Mother Teresa & Mother Church: Loving Compassion

Here's an anecdote about the encounter of a poor cancer patient and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  

HER SMILE REACHES OUT...

                                           to the suffering poor 

At the home for the dying which the Missionaries of Charity have in Calcutta there was a man who had cancer, his body half-consumed by the sickness. Everyone had abandoned him as a hopeless case. Mother Teresa came near him to wash him tenderly. She encountered, at first, only the sick man’s disdain.

“How can you stand my body’s stench?” he asked.

Then, quite calmly the dying man said to her, “You’re not from here. The people here don’t behave the way you do.”

Several minutes went by. And then the terminally ill man murmured a typical Indian expression: “Glory to you, woman.”

“No,” replied Mother Teresa. “Glory to you who suffer with Christ.”

Then they smiled at each other. The sick man’s suffering seemed to stop. He died two days later.

Suffering by itself is nothing. But suffering as a share in Christ’s Passion is a great gift. Man’s greatest gift is the possibility of sharing Christ’s Passion. Yes, it is a gift and a sign of God’s love. This is the way the Father showed his love for the world: giving us his Son to die for us. This is the way Christ showed that the greatest gift is love: he gave himself in suffering for us.----Mother Teresa

Reflection:

Mother Teresa did not heal him but her smile touched his heart. Despite the pain, he smiled before death came and dragged him down to the grave. That's the miracle! What a beautiful way of dying! 

Pope John Paul II asked "Where did Mother Teresa find the strength and perseverance to place herself completely at the service of others? She found it in prayer and in the silent contemplation of Jesus Christ, his Holy Face, his Sacred Heart."

For agnostics like me, the human spirit inspires every man and woman of good will to be a brother and a sister to the poor, the sick and the dying. 

She is now known as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, but she's more than blessed; she's a saint. I prefer to call her "Mother Teresa" which is more inspiring, nurturing and life-giving.

Sadly, Mother Church walks away from the suffering humanity. She is gravely sick and suffers "hierarchology" and "she gets unreasonably disquieted when confronted with the outside world on equal terms."    

Hope you like it. You can read more stories about her life and ministry. See the difference from the original? By selecting one story you will have more time to reflect and savor its message in your heart. Of course, the original source is intended to collect stories of Mother Teresa. 

Thanks to the editor, Jose Luiz Gonzales-Balado.

Happy reading... Keep well.