Short
biographyMessage: Clarifying a point
Short
biography
Message: Clarifying a point
Whatever You Did Unto One of the Least,
You Did Unto Me
Address to the National Prayer Breakfast in
Washington
Letter to the Fourth Conference on Women
Mother Teresa, known as the "Saint of the Gutters" for her admirable dedication to the the poor was beatified by the Holy Father John Paul II on October 2003.
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born august 26, 1910; baptised august 27 in Skopje, Macedonia. She was born of a Catholic family although the majority of Albanians are Muslims. She lost her father at the age of nine and her mother Drana had to work very hard to raise her family of three children.They maintained a very Catholic life and kept a great devotion to Our Lady.
A great part of their time also went to the Legion of Mary. She helped a priest, who had difficulties with the language to teach catechism and then she learnt about about Slovenian and Croatian missionaries in India. At twelve she felt for the first time the desire to spend her life for God's work, to give it to Him and to let Him decide. But how could she be sure?
She prayed a lot over it and talked about it with her sister and her mother, also
with the priest to whom she asked: "How can I be sure?" He answered:
"through your JOY. If you feel really happy by the idea that God might call you to
serve Him and your neighbour, then this is the evidence that you have a call." And he
added: "the deep inner joy that you feel is the compass that indicates your direction
in life".
At the age of eighteen the decision was made. The last two years she assisted several
religious retreats in Letnice and it was clear to her that she would be a missionary for
India. On Assumption day in 1928 she went to Letnice to pray for Our Lady's blessing
before leaving. She was going to join the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto, who were very
active in India.
She entered the convent in Dublin, where she learned English, she took her religious name of Teresa in honour of St. Therese of Lisieux. Then she travelled to India where she became a novice on may 23, 1929, two years later she made her first vows. After that she was sent to Bengali to help the sisters in the little hospital with the care for sick, starving and helpless mothers. She was touched by the endless misery found there.
Later She became a teacher and had very good communication with the children who loved her as a mother, they called her "Ma". While she worked close to the slumps of Calcutta, she became aware of the needs of the poor and was called to get involved in Charity work.
On the 10th of September she left for a retreat,"the most important journey
of my life" she said afterwards. It was then that she really heard God's voice. His
message was clear: she had to leave the convent to help the poorest of the poor and to
live with them. "It was an order, a duty, an absolute certainty. I knew what
to do, but I did not know how". The 10th of September is so important in the Society
that this day is called "Inspiration day".
Sister Teresa was inspired to start living with the poor in order to help them, at first
she had a lot of difficulty convincing her superiors but in 1948 She was given permission
to start her mission. Aided by the sisters of the poor she began the humble work of
feeding the poor, washing their wounds, and teaching them about Jesus.
In March 1949 she received the first volunteer with a vocation to work for the poor, and more and more girls joined her until she started her own community with the help of charitable people.
Her community grew into a congregation and she obtained papal approval in October
1950. Just like Jesus with his apostles, she started then with twelve sisters. Nowadays
there are hundreds of sisters all over the world serving the poor thanks to Mother
Teresa's initiative.
It is basic in the Rule of the Society that the sisters, out of love for Jesus, devote
themselves out of their free will, to the service of the poorest of the poor and this is
in fact, their fourth vow. This is their way to live and spread the gospel and work for
the salvation and the sanctification of the poor.
The first Mother house, Lower Circular Road 54A, was obtained through prayer at a
very cheap price, then the society grew in work and number, Mother kept praying for
vocations and the work kept growing. Houses were opening and some closing down for either
political, social or security reasons. Mother Teresa began to travel around the world and
to give talks to different types of people, therefore obtaining help for her work and new
sisters for the congregation. Because of her deteriorating health, Sister Nirmala was
elected on March 13th, 1997 to continue the beautiful work, for the love of Jesus.
Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997.
Dear friends:
Some articles have recently been published in the press suggesting that I am advocating
divorce, which is clearly against Catholic teachings and my own convictions. I would
therefore like to clarify this point. The Bible is very clear. Jesus says, "God made
them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave
to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has
joined."
I have never advised or encouraged a husband and wife to seek divorce. I always tell
couples having trouble to pray - alone and together as a family. If we pray, our hearts
become clean, and we are filled with the love of God - love that gives without counting
the cost; love that is tender and compassionate; love that forgives. Loves always unites.
