Becoming Missionaries of Charity

Philip K, Flickr

What a gift faith is! This past Wednesday was the feast of Mother Teresa. She is an inspiring witness and example for so many people. Her influence spreads beyond those in the Catholic Church and that is because she lived a life that many of us aspire for. Ultimately we all see her work as something that is/was needed and vital for the good of society. Mother Teresa, or “Mamma T”, is much loved which is attractive because she lived as Christ for others.

I found I jumped on the bandwagon of loving her years ago, but then I experienced a phase of not appreciating her as much because “everyone else liked her”. She was too “mainstream” for me. But on Wednesday I was given the chance to remember why the Church honors her and why I appreciate her. She did the little things of loving others well which changed the world. She knew herself and her relationship with God as paramount which overflowed into her actions.

Everyone wants to have a part in the world, whether they want to be like Mother Teresa or something else, we all desire to have a role, especially college students like me trying to figure out our lives. We want to find our vocation so that we can have our place to make a difference. However, it has to start within first, and that is what Mother Teresa knew and promoted. She doubled her time in prayer during her busy days because she knew if any good were to come of her day, it was going to come from Christ. 

While bigger issues need to be addressed, such as the scandal in the Church, we first need to see within ourselves our own faults and how we can support and change the world and the Church by our personal actions. We cannot be complacent with the injustices and evils we experience. It is a call to ignite our faith and live it the way we are supposed to individually so that it can flourish in the world. Our faith is not something we just label ourselves with, it must be lived out. It must be rooted in daily prayer, and fueled by the sacraments. So too, in times of darkness and despair, the light is found and shown through these faithful acts our remaining in Christ. 

To strive for holiness like the great witnesses we all admire is our mission, our mission of charity. 

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.