People Who Shaped the Church- The Nun Who Loved the Poor: Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

This famous nun (1910-1997) changed the world with her ministry to the sick, poor, and orphaned in India and other countries. She served over 45 years in this way. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continued to expand, and at the time of her death it was operating 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children’s and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools.

After her death some of her letters/writings talk about her struggles with faith. I find this to again humanize and strengthen her witness. It reminds us that we all struggle. Some have almost made this little nun a ’super’ saint and those writings remind us she was very human. She wrestled like those in the Bible! I would recommend the spiritual classic (Not by her but one that speaks of struggle)- Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross to remind us of this struggle we all face.