Mother Teresa

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born in Albania in 1910.  She became a Catholic Nun and founded a religious order to minister to “the poorest of the poor”, the Missionaries of Charity.

Mother Teresa, as she became known as a nun, tirelessly tended to the needs of lepers, AIDs victims, and the poorest in a poor country.  Her example led her to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. 

Mother Teresa died in 1997.  She was canonized (proclaimed a saint) by the Roman Catholic Church in 2016.

Her life serves as a testament to tolerance and sacrifice for the common good. 

“There is only one God, and He is God to all; therefore, it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.  I have always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu, a Muslim become a better Muslim, a Catholic become a better Catholic.  We believe our work should be an example to the people.”[1]

In some respects, the quote should not be surprising.  After all, Mother Teresa made it her life’s work to alleviate the suffering of anyone, regardless of race, sex, religion or color.  Each was, as she was, a child of God, and thus deserving of assistance.  She lived the parable of the Good Samaritan.[2]

But on another level, Mother Teresa was a Christian – a Roman Catholic – and being canonized, recognized as one worthy of emulation. 

If this holy person, leader of her religious sect and recognized as a saint, can advocate for equal treatment of all in need, no matter their religion, then we can and should emulate her.

Our work, after all, should be an example to the people. 

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[1] Mother Teresa, quoted in the preface to One Mountain, Many Peaks, Dr. Patrick Swift (Double Eagle Press 2007).

[2] Luke 10:25-37.