She felt an urgent and personal call from Jesus Christ to establish an order of holy sisters who would be called to live among the desperately poor, disenfranchised people of India.  Her vision for this order called for these women to dress the same as those they lived among.  They would be expected to eat the same food, share the same hardships suffered by the people they helped.   Their main mission was established for two equally important purposes:  to teach the poor about the joy and love of God and of Jesus Christ (thus providing a way for them to have a better, safer life than that found on the streets) and to minister to the dying by caring for both their physical and their spiritual needs.  This is accomplished while witnessing complete and unconditional love to all those for whom they minister.

          With great determination and total dedication she practiced the Love of Christ and of her fellowman, caring for the malnourished and chronically ill.  For many years she shouldered a workload that would have broken many other people.  All that she did, she did for the sole purpose of Glorifying and Pleasing God and Jesus Christ.  She continuously saw Christ in every person to whom she ministered.  She was the most humble of Christ's servants, seeking no acknowledgement of her accomplishments for herself.  Instead, she always gently reminded those who heaped praise on her, that she did all for the Glory of God.  And she insisted that each person she ministered to gave her so much more than she herself gave to them.

          Such selflessness is an indication of a saintly being.  Mother Teresa has been named to be beautified by the Catholic Church in an October, 2003 ceremony, which is the first step to her becoming a Saint of the Church.

          The order that she founded,  Missionaries of Charity, continues to minister to the most needy peoples of the world.   The outreach encompasses many groups of the population in the most desperate need, including the dying, those who suffer from leprosy,  the poor and homeless, abandoned infants, victims of AIDS as well as all those people who need to find and appreciate the fact of God's Love and joy in their lives.

          Such a beautiful and giving servant of God does not come forward very often.  Through the grace of God, she remained with those she loved through her eighty-seventh year doing all she could to ease the suffering of thousands.  She continues to be a wonderful inspiration for us all. 

There are many wonderful sites on the internet that can tell you more about Mother Teresa.  I have listed a few that I found very interesting as well as some books that I especially enjoyed and that you may want to read to know more about her.

Mother Teresa Catholic Ring: The Path of Love

Mother Teresa Memorial (Web)Ring

BOOKS

Gift for God
by Mother Teresa of Calcutta

A Simple Path
by Mother Teresa

  "We can do no great things; only small things with great love."