Mother Teresa’s Words
By Bishop Mengeling

The Beatification of Mother Teresa by Pope John Paul II on Sunday, Oct. 19, will focus the attention of the whole world on this saintly Woman of God and servant of humanity.

As one of our contemporaries, she is a ‘familiar person’, who lived while we lived and inspired all of us with her undying love for the poor, sick and dying all over the world. We easily picture her as a religious woman of unrelenting action in the service of others. We don’t think of her as a person of many words.

When she used words, they were powerful and effective because they were matched by her actions. She was not afraid to speak about many critical moral issues. She spoke the truth with conviction, yet lovingly. She never compromised the truth. When she spoke, she eminently verified the words of Pope Paul VI in his 1975 Exhortation on Evangelization: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers. When modern man listens to teachers, it is because they are witnesses."

Her words are true and powerful because she lived them in action for the poor, sick and dying of our world.

As we prepare for the Beatification of Mother Teresa on October 19th, it is good to recall some words of this blessed woman religious of our Church. Most of Mother Teresa’s words were spoken on the many occasions when she received Honorary Degrees and International and National Prizes, Medals and Awards

On Dec. 10, 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize. Here are some excerpts from her powerful words. She accepted the prize (money), "in the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the homeless, of the blind, of the lepers, of all those who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society."

Her opening words declare her identity and mission. "By blood and origin, I am an Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus."

She spoke bluntly about the Right to Life. "To me, the nations who have legalized abortion are the poorest nations. They are afraid of the unborn child and the child must die." And, "the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion."

Los Angeles 1973: "We sometimes think that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."

At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in 1994: "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 love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me."

"Please do not kill the child. I want 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."

And a final message: "We love Jesus and to serve Him in the poorest of the poor - as you know, Jesus said clearly - Whatever you do to the least, you did to me. When we die and we go to God, again we will hear Jesus say - Come blessed of my Father, possess the Kingdom prepared for you. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat."

The words of Mother Teresa dearest to me: "God does not ask us to be successful. God asks us to be faithful."