I was a young boy when Mother Teresa caught my attention. I saw her body lying in state on international television, and seeing many mourn over her made a lasting impression on me. She died on September 5, 1997, days after the horrific death of Princess Diana (August 31, 1997). Today is Mother’s feast day, the day she entered Paradise.

In my adult life, I have thought much about her work and ministry. She taught me one valuable lesson! The most important service we give to Jesus is serving him in people experiencing poverty. If you watch any movie or documentary on Mother’s life, you will witness how she went to the peripheries of life and loved the most unlovable. She loved humanity, no matter the creed. For in them she found her Lord! This search and this manner of loving were rooted deeply in her Eucharistic love; otherwise, she was simply a wonderful humanitarian rather than a disciple of Jesus.

A quote that I have thought of often from Mother Teresa:

The fruits of life weave through actions and our spiritual practices. The starting point is silence. Silence is listening with the ears of the heart in our hyper-noisy digital world, more than it is the absence of noise. Silence lets us listen to God intentionally. If we want the fruits of faith, love, service, or peace, it all begins with silence.

It is said that for many years of her life, she felt God’s absence, God’s silence. It was her dark night. Yet, she never wavered and continued to serve her Master as she was purified in the light of Divine Love.

Saint Mother Teresa, help us to recognize Jesus in the distressing disguise of people experiencing poverty. Help us love Jesus in every person we meet. Amen.

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