ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA
Religious Sister and Foundress of the Missionaries of Charity – September 5
Recognizing Christ in the Person Before Us
Introduction
A person who needs help may already have told the same story several times. What stays with them afterward can be something quite simple. Someone pulled up a chair, asked their name, and gave them time to speak. The practical help mattered, and so did being treated as someone worth listening to.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, known throughout the world as Mother Teresa, devoted her life to people whose needs were easily overlooked. She saw in them the presence of Christ and taught her sisters to give each person the attention they would give to him. Her memorial invites us to ask whom we have grown accustomed to passing by.
Who Was St. Teresa of Calcutta?
Mother Teresa was born Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, now the capital of North Macedonia, to an Albanian family. As a young woman, she joined the Sisters of Loreto and went to India, where she taught in Calcutta, now Kolkata. She spent many years in education before beginning the work for which she became widely known.
In 1946, while traveling by train to Darjeeling for a retreat, she experienced what she later called a “call within a call.” She understood that Christ was asking her to leave the convent school and live among people in extreme poverty. After receiving permission, she began that work in 1948. The Missionaries of Charity were formally established in 1950.
She died in Kolkata on September 5, 1997. Pope Francis canonized her on September 4, 2016. The Roman Rite observes her optional memorial on September 5.
Christ in the People We Serve
In the Gospel account of the Last Judgment, Jesus identifies himself with those who are hungry, thirsty, sick, or in need of welcome. The people who served him are surprised. They remember helping someone in need, and Jesus reveals that he received their care as his own.
Mother Teresa took this teaching into the streets and homes of Calcutta. The Missionaries of Charity cared for people who were dying, offered shelter to those who had nowhere to go, and took in children in need of care. When a person was near death, the sisters could still offer warmth, cleanliness, and the companionship of someone willing to stay.
The Gospel also reaches into our ordinary routines. A person may have enough to eat and still spend most evenings alone. Someone may receive excellent practical care and have few opportunities to tell a story or make a choice. Taking time to ask what matters to that person can change the way we serve.
“I Thirst”
Jesus’ words from the cross, “I thirst,” held a special place in Mother Teresa’s prayer. She heard in them the suffering of Christ and his desire for our love. For her, those words gave a personal urgency to the Gospel’s call to serve.
We can pray with those words when we find it difficult to attend to someone. A relative may call at a busy hour. A neighbor may need help with a task we could finish more quickly on our own. Christ’s thirst gives us a reason to slow down and notice what the other person is asking of us.
Faithfulness Through Spiritual Darkness
Mother Teresa’s letters reveal that for much of her later life she endured a painful sense of God’s absence. She continued to pray and carry out her responsibilities even when she felt little consolation. Knowing this gives us a fuller picture of the faith behind her public work.
There are seasons when a person comes to prayer tired, distracted, or unable to find words. Mother Teresa’s witness gives us permission to begin where we are. We can tell Christ how distant he seems, name one person we want to pray for, and remain with him for a little while. A brief, honest prayer can express real fidelity.
A Life Connection
A parish volunteer delivers a meal to a man who recently lost his wife. The volunteer usually leaves the meal at the door. One evening, the man mentions that he used to cook on Sundays while his wife chose the music. The volunteer asks what they liked to listen to and stays a few minutes. On the next visit, the volunteer asks whether he would like company for supper.
The meal meets a need the volunteer could see. The conversation reveals another. Mother Teresa’s example can help us pay enough attention to discover what a person has been missing and what they would welcome from us.
Eucharistic Connection
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament sustained the work of Mother Teresa and her sisters. In the Holy Qurbana, we celebrate Christ’s saving death and Resurrection and receive his Body and Blood in Holy Communion. The Lord who gives himself to us at the altar teaches us to recognize him in the person who needs our care.
After Communion, we can remember someone whose needs we have seen but have scarcely had time to consider. We can ask Christ what love requires of us in that particular relationship. It may be a visit, an offer of practical help, or time set aside for a conversation without hurry.
Messages and Call to Conversion
St. Teresa invites us to give one person our undivided attention this week. We might visit someone who lives alone, sit with a family member who is grieving, or ask a caregiver what would give them some relief. Let the person’s answer guide what we offer.
Her memorial also invites us to bring that person into our prayer. We can remember them by name at the Holy Qurbana and ask for the grace to follow through after we leave the church.
Conclusion
St. Teresa of Calcutta gave herself to Christ in prayer and in the daily work of caring for people who were easily overlooked. Through her intercession, may we recognize Christ in the person before us and have the patience to serve in a way that honors their dignity.
