A Life of Love, Mercy and Service to the Poorest
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, popularly known as Mother Teresa, was one of the most recognizable Catholic figures of the twentieth century. She dedicated her life to serving the poorest and most abandoned people, especially those who were sick, dying, homeless, orphaned, and forgotten by society. Her spirituality was centered on a simple but profound conviction: every human person is precious because every person bears the image of Christ.
Her life transformed a small work among the poor in Calcutta into the worldwide religious congregation known as the Missionaries of Charity. Through her extraordinary charity, humility, prayer, and perseverance, she became a powerful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Church canonized her as a saint on 4 September 2016, and she is now officially known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
1. Early Life
Saint Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire and today the capital of North Macedonia. She was born into an Albanian Catholic family.
Her parents were Nikollë Bojaxhiu and Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Her family was deeply Catholic, and her mother played an important role in forming her faith.
From her childhood, Anjezë developed a strong love for Jesus Christ and an awareness of the needs of the poor. Her family taught her the importance of prayer, generosity, and helping those in need.
Her father’s death when she was still young had a profound effect on the family. Her mother continued to raise the children and strengthened in them a spirit of faith and compassion.
Anjezë later recalled the importance of her mother’s example of charity. The family did not merely speak about helping the poor; they practiced it.
2. The Call to Religious Life
At the age of about eighteen, Anjezë felt called to become a missionary.
In 1928, she joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish congregation with missions in India. She first traveled to Ireland, where she learned English and began her religious formation.
She received the religious name Sister Mary Teresa, after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower.
Soon afterward, she was sent to India.
3. Arrival in India
Sister Teresa arrived in Calcutta in 1929.
India became her adopted homeland and the place where she would spend almost the rest of her life.
She began teaching at St. Mary’s School for Girls in Calcutta. She eventually became principal of the school.
For many years she lived the life of a Loreto sister: prayer, teaching, community life, and service.
But gradually she became increasingly aware of the immense poverty surrounding her.
Calcutta contained people who lived in extreme deprivation. Many had no adequate food, shelter, medical care, or family support.
The suffering she saw deeply affected her.
4. The “Call Within a Call”
One of the most important moments in Mother Teresa’s life occurred in 1946.
While traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, she experienced what she described as a profound interior call from Christ.
She understood this call as an invitation to leave her comfortable convent life and go among the poorest of the poor.
She later referred to this experience as a “call within a call.”
She believed Christ was asking her to establish a new work dedicated to serving those whom society had forgotten.
This call would eventually lead to the foundation of the Missionaries of Charity.
5. Leaving the Convent
After receiving the necessary permissions from Church authorities, Sister Teresa left the Loreto community in 1948.
She exchanged her traditional religious habit for a simple white sari with a blue border—the clothing that would later become closely associated with her and the Missionaries of Charity.
She began living among the poor.
At first, she had very few resources.
She opened a school for poor children and began visiting families, caring for the sick, and helping people who had nowhere else to turn.
She did not begin with a large organization or financial resources.
She began with one person, one need, and one act of love at a time.
6. The Birth of the Missionaries of Charity
In 1950, the Catholic Church formally recognized the new congregation founded by Mother Teresa: the Missionaries of Charity.
The congregation’s mission was to care for:
- the poorest of the poor,
- abandoned children,
- the homeless,
- the sick,
- people dying without anyone to care for them,
- people affected by leprosy,
- and others who were neglected by society.
The sisters embraced a life of prayer, poverty, obedience, and service.
Their distinctive fourth vow was a commitment to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”
The congregation eventually spread throughout India and then across the world.
7. Nirmal Hriday – The Home for the Dying
One of Mother Teresa’s most famous works was Nirmal Hriday, meaning “Pure Heart.”
It was established in Calcutta to care for people who were dying and had nowhere else to go.
Many people found abandoned or dying on the streets had no family willing or able to care for them.
Mother Teresa wanted them to die with dignity.
The sisters provided food, shelter, cleanliness, medical attention where possible, and above all human companionship and love.
