St. Mother Teresa is a saint of our own time, showing the world what it truly means to see and love Christ through the poor and marginalized. Brian Strassburger, SJ, reflects on the life and legacy of Mother Teresa on her Feast Day.
“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Hi, my name is Brian Strassburger, and I’m with The Jesuit Post.
Born in Albania, Mother Teresa set off for India as a young missionary. She lived and served there for nearly twenty years before she received the “call within in the call” that prompted her to found the Missionaries of Charity.
Clothed in simple white and blue saris, her congregation devoted themselves to serving the “poorest of the poor,” running hospices, orphanages, and leper houses- first in India, and now around the world.
In the chapel of every community hangs a single crucifix with the words “I thirst.” For Mother Teresa, these final words of Jesus on the cross were a reminder that Jesus thirsts for our love. And we can only satiate that thirst by showing our love for Jesus in how we care for each other, especially the poor.
Mother Teresa tells us, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” So reach out to the poor in your community. Help to quench Jesus’s thirst.
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