It does not divide.
The family that prays together stays together; and if you stay together, you will love one
another with the same love with which God loves each one of us. Love begins in the family.
Peace begins in the family. Where there is love, there is unity, peace and joy.
Let us pray for all married couples, especially for those experiencing problems in their
marriage, that they may become one heart full of love in the heart of God.
Let us pray. God bless you.
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta
From the National Prayer Breakfast, Washington, D.C., February, 1994
On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, "Come enter the Kingdom.
For I was hungry and you gave me feed, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and
you visited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart
from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give
me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did
we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?". And Jesus will
answer then, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of the least of these, you
neglected to do unto Me!"
As we have gathered here to pray together, I think it will be beautiful if we begin with a
prayer that expresses very well what Jesus wants us to do for the least. St. Francis of
Assisi understood very well these words of Jesus and His life is very well expressed by a
prayer. And this prayer, which we say every day after Holy Communion, always surprises me
very much, because it is very fitting for each one of us. And I always wonder whether 800
years ago when St. Francis lived, they had the same difficulties that we have today. I
think that some of you already have this prayer of peace - so we will pray it together.
Let us thank God for the opportunity He has given us today to have come here to pray
together. We have come here especially to pray for peace, joy, and love. We are reminded
that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what is that good news
when He said: "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you." He came not
to give the peace of the world which is only that we don't bother each other. He came to
give the peace of heart which comes from loving - from doing good to others.
And God loved the world so much that He gave His Son - it was a giving. God gave His son
to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with Him? As soon as Jesus came into Mary's life,
immediately she went in hast to give that good news. And as she came into the house of her
cousin, Elizabeth, Scripture tells us that the unborn child - the child in the womb of
Elizabeth - leapt with joy. While still in the womb of Mary - Jesus brought peace to John
the Baptist who leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.
And as if that were not enough, as if it were not enough that God the Son should become
one of us and bring peace and joy while still in the womb of Mary, Jesus also died on the
Cross to show that greater love. He died for you and for me, and for that leper and for
that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street, not only of Calcutta,
but of Africa, and everywhere. Our Sisters serve these poor people in 105 countries
throughout the world. Jesus insisted that we love one another as He loves each one of us.
Jesus gave His life to love us and He tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes
to do good to one another. And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly: "Love as I have
loved you."
Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us - to save us
from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father's will - to show us
that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God's will - to love one another
as He loves each of us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts.
It is not enough for us to say: "I love God," but I also have to love my
neighbour. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love
your neighbour. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your
neighbour whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important
for us to realise that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever
it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I
be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring
injustice, not peace, to those around me.
It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in His image for greater things, to love
and to be loved. We just "put on Christ" as Scripture tells us. And so, we have
been created to love as He loves us. Jesus makes Himself the hungry one, the naked one,
the homeless one, the unwanted one, and He says, "You did it unto Me." On the
last day He will say to those on His right, "whatever you did to the least of these,
you did to Me, and He will also say to those on His left, whatever you neglected to do for
the least of these, you neglected to do it for Me."
When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, "I thirst". Jesus is thirsting for
our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor or rich alike. We all thirst for the
love of others, that they will go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to
us. This is the meaning of truest love, to give until it hurts.
I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old
parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them
- maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything - good food, comfortable
place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see
a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: "Why do these
people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they
not smiling?"
I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister
said: "This is the way it is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping
that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are
forgotten." And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own
family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling
worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our
families, or do we put our own interests first? These are the questions we must ask
ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love
begins at home and we must also remember that the future of humanity passes through the
family.
She speaks to an audience of powerful politicians, including President Clinton.
By MOTHER TERESA, MC (Missionaries of Charity)
Love always hurts
"I want this child! "
The greatness of the poor
A sign of care
On the last day, Jesus will say to those at his right hand,
"Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and
you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me."
Then Jesus will turn to those on his left hand and say,
"Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you
did not give me drink, I was sick and you did not visit me."
These will ask him,
"When did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or sick, and did not come to your
help?"
And Jesus will answer them,
"Whatever you neglected to do unto one of the least of these, you neglected to do
unto me!"