Mother Teresa repeatedly emphasized that people should not die feeling unwanted.
For her, caring for a dying person was not merely social work. It was an encounter with Christ.
8. “I Thirst”
One of the central spiritual themes of Mother Teresa’s life was the words of Jesus from the Cross:
“I thirst.”
She understood Christ’s thirst as including His thirst for souls and His thirst for love.
She believed that when the sisters served a poor, abandoned, or suffering person, they were responding to Christ Himself.
This spirituality was strongly connected with the Gospel of Matthew:
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
For Mother Teresa, this was not simply a beautiful biblical idea.
It was the foundation of her daily life.
9. Seeing Christ in the Poor
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Mother Teresa’s spirituality was her understanding of the poor as an encounter with Christ.
She often taught her sisters to recognize Jesus in the people they served.
The poor were not merely recipients of charity.
They were persons loved by God.
This changed the way she approached service.
She did not ask first:
“How much can I accomplish?”
Instead, she asked:
“How can I love this person?”
A small act done with genuine love could therefore become an act of Christian discipleship.
10. Her Love for the Unwanted
Mother Teresa frequently spoke about another form of poverty: the poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and forgotten.
She believed that material poverty was not the only suffering experienced by human beings.
A person might have food and money and yet experience profound loneliness.
An elderly person abandoned by family, a sick person ignored by society, or a person dying alone could experience a terrible form of poverty.
Mother Teresa therefore emphasized presence.
Sometimes the greatest gift was simply to sit beside someone, hold a hand, listen, pray, and communicate:
“You are loved. You are not forgotten.”
11. Homes for Children
The Missionaries of Charity established homes for abandoned and orphaned children.
Mother Teresa had a special concern for children who had no one to care for them.
The sisters provided shelter, food, education, medical care, and an environment in which children could experience love and security.
She also encouraged families and society to protect vulnerable children and to recognize the dignity of every human life.
12. Service to the Sick
Mother Teresa and her sisters served people suffering from serious illnesses, including those who were often rejected because of fear and social stigma.
Among them were people affected by leprosy.
The Missionaries of Charity established facilities where patients could receive care and live with greater dignity.
Mother Teresa’s approach challenged society’s tendency to isolate people who were sick or considered undesirable.
She insisted that illness never removes a person’s dignity.
13. A Global Mission
Mother Teresa’s work gradually expanded beyond Calcutta.
Missionaries of Charity communities were established in many countries.
The sisters served in places affected by:
- poverty,
- war,
- famine,
- homelessness,
- disease,
- abandonment,
- and social exclusion.
The congregation established homes for the dying, children’s homes, shelters, soup kitchens, centers for people affected by disease, and other charitable works.
By the end of Mother Teresa’s life, her congregation had become an international Catholic missionary presence.
14. A Simple Spirituality
Mother Teresa’s spirituality was remarkably simple.
She emphasized:
Prayer
Everything had to begin with God.
Eucharist
She regarded the Eucharist as the source of strength for the sisters’ service.
Adoration
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament was an important part of the congregation’s spiritual life.
Charity
Love of God had to become love of neighbor.
Humility
She avoided seeking personal greatness.
Sacrifice
Love often requires giving something of ourselves.
Perseverance
A person must continue doing good even when results are not immediately visible.
15. Her Hidden Spiritual Suffering
An important but sometimes overlooked part of Mother Teresa’s life was her experience of profound spiritual darkness.
Her private writings, published after her death, revealed that she experienced long periods in which she felt God’s absence and struggled with an intense interior sense of spiritual dryness.
This has sometimes been called her “dark night.”
Yet she continued praying, serving, and loving.
This is significant for Christian spirituality.
Mother Teresa’s faith was not simply based on emotional consolation.
She continued to follow Christ even when she did not experience His presence in the way she desired.
Her perseverance demonstrates an important Christian truth:
Faith is sometimes choosing to remain faithful even when we cannot feel God’s presence.
16. The Nobel Peace Prize
Mother Teresa received numerous awards and honors during her lifetime.
