Editorial

As we approach the beatification of Mother Teresa on Oct. 19, we might all reflect on the impact of this holy woman's legacy to our church and to our entire world.

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One of my favorite books is Mother Teresa in My Own Words (Liguori Publications, 1996). It is a little volume, because Mother Teresa was not primarily a writer. She was a doer.

But precisely because she wasn't given to much talking, Mother Teresa's words are even more convincing. As we read her words, we discover her primary mission: to "follow Jesus' word" as revealed in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-12).

Help the poorest of the poor. Her main objective was to help the least of Jesus' brothers and sisters, the poorest of the poor: abandoned children, dying elderly people, those suffering from AIDS and other diseases. "I see God in everyone, and especially in those who suffer," she said.

When she first went to India, she was a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto. She lived in a convent which housed a Catholic school for girls in Calcutta. The majority of students were of European descent from well-to-do families.

Sister Teresa could have stayed in that convent and led a peaceful life. But she knew there were many poor people living outside the convent walls. She heard a "call within a call" and left the convent to help the poor. Some of her former students followed her, forming the nucleus of a new religious congregation she called the "Missionaries of Charity."

Practiced what she preached. Mother Teresa and her sisters found abandoned children in a park and cared for them. They eventually opened a children's home, along with a home for the dying and homes for lepers, people with AIDS, and unwed mothers. Their work spread throughout the world. Mother Teresa died six years ago, but her work continues. Her sisters have opened houses in 10 more countries.

Mother Teresa practiced what she preached. She led a simple life, living among the poor, dressing like them. Any money she earned from awards and speaking engagements she gave directly to the poor.

All can be holy. Mother Teresa didn't believe she was unique. She thought all of us can be holy. "Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God."

Mother Teresa leaves us the legacy of her example. She gives us a model of Christian living. We can follow her example by helping the poor, lonely, and forgotten in our own families, parishes, and communities. We can contribute financially but also give a personal commitment of our time and talents.

Mother Teresa lives on not only in the Missionaries of Charity. She lives on in each committed Christian. Let's give Mother Teresa a special gift for her beatification by our own service to the poorest of the poor.

Mary C. Uhler