As we have gathered here to pray together, I think it will be beautiful if we begin with a
prayer that expresses very well what Jesus wants us to do for the least. St. Francis of
Assisi understood very well these words of Jesus and his life is very well expressed by a
prayer. And this prayer, which we say every day after Holy Communion, always surprises me
very much, because it is very fitting for each one of us. And I always wonder whether
eight hundred years ago when St. Francis lived, they had the same difficulties that we
have today. I think that some of you already have this prayer of peace, so we will pray it
together.
Let us thank God for the opportunity he has given us today to have come here to pray
together. We have come here especially to pray for peace, joy, and love. We are reminded
that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor. He had told us what that good news is
when he said,
"My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you."
He came not to give the peace of the world, which is only that we don't bother each other.
He came to give peace of heart which comes from loving - from doing good to others.
And God loved the world so much that he gave his son. God gave his son to the Virgin Mary,
and what did she do with him? As soon as Jesus came into Mary's life, immediately she went
in haste to give that good news. And as she came into the house of her cousin, Elizabeth,
Scripture tells us that the unborn child - the child in the womb of Elizabeth - leapt with
joy. While still in the womb of Mary, Jesus brought peace to John the Baptist, who leapt
for joy in the womb of Elizabeth.
And as if that were not enough - as if it were not enough that God the Son should become
one of us and bring peace and joy while still in the womb, Jesus also died on the Cross to
show that greater love. He died for you and for me, and for that leper and for that man
dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street - not only of Calcutta, but of
Africa, of everywhere. Our Sisters serve these poor people in 105 countries throughout the
world. Jesus insisted that we love one another as he loves each one of us. Jesus gave his
life to love us, and he tells us that he loves each one of us. Jesus gave his life to love
us, and he tells us that we also have to give whatever it takes to do good to one another.
And in the Gospel Jesus says very clearly, " Love as I have loved you."
Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for him to do good for us - to save
us from our selfishness and sin. He gave up everything to do the Father's will, to show us
that we too must be willing to give everything to do God's will, to love one another as he
loves each of us. If we are not willing to give whatever it takes to do good for one
another, sin is still in us. That is why we too must give to each other until it hurts.
Love always hurts
It is not enough for us to say, "I love God." But I also have to love my
neighbour. St. John says that you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love
your neighbour. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your
neighbour whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And so it is very important
for us to realise that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever
it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I
be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring
injustice, not peace, to those around me.
It hurt Jesus to love us. We have been created in his image for greater things, to love
and to be loved. We must "put on Christ," as Scripture tells us. And so we have
been created to love as he loves us. Jesus makes himself the hungry one, the naked one,
the homeless one, the unwanted one, and he says, "You did it to me." On the last
day he will say to those on his right, "whatever you did to the least of these, you
did to me," and he will also say to those on his left, "whatever you neglected
to do for the least of these, you neglected to do it for me."
When he was dying on the Cross, Jesus said, "I thirst." Jesus is thirsting for
our love, and this is the thirst for everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the
love of others, that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and to do good to us.
This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.
I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old
parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and, maybe,
forgotten them. I saw that in that home these old people had everything: good food,
comfortable place, television - everything. But everyone was looking toward the door. And
I did not see a single one with a smile on his face.
I turned to Sister and I asked, "Why do these people, who have every comfort here -
why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?" (I am so used to
seeing the smiles on our people." Even the dying ones smile.) And Sister said,
"This is the way it is, nearly everyday. They are expecting - they are hoping - that
a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten."
See, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our family we have somebody
who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we
willing to give until it hurts, in order to be with our families? Or do we put our own
interests first? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin
this Year of the Family. We must remember that love begins at home, and we must also
remember that "the future of humanity passes through the family.
I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I
tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more
things than those in the East? And the answer was, "Because there is no one in the
family to receive them." Our children depend on us for everything: their health,
their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they
look to us with trust, hope, and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy that
they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married, or have given
up on their marriage. So the children go to the streets, and get involved in drugs, or
other things. We are talking of love of the child, which is where love and peace must
begin. These are the things that break peace.
But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war
against the child - a direct killing of the innocent child - murder by the mother herself.
And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people
not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we
must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give
until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of
abortion, should be helped to love - that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her
free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must
also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even
her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not
have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That
father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more
abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use
any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace
is abortion.