One of the most famous was the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
She accepted the honor not as a celebration of herself but as an opportunity to speak about poverty, love, peace, and human dignity.
She repeatedly connected peace with love and compassion.
Her message was simple: if we want peace in the world, we must begin by loving the person immediately before us.
17. Mother Teresa and India
Although she was born in Europe, Mother Teresa became deeply associated with India.
She spent most of her religious life there and became an Indian citizen.
Her work in Calcutta brought worldwide attention to the plight of the poor.
She was respected by many people across religious and cultural boundaries.
Her simple white sari became an internationally recognized symbol of compassion and service.
18. Her Relationship with the Church
Mother Teresa remained deeply faithful to the Catholic Church.
She had a strong devotion to:
- Jesus Christ,
- the Blessed Virgin Mary,
- the Eucharist,
- the Cross,
- prayer,
- confession,
- and the Church.
She understood her charitable mission as flowing from her relationship with Christ.
For her, social service and evangelization were not competing activities.
Love itself was a testimony to the Gospel.
19. Mother Teresa’s Understanding of Holiness
Mother Teresa did not present holiness as something reserved for extraordinary people.
She encouraged ordinary Christians to become holy through ordinary acts of love.
A mother caring for her children, a nurse serving a patient, a priest ministering to his parishioners, a student helping a classmate, or a person forgiving someone who caused pain could all become occasions for holiness.
What mattered was love.
The greatness of an action was less important than the love with which it was performed.
20. Her Famous Teaching About Small Things
Mother Teresa frequently emphasized doing small things with great love.
This became one of the most enduring themes associated with her spirituality.
She believed that Christians do not need to change the entire world by themselves.
Instead, they can begin with the person God has placed before them.
A smile.
A kind word.
A visit to someone who is lonely.
Forgiveness.
A meal given to someone hungry.
Care for a sick person.
A prayer for someone suffering.
These seemingly small actions can become great when performed out of love for Christ.
21. Criticism and Controversies
Mother Teresa was also criticized during her lifetime and after her death.
Some critics questioned the quality of medical care in certain homes, the standards of some of her institutions, her views on abortion and contraception, her acceptance of donations from controversial individuals, and aspects of her approach to poverty and suffering.
Some writers argued that her emphasis on accepting suffering could sometimes romanticize poverty.
Others defended her, emphasizing the difficult circumstances in which her institutions operated and the enormous number of people who received care through her organization.
A balanced account should acknowledge these criticisms rather than presenting her life as free from controversy.
At the same time, these criticisms do not erase the enormous humanitarian and spiritual impact of her work.
22. Her Final Years
As she grew older, Mother Teresa experienced increasing health problems.
She continued to guide the Missionaries of Charity despite physical weakness.
In 1997, she resigned as superior of the congregation.
She died in Calcutta on 5 September 1997, at the age of 87.
Her death was mourned around the world.
India gave her a state funeral, reflecting the extraordinary affection and respect she had earned in the country.
23. Beatification
The Catholic Church began investigating her life and writings after her death.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 2003.
Her beatification was unusually rapid, reflecting the widespread reputation for holiness that had developed during her lifetime and immediately after her death.
24. Canonization
Mother Teresa was canonized by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016 in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
The canonization took place on the eve of the Church’s celebration of the Jubilee for Workers and Volunteers of Mercy during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.
She was formally proclaimed:
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Her feast is celebrated on 5 September, the anniversary of her death.
25. Her Spiritual Legacy
Saint Teresa of Calcutta left behind much more than charitable institutions.
Her deepest legacy is a spirituality of love expressed through concrete action.
She reminded the world that:
- every human being possesses dignity;
- the poor must never be forgotten;
- suffering people need companionship;
- Christian love must become practical;
- prayer and service belong together;
- holiness can be lived in ordinary circumstances;
- small acts of love matter;
- and Christ can be encountered in the least and most forgotten members of society.
26. Saint Teresa of Calcutta and the Eucharist
For Mother Teresa, the Eucharist was inseparable from her service to the poor.
