Mother Teresa

This post is written in honor of Mother Teresa, a very devout Christian.   I am not Catholic and sometimes think Christians get way too caught up in their denominational battles and lose sight of God’s Holy Church.  Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and of course, it is His bride.  More so than most people because of my background and interests, I have an understanding of the differences in doctrine.  Rather than always point out our differences, it is better to comprehend our similarities.   If we were to embrace one another, I think you will find our belief in the same precept.  'We are all saved by grace through faith from our Lord Jesus Christ.'  This last sentence is the basis of faith as written in John 3:16.  The majority of the posts written in my blog is about my feelings in regard to love, compassion, forgiveness and caring.  I think as you read this post today, you may also find these quotes from Mother Teresa also reflect her feelings about love, compassion, forgiveness and caring.  Remember, as Christians we are to embrace our brothers and sisters, and if we were all able to accomplish this in the same manner as she did, our world would be a better place.  My hope is that as you read her thoughts, you will discover a new insight into our similarities as God's children all belonging to the human race.

Quotes from Mother Teresa

“Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste 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.”

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”

“It is not how much we do,
but how much love we put in the doing.
It is not how much we give,
but how much love we put in the giving.”

“Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart.”

“If you are humble nothing will touch you,

neither praise nor disgrace,

because you know what you are.”

“Do not allow yourselves to be disheartened by any failure

as long as you have done your best.”

“If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.”

“When a poor person dies of hunger,
it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her.
It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to
give that person what he or she needed.”

“Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen,
for God speaks in the silence of the heart.”

“It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my neighbor.
St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God
and you don't love your neighbor.
How can you love God whom you do not see,
if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live?”

“I see God in every human being.
When I wash the leper's wounds I feel I am nursing the Lord himself.   Is it not a beautiful experience?”

“Do not wait for leaders, do it alone, person to person.”

“There is a terrible hunger for love.
We all experience that in our lives - the pain, the loneliness.
We must have the courage to recognize it.
The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.”

“The more you have, the more you are occupied, the less you give.
But the less you have the more free you are. Poverty for us is a freedom.  It is not a mortification, a penance. It is joyful freedom.
There is no television here, no this, no that.
But we are perfectly happy.”.

“If we pray, we will believe;
If we believe, we will love.
If we love, we will serve.”

“You and I, we are the Church, no?
We have to share with our people.
Suffering today is because people are hoarding, not giving, not sharing.
Jesus made it very clear.
Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.
Give a glass of water, you give it to me.
Receive a little child, you receive me.
Clear.”

“Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor
for helping us to love God better because of them.”

“Make us worthy, Lord, to serve those people throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger.
Give them through our hands, this day, their daily bread,
and by our understanding love, give them peace and joy.”

“The hunger for love
The most terrible poverty
is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”

“If you cannot feed a hundred people,
then feed just one.”

“Where there is great love,
there are always great miracles.”

“We know that whatever we do is simply a droplet in the ocean.
But if that droplet were missing, the ocean would be lacking.”

“Joy is a net of love
by which you can catch souls.”

“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.”

“God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...
We need silence to be able to touch souls.” 

“Peace begins with a smile.”

“There is no greater sickness in the world today than the lack of love.”
- Mother Teresa

Today, make a decision to make a difference in just one person’s life.  It may be a family member, a friend, neighbor or a complete stranger.  God placed you on this earth to make a difference, and today is our opportunity to do so.  Remember not to judge,  but to love.

Godspeed!