“You cannot do what we do. But together we are doing something beautiful for God.”
– St. Mother Teresa
Reflection:
Did you know Mother Teresa came to the United States to receive the Medal of Freedom from President Reagan in 1985? This was an award that Mother did not seek to receive. In fact, when the President offered to award Mother, she initially said she couldn’t come because she had work to do. She needed to continue her everyday work of loving and serving Jesus in the poorest of the poor.
To me, this is a very “Mother Teresa” move. Mother Teresa never did her work to be known or praised by others. In fact, her mission and vocation, her whole life, revolved around bringing praise to God through service to the poor around her.
When Mother did receive the Medal of Freedom, President Reagan said he wouldn’t be surprised if Mother took the award back to Calcutta and melt it down to use it to serve the poor! Of course, Mother and the President laughed over this comment!
But I think the President made a beautiful point here – namely, Mother was not attached to the world and did not wait for leaders to notice the work she needed to do. She continually gave her life in love to those nearest to her.
Mother achieved a balance of a humble, submissive, and respectful attitude toward authority, while still being a self-starter and doing what good she was able to do on her own. She had great acceptance for her circumstances, while still striving to achieve a higher ideal.
As we begin this new semester and year, let us follow Mother’s example to lovingly accept the circumstances given to us and do the most good we can!
Challenge: “Don’t wait for leaders. Do it alone, one person at a time.”
– St. Mother Teresa
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