Mother Teresa – Called by God to Serve the Poorest of the Poor – Faith Stories You Won’t Forget Series

Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint on Sunday, September 4, 2016, completing a process that began in 2003 with her beatification.

Here is the post that I published on September 11, 2013 about Mother Teresa’s life and work.

Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 87 years.

Her life was in many ways spectacular and productive.  From another perspective, however, she would probably say it was an ordinary life and one that is replicated by countless other nuns, missionaries and servants of Jesus Christ.

However you see her, there is no denying that she had a profound impact on this world.  We need more like her.

Linda Ann Nickerson, Yahoo! Contributor Network, has compiled some quotes from Mother Teresa’s writings.  They give a clear picture of her outlook on life, in general, and her purpose in life.  The dignity and worth of each person, no matter if rich or poor, sick or well comes through very clearly as she sees everyone as children of God.

Words of Wisdom from a Wee, yet Big-Hearted, Christian Saint

Linda Ann Nickerson, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Aug 26, 2010 “Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was honored on August 26, 2010 (exactly 100 years after her birth on August 26, 1910) for her selfless service to the poorest of humanity.
Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed a blessing for the late Albanian-Indian nun (who died in September 1997) and called the faithful of every stripe to recall her joyful faith and benevolence. The Pope spoke during a special mass, held at the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.

Who was Mother Teresa?

Born Agnex Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun who founded Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity ministry in Calcutta, India. For nearly 50 years, Mother Teresa fed and served needy orphans, AIDS patients, lepers, tuberculosis victims, homeless families and indigent people through this outreach.
In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize. The following year, she was honored with India’s Bharat Ratna for humanitarianism. In 1985, 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan and American First Lady Nancy Reagan presented Mother Teresa with the Medal of Freedom (see photo).
Mother Teresa was beatified (sainted) posthumously by Pope John Paul II and renamed Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
During her lifetime, although she never sought the proverbial spotlight, the diminutive and humble Mother Teresa was often quoted for her words of faith and simple wisdom.
Although I am not Catholic, as a Christian I have found inspiration and conviction in many of the sayings of Mother Teresa. Here are my personal top 30 favorite Mother Teresa quotes (listed in no particular order).

My Top 30 Favorite Quotes from Mother Teresa

“A life not lived for others is not a life.”
“Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”
“God doesn’t require us to succeed; He only requires that you try.”
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, ‘How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather he will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?'”
“I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.”
“I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
“If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.”
“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
“I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.”
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it. 
”Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it.”
“Live simply so others may simply live.”
“Peace begins with a smile.”
“The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.”
“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
“When you don’t have anything, then you have everything.”
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”
“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”
“It is a kingly act to assist the fallen.”
“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love.”
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”
“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”
“One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.”

 

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979

 

Faith Stories You Won’t Forget Series focuses primarily on heroes and heroines of the Christian faith. This is the fourth post in the series. You can see the other posts at:

 

The Man Who Stopped the Roman Gladiator Fights – Faith Stories You Won’t Forget Series

Faith Stories You Won’t Forget Series – Amy Carmichael 

Faith Stories You Won’t Forget Series – William Tyndale

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