicated her life to the sick and hungry. Her simple message was “the poor must know that we love them”. Her followers regarded her as a saint, but Mother Teresa believed she was only doing God’s work. Amidst the poverty and slums of Calcutta, Mother Teresa’s efforts provided shelter to thousands of the sick and dying, and ensured that thousands of children were cared for and given foster parents. More than two million sick, including nearly fifty thousand lepers, were treated by mobile dispensaries and special clinics. But for Mother Teresa, the Nobel Peace Prize was simply a gift to the poor.

Mother Teresa, like all of us, could have asserted how special she was. Instead, inspired by Jesus, she gave all of her time, effort, and resources to serving and loving the poorest of the poor, the youngest of the young, and the most forgotten in this world.

We live in a world where we all think we’re better than someone else. Republicans feel superior to Democrats, Democrats feel superior to Republicans. Whites feel superior to Blacks. Blacks feel superior to Whites. The Rich feel superior to the Poor. The Poor feel superior to the Rich. The Young feel superior to the Old. The Old feel superior to the Young. The Educated feel superior to the Uneducated. The Uneducated feel superior to the Educated. The good looking feel superior to the not good looking. The not good looking feel superior to the good looking. The talented feel superior to the untalented. The untalented feel superior to the talented. It goes on and on. 

All the above is human nature. The loving life of someone like Mother Teresa stands in stark contrast to the competition, selfishness, elitism, and utilitarianism of most of humanity. It challenges us.

And Jesus was the epicenter of leveling the heavenly playing field.

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