Many people are very, very concerned with the children of India, with the children of
Africa, where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about
all the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good.
But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by
the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer
of peace today: abortion, which brings people to such blindness.
"I want this child!"
And for this I appeal in India and I appeal everywhere: "Let us bring the child
back." The child is God's gift to the family. Each child is created in the special
image and likeness of God for greater things - to love and to be loved. In this Year of
the Family we must bring the child back to the center of our care and concern. This is the
only way that our world can survive, because our children are the only hope for the
future. As other people are called to God, only their children can take their places.
But what does God say to us? He says, "Even if a mother could forget her child, I
will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand." We are carved in the
palm of his hand; that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God from conception,
and is called by God to love and to be loved, not only now in this life, out forever. God
can never forget us.
I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the
mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to
the clinics, to the hospitals, and police stations: Please don't destroy the child; we
will take the child." So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble:
"Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child."
And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child. But I never give a
child to a couple who has done something not to have a child. Jesus said, "Anyone who
receives a child in my name, receives me." By adopting a child, these couples receive
Jesus, but by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus.
Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to
accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child to a married couple who will
love the child, and be loved by the child. From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we
have saved over 3,000 children from abortions. These children have brought such love and
joy to their adopting parents, and have grown up so full of love and joy! I know that
couples have to plan their family, and for that there is natural family planning. The way
to plan the family is natural family planning, not contraception. In destroying the power
of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self. This
turns the attention to self, and so it destroys the gift of love in him or her. In loving,
the husband and wife must turn the attention to each other, as happens in natural family
planning, and not to self, as happens in contraception. Once that living love is destroyed
by contraception, abortion follows very easily.
The greatness of the poor
I also know that there are great problems in the world - that many spouses do not love
each other enough to practice natural family planning. We cannot solve all the problems in
the world, but let us never bring in the worst problem of all, and that is to destroy
love. This is what happens when we tell people to practice contraception and abortion.
The poor are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. Once one of
them came to thank us for teaching them natural family planning, and said: "You
people - who have practiced chastity - you are the best people to teach us natural family
planning, because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other."
And what this poor person said is very true. These poor people maybe have nothing to eat,
maybe they have not a home to live in, but they can still be great people when they are
spiritually rich. Those who are materially poor can be wonderful people. One evening we
went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most
terrible condition. I told the Sisters: "You take care of the other three; I will
take care of the one who looks worse." So I did for her all that my love can do. I
put her in bed, and there was a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, and
she said one thing only: "Thank you." Then she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her. I asked, "What would I say if
I were in her place?" And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a
little attention to myself. I would have said, "I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold, I
am in pain," or something like that. But she gave me much more - she gave me her
grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.
Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half-eaten by worms. And after we had
brought him to the home, he only said, "I have lived like an animal in the street,
but am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for." Then, after we had removed all
the worms from this body, all he said - with a big smile - was: "Sister, I am going
home to God." And he died. It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man, who
could speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel -
this is the greatness of people who are spiritually rich, even when they are materially
poor.
A sign of care
We are not social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of some people, but we
must be contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we must bring that presence of God
into your family, for the family that prays together, stays together. There is so much
hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice, are beginning at home.
Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put into what we
do.
If we are contemplatives in the heart of the world with all its problems, these problems
can never discourage us. We must always remember what God tells us in the Scripture: Even
if the mother could forget the child in her womb - something that is impossible, but even
if she could forget - I will never forget you. And so here I am talking with you. I want
you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Bear the
good news to your own people first. And find out about your next-door neighbours. Do you
know who they are?
I had the most extraordinary experience of love of a neighbour from a Hindu family. A
gentleman came to our house and said, "Mother Teresa, there is a family who have not
eaten for so long. Do something." So I took some rice and went there immediately. And
I saw the children, their eyes shining with hunger. (I don't know if you have ever seen
hunger, but I have seen it very often.) And the mother of the family took the rice I gave
her, and went out. When she came back, I asked her, "Where did you go? What did you
do?" And she gave me a very simple answer: "They are hungry also." What
struck me was that she knew. And who were "they?" A Muslim family. And she knew.
I didn't bring any more rice that evening, because I wanted them - Hindus and Muslims - to
enjoy the joy of sharing.
