the fountainhead
Suparn@’s blog
With all her affection here stands my mother…
Stretching her arms to greet me at my success,
Her silver hair shines on her shoulder…
As she stands with all her grace.
I have come a long way through my life…
Where I am contented and glad-
But will never be as noble as her
Can never return her golden lap.
She is the greatest achiever I believe
Though her deeds are not measured
It is only through *my* deed…
The knowledge that she has shared.
Her shelter would always be there
Whatever I would do…
Her arms would always be stretched
Whenever I am blue.
Now that she is old and
Waits for her days to end…
I compare the blessings she has showered
With the pain that I have repaid!
She came to India, where on May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls made such a deep impression on her that in 1948 she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. Mother Teresa’s work has been recognised and acclaimed throughout the world and she received a number of awards and distinctions, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971) and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding (1972). She also received the Balzan Prize (1979) and the Templeton and Magsaysay awards. Special prayers are being held at the tomb of Mother Teresa in Calcutta and around the World to mark the 10th anniversary of her death. On this day, I pay my sincere tribute to Mother Teresa and her selfless dedication to the destitute around the World.
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 27, 1910. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the call of God. She knew she had to be a missionary to spread the love of Christ.
On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to start her own order, "The Missionaries of Charity", whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after. And the rest as is said is history.
"Keep the joy of loving the poor and share this joy with all you meet. Remember works of love are works of Peace. God Bless you." - Mother Teresa Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, in the former Yugoslavia, she was the youngest of three children. In her teens, Agnes became a member of a youth group in her local pairsh called Sodality. Through her involvement with their activities guided by a Jesuit priest, Agnes became interested in missionaries. At age 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun. She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loretto, a community known for their missionary work in India. When she took her vows as a Sister of Loretto, she chose the name Teresa after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. In Calcutta, Sister Teresa taught geography and cathechism at St. Mary’s High School. In 1944, she became the principal of St. Mary’s. Soon Sister Teresa contracted tuberculosis, was unable to continue teaching and was sent to Darjeeling for rest and recuperation. It was on the train to Darjeeling that she received her second call — "the call within the call". Mother Teresa recalled later, "I was to leave the convent and work with the poor, living among them. It was an order. I knew where I belonged but I did not know how to get there." In 1948, the Vatican granted Sister Teresa permission to leave the Sisters of Loretto and pursue her calling under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Calcutta. Mother Teresa started with a school in the slums to teach the children of the poor. She also learned basic medicine and went into the homes of the sick to treat them. In 1949, some of her former pupils joined her. They found men, women, and children dying on the streets who were rejected by local hospitals. The group rented a room so they could care for helpless people otherwise condemned to die in the gutter. In 1950, the group was established by the Church as a Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese. It was known as the Missionaries of Charity. Judging the impact that Mother Teresa had on society is difficult at best. It would be true to say that her dedication to helping those who couldn’t help themselves has been an inspiration to the world. But that doesn’t quite communicate the full scope of what her life meant to the world. An inspiration is something that comes and goes. It is good for a moment, it causes to feel something, and then it is gone. Mother Teresa’s life was so much more than that. Mother Teresa was an agent of change. She did more than inspire us, she changed the way that we thought about the world around us. Mother Teresa took what God had given her and used it for His glory. What she taught us was that every person, regardless of wealth, health, social standing, religion, sex, or creed, has value in the eyes of God. She taught us that Love will open doors that hate has closed. She taught us that the greatest way to show God’s love is to meet the needs of others. Though she is no longer on this earth, the ministry that Mother Teresa began is thriving throughout the world. She has restored dignity to the shunned, love to the outcast, and life to the dying. Through her home for the dying in Calcutta, those who would have been left to die in the gutters were given clean beds, warm meals, and someone to love them during their final days on earth. Since it’s creation, more than 40,000 men, women, and children were taken from the streets of Calcutta and transported to the home. Of those, one half died surrounded by love and kindness. For those who survived, the sisters tried to find a job or they were sent to homes where they could live happily for years to come. Her Shishu Bavan, or home for babies, as well as other orphanages have offered shelter and hope to countless children around the world. Many of the children that were raised in them went on to become productive citizens and members of her order. The leper colony Mother Teresa founded with the winnings from her 1971 Pope Paul XXIII Peace Prize has offered a place for the outcasts to find acceptance. When she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she convinced the committee to cancel the official banquet and used that money to buy meals for 15,000 poor. Hundreds of thousands of meals have been served in her soup kitchens world wide. Today, her sisters are active all over India and outside in many countries in the world: From Venezuela to Jordany, from Italy to Tanzania, from the United States to Russia. She also opened houses for alcoholics, drug addicts, and homeless and destitues in Rome as well as homes for aids patients all over the world. The Pope was also asked to open a house for mothers with unwanted pregnancies. Mother Teresa also supported the rehabilitation of prisoners in India. Her work has opened the hearts of an unknown number of people to the message of Jesus Christ. Her greatest impact on society was to bring an awareness that love is worth nothing unless it is given for free. 10 years ago, you left us for your heavenly abode…but you are still in our hearts of heart!
