The cannonisation of Mother Teresa was a memorable moment for India. Who would’ve thought that a fragile nun from Albania could make it to India and care for the naked, the disabled and the diseased? St. Mother Teresa has made India proud by showing and proving to the world what one person’s mission can achieve. St. (Mother) Teresa of Kolkata was born in 1910 and she landed in India in 1929. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, which is still active even after her death in over 133 countries. The members of her congregation run homes for people, irrespective of caste, creed, colour or religion, dying of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy. India has honoured this messenger of Christ with the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1980, besides other awards prior to that. One year before her death, the world honoured her with the Nobel Peace Prize.
Of course, Mother Teresa had critics even within the Catholic Church and within her congregation but how she responded to such venomous criticism is very simple. There was no convincing response other than her simple and profound life lived out for the poor and the dying. Her life is an epitome of gratuitous mercy, is the only convincing response to all criticism aimed at her. Pope Francis in his homily during the canonization Mass said, “The Albanian nun witnessed to a life of humility through her care for the dying in the Indian city of Calcutta.” He praised her as an emblematic figure of womanhood and recalled her strong stand against abortion.
Jubel D’Cruz
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
