Every being has its own destiny and the path it takes to reach that destiny. For humans, it is the conquest of humanity, meaning all the good and noble that is implied by that. Human history has been marked by racial, national, religious, and other intolerance, wars, terrorism, poverty, hunger and disease, but in those periods of despair – or precisely because of it – people of great spiritual strength have also emerged, ready to show humanity through their own example what it means to be human.
It is precisely this message that Mother Teresa sent with her philosophy of life. Fearless and unbreakable in the face of difficulties, she was called the “little giant” because, although unassuming in appearance, small and fragile, dressed in a simple white sari like the poor Indian women, she carried within her immense spiritual strength and a pure heart. On one hand, not at all sentimental, she stood firmly on the ground and wisely and swiftly solved problems, but always with her eyes turned towards the sky, from where she drew strength for her actions.
Mother Teresa was a rare combination of a humble soul and a sublime spirit, and she always sought to strike the right balance between earth and heaven. Following the teachings of Christianity, she chose the path of simplicity and embraced poverty. Through her, a never-ending stream of mercy and love flowed, reaching millions of poor, sick, and outcast individuals. She served by alleviating human suffering, never asking people how they ended up in such conditions, and never passing judgment on anyone. In March 1980, the Indian government awarded her the highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna (Indian Jewel). On that occasion, the then President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy said, “She embodies a love and compassion that few have possessed in history… Her entire life personifies service and mercy. These are the imperatives of human existence that are applauded in words but contradicted by actions.” For Mother Teresa, all people were children of the same God. And every religion follows it in its own unique way. Therefore, a Hindu needs to be helped to become a better Hindu, a Muslim to become a better Muslim, a Catholic to become a better Catholic. It is the duty of missionaries of love to encourage Christians, non-Christians, and atheists to perform acts of love, no matter how small, because only an act done with an open heart brings people closer to God. Mother Teresa was deeply respected by many non-Christians and was equally beloved among members of all faiths.
Living and working among people, Mother Teresa soon realized that the greatest unhappiness is not being hungry, sick, and homeless because these problems can be solved with money, food, and medicine. Unfortunately, there is something much worse – being superfluous, isolated, and rejected.
Life Path
The decision to become a nun-missionary dates back to her earliest childhood. She was born in Skopje on August 26, 1910, as the youngest of three children in an Albanian Bojaxhiu family. She was given the name Agnes Gonxha, which means “floral bud,” at her baptism. She grew up, as she often emphasized, in a happy family of true believers. They lived comfortably, but were aware that a different world surrounded them. Little Gonxha often accompanied her parents on visits to poor families, bringing them food, clothing, and money. They cared for lonely elderly and sick people, and their home was always open to those in need. Thus, Gonxha received her first lessons about living a righteous life, love, and respect for every human being in her family home. After her father’s death, her mother Drana took over the care of the family. She taught little Gonxha that the hardships of life should be faced with spiritual courage. Her mother’s image accompanied her throughout her missionary life, and she often wondered if her mother would be satisfied with her work.
In addition to her family, the Catholic community also influenced her decision, especially Father Franjo Jambreković, who founded the “Association of Catholic Youth” in Skopje in 1924 with organized spiritual and cultural activities. Father Jambrek Vic was interested in missionary work and he often spoke to young people about that topic. He brought them the magazine “Catholic Missions,” in which Slovenian and Croatian missionaries wrote about their work with the poor and lepers in the surrounding area of Kolkata. Since then, Gonxha started to be inspired by the idea of a missionary calling. Although gifted in music and poetry (she dreamed of becoming a writer), the joy she felt in her heart when the thought of devoting herself to serving God and her neighbors prevailed. After finishing high school in 1928, she left Skopje and went to Ireland, to Rathfarnham near Dublin. There, she was accepted into the congregation of the Sisters of Loreto. The nuns of this order worked as missionaries in India. After learning the English language, she was sent to Kolkata in 1929, and in May of the same year, she became a novice and chose the name Teresa in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as “The Little Flower of Jesus.” Saint Teresa couldn’t be a missionary because of her illness, but she learned that she could serve God by performing even the most mundane tasks. She loved with joy in the best possible way. She called her journey of faith and complete dedication “my little way”, and that “little way” played an important role in Sister Teresa’s search for her own path.
In Darjeeling, a town at the foot of the Himalayas, she taught in a convent school and helped in a hospital where she gained basic medical knowledge that would later come in handy. From Darjeeling, she was sent to Kolkata where she attended college, graduated, and became a professor. She taught history and geography at St. Mary’s High School in Entally, a poor neighborhood in Kolkata. She learned Hindi and Bengali, and after taking her perpetual vows in 1937, she became the principal of the high school.