The sisters began their day with prayer and the Eucharist because their charitable work could not be sustained merely by human strength.
Her spirituality can be summarized as a movement:
Jesus in the Eucharist → prayer → encounter with Christ → service to Christ in the poor.
She saw a profound connection between the altar and the streets.
The Christ whom the sisters received in Holy Communion was the Christ whom they encountered in the suffering human person.
27. Lessons from Saint Teresa of Calcutta
1. Love begins with one person
We do not need to solve every problem in the world before doing something good.
Begin with the person standing before you.
2. Small things have great value
A small act performed with love can have enormous spiritual significance.
3. Prayer must lead to action
Christian prayer should transform the way we treat other people.
4. Never despise the weak
The dignity of a person does not depend on health, wealth, intelligence, productivity, or social status.
5. Do not wait for perfect circumstances
Mother Teresa began her mission with very limited resources.
We can begin doing good with what we have.
6. Faithfulness matters even in darkness
Her experience of spiritual dryness teaches us that God’s apparent silence does not mean that God has abandoned us.
7. Holiness is possible for everyone
We do not have to become famous to become holy.
We become holy by loving God and loving others faithfully.
28. Saint Teresa’s Message to Families
Her spirituality has a particularly powerful message for families.
A family does not need extraordinary wealth to become a place of holiness.
Parents can show holiness by:
- loving their children patiently,
- forgiving one another,
- caring for elderly relatives,
- praying together,
- helping neighbors,
- welcoming those who are lonely,
- and teaching children compassion.
The home itself can become a school of charity.
29. Saint Teresa’s Message for Priests and Religious
For priests and religious, her life offers a powerful reminder that ministry must flow from intimacy with Christ.
A priest can become tired, discouraged, or overwhelmed by responsibilities.
Mother Teresa’s example reminds us:
First come to Jesus; then go to the people.
Without prayer, service can become mere activism.
Without love, ministry can become routine.
Without Christ, even good works can gradually lose their spiritual foundation.
30. Saint Teresa’s Message for the Modern World
Our world possesses extraordinary technological and economic resources, yet loneliness, isolation, poverty, war, and abandonment remain realities.
Saint Teresa’s message remains remarkably relevant:
People need more than material assistance. They need to know that they are loved.
In an increasingly digital world, her witness challenges us to rediscover personal presence.
To visit.
To listen.
To forgive.
To touch the life of another person.
To recognize Christ in the forgotten.
A Prayer Through the Intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Saint Teresa of Calcutta,
you who saw the face of Jesus
in the poor, the sick, the abandoned,
and the forgotten,
teach us to recognize Christ
in every person we meet.
Obtain for us a heart filled with compassion,
a spirit of humility,
patience in suffering,
and courage to serve those in need.
Teach us to pray with faith,
to love without counting the cost,
to forgive generously,
and to perform even the smallest acts
with great love.
When we feel discouraged,
help us to remain faithful.
When we feel that our efforts are insignificant,
remind us that nothing done with love is wasted.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta,
pray for the poor,
the sick, the lonely, the abandoned,
and all those who have no one to care for them.
Pray also for our families,
our parishes, our priests and religious,
and for all who dedicate their lives
to serving others.
May we never pass by a suffering person
without seeing in them the image of Christ.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta,
pray for us.
Amen.
Conclusion
Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s life can be summarized in one word: love.
She did not possess great wealth or political power. She did not command armies or govern nations. She simply placed herself at the service of Christ and began caring for the people whom others often ignored.
From the streets of Calcutta came a message that eventually reached the whole world:
Every person matters. Every person deserves dignity. Every person deserves love.
Her life reminds Christians that we encounter Jesus not only in prayer and the Eucharist, but also in the hungry, the sick, the lonely, the abandoned, and the forgotten.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta teaches us that holiness is not necessarily found in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things with extraordinary love.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, teach us to see Christ in the poorest and most vulnerable among us!
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, help us to love as Jesus loved!
Leave a Reply