But there were those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy and peace with their mother
because she had the love to give until it hurts. And you see this is where love begins: at
home in the family. God will never forget us, and there is something you and I can always
do. We can keep the joy of loving Jesus in our hearts, and share that joy with all we come
in contact with. Let us make that one point: that no child will be unwanted, unloved,
uncared for, or killed and thrown away. And give until it hurts - with a smile.
Because I talk so much of giving with a smile, once a professor from the United States
asked me, "Are you married?" And I said, "Yes, and I find it sometimes very
difficult to smile at my spouse - Jesus - because he can be very demanding - sometimes
this is really something true. And there is where love comes in - when it is demanding,
and yet we can give it with joy.
One of the most demanding things for me is travelling everywhere, and with publicity. I
have said to Jesus that if I don't go to heaven for anything else, I will be going to
heaven for all the travelling with all the publicity, because it has purified me and
sacrificed me and made me really ready to go to heaven. If we remember that God loves us,
and that we can love others as he loves us, then America can become a sign of peace for
the world. From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must
go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then
really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!
Missionaries of Charity
54A A.J.C. Bose Road
Calcutta, India 700016
A message from Mother Teresa for the World Conference on Women in Beijing
Dear Friends,
I am praying for God's blessing on all who are taking part in the Fourth World Conference
on Women in Beijing. I hope that this Conference will help everyone to know, love and
respect the special place of women in God's plan so that they may fulfil this plan in
their lives.
I do not understand why some people are saying that women and men are exactly the same,
and are denying the beautiful differences between men and women. All God's gifts are good,
but they are not all the same. As I often say to people who tell me they would like to
serve the poor as I do, "What I can do, you cannot. What you can do, I cannot. But
together we can do something beautiful for God." It is just this way with the
differences between women and men.
God has created each one of us, every human being, for greater things - to love and to be
loved. But why did God make some of us men and others women? Because a woman's love is one
image of the love of God, and a man's love is another image of God's love. Both are
created to love, but each in a different way. Woman and man complete each other, and
together show forth God's love more fully than either can do alone.
That special power of loving that belongs to a woman is seen most clearly when she becomes
a mother. Motherhood is the gift of God to women. How grateful we must be to God for this
wonderful gift that brings such joy to the whole world, women and men alike! Yet we can
destroy this gift of motherhood, especially by the evil of abortion, but also by thinking
that other things like jobs or positions are more important than loving, than giving
oneself to others. No job, no plans, no possessions, no idea of "freedom" can
take the place of love. So anything that destroys God's gift of motherhood destroys His
most precious gift to women - the ability to love as a woman.
God told us, "Love your neighbour as yourself." So first I am to love myself
rightly, and then to love my neighbour like that. But how can I love myself unless I
accept myself as God has made me? Those who deny the beautiful differences between men and
women are not accepting themselves as God has made them, and so cannot love the neighbour.
They will only bring division, unhappiness and destruction of peace to the world. For
example, as I have often said, abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace in the world
today, and those who want to make women and men the same are all in favour of abortion.
Instead of death and sorrow, let us bring peace and joy to the world. To do this we must
beg God for His gift of peace and learn to love and accept each other as brothers and
sisters, children of God. We know that the best place for children to learn how to love
and to pray is in the family, by seeing the love and prayer of their mother and father.
When families are broken or disunited, many children grow up not knowing how to love and
pray. A country where many families have been destroyed like this will have many problems.
I have often seen, especially in the rich countries, how children turn to drugs or other
things to escape feeling unloved and rejected.
But when families are strong and united, children can see God's special love in the love
of their father and mother and can grow to make their country a loving and prayerful
place. The child is God's best gift to the family and needs both mother and father because
each one shows God's love in a special way. The family that prays together stays together,
and if they stay together they will love one another as God has loved each one of them.
And works of love are always works of peace.
So let us keep the joy of loving in our hearts and share this joy with all we meet. My
prayer for all of the delegates, and for every woman whom the Beijing Conference is trying
to help, is that each one may be humble and pure like Mary so as to live in love and peace
with one another and make our families and our world something beautiful for God.
Let us pray.
signed:
All for the glory of God and Good of souls.
God bless you
Mother Teresa. MC
The
Work of God Apostolate
www.theworkofgod.org