The nuns lived within the convent and only left in exceptional cases. Sister Teresa also spent her time within the convent walls, working and praying. However, while teaching at the local Bengali school of St. Teresa, she was confronted with the indescribable poverty of Kolkata’s poor quarters, exacerbated by societal raganda, kako bi pomogla najpotrebitijima. Njezin rad i predanost su postali inspiracija cijelom svijetu. Sestra Tereza je utrla put humanitarnim organizacijama i pokrenula val dobrote diljem planete. Njezin životni put je bio ispunjen naporima i odricanjima, ali je istovremeno bio ispunjen ljubavlju i nadom. Ova velika žena je ostavila neizbrisiv trag u povijesti i ostat će svijetli primjer altruizma i hrabrosti za sva buduća pokoljenja. Among the poorest of the poor, she lived and served them. Achieving this was not easy. She needed the approval of the monastery and church authorities who were suspicious of her intentions. Finally, in 1948, having obtained permission, she left the convent and first went to Patna (a city 390 km away from Calcutta) to the Hospital of the Holy Family, where nurse doctors, surgical and maternity specialists, nurses, lab technicians, and others were working. She gained a lot of knowledge and skills about patient care, medication, and the like from them. She returned to Calcutta and decided to work in the poor neighborhood of Motjhil. With the five rupees given to her by the Calcutta bishop, she found a shack for the dying. She gathered a handful of children from the streets and began an open-air school without desks, chairs, blackboards, or chalk, writing letters in the sand with a stick. Despite this, more and more children came to the school, and over time, people started bringing the necessary furniture. That’s how the first school started. Today, only In India, there are more than one hundred and forty!
Fearless and wholeheartedly believing in the presence of God and Goodness, Sister Teresa embarked on her “simple path”. Inspired by her actions, five former students joined her soon after. Upon hearing that Sister Teresa had nowhere to go with the sick, wealthy Indian Michael Gomez offered her the second floor of his house. Seeing how compassionately and dedicatedly Sister Teresa and her helpers cared for the patients, he gradually gave them more and more of his living space, considering it a blessing to have them in his house.
By the end of 1950, Sister Teresa already had twelve helpers, brave and joyful girls who went through the streets searching for the sick and dying. Pope Pius XII approved the founding of the Missionaries of Charity order, and Sister Teresa became Mother Teresa. The number of newcomers continued to increase, and it was necessary to find suitable space for the whole community. Through the generosity of a Muslim man, they were able to find that space. Upon learning about their problem, he donated his home as he decided to leave India. The sisters got their ancestral home, from which hundreds of them spread across the world to open homes and bring comfort and mercy to the poorest and most destitute.
Nirmal Hriday Home
The first home for children was established in 1955. Today, there are over one hundred and ten such homes in India, where children stay from birth until adoption or marriage, learning trades and receiving education.
Leprosy was a major problem in India that society did not pay any attention to. It took a long time to realize that it is a treatable disease that needs to be eradicated. In 1982, there were four million leprosy patients in India, and around three hundred thousand in Kolkata alone. Mother Teresa started systematically addressing this issue as early as 1950. With a few sisters, she went to the settlement of leprosy patients in Gobru. Soon, the first mobile leprosy hospital was established, and today, the “Gandhiji Prem Nivas” center is located in the same place. The lepers themselves built it. After the government donated land outside of Calcutta to Mother Teresa, she started a “home for lepers,” while the sisters throughout the city collected voluntary funds and donations under the motto “touch the leper with your kindness.” Many funds were raised, enabling the establishment of a settlement and a clinic for sick and cured lepers called “Shanti nagara” (City of Peace). There they live with their families, earning a living through various crafts. This at least restored a part of their human dignity and faith in humanity.
Mother Teresa began with nothing visible except deep faith that sincere intention and a pure heart would enable the achievement of any goal. She never feared that it wouldn’t be so, just as it never happened that she didn’t receive someone in need. Her mission quickly spread not only in India but also across all continents. The eyes of the world were fixed on her because she was a light in the darkness of the 20th century. In 1979, she was awarded for her efforts in spreading peace in the world. In the year dot, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Prize. Along with the prize, she also received a little over one hundred and ninety thousand US dollars, and she requested that the feast that was being prepared for the occasion be canceled and that the money be used to provide meals for about fifteen thousand poor people.
When Mother Teresa embarked on her “simple path,” she deeply believed in her mission and hoped that her “path” would illuminate many lives. This path was not strewn with roses. Her greatest battle was fought within herself, aware of her human weaknesses and the necessity of suppressing them in order to do something much more valuable and humane than spending her life fulfilling her own desires. Her words described the agony and pain she experienced, but she was simultaneously full of enthusiasm and love, joyfully serving others, and no one noticed the drama that was happening within her. She realized that the darkness within and around her was a necessary part that allowed purification and understanding of true divine nature.
Mother Teresa’s path was a path of faith. She completely dedicated herself to serving others. She said that every action is good when done out of love. Not everyone can be Mother Teresa, but they can still help others by doing deeds of love, wholeheartedly and sincerely.