Mother Teresa: Messiah of The Poor

By B.K. Chaturvedi

Mother Teresa is the personification of mercy and compassion reaching out to alleviate the suffering of millions the world over. She is one of those rare persons who transcended all barriers of race, religion, creed and nationality. Mother Teresa started her mission, the Missionaries of Charity, with just a fiver and she has built up a sort of holy empire the donations to which would stagger many an entrepreneur with mind-boggling figures-with an annual donation estimate of about 100 crores. Although wedded to a life of penance and continence, suffering and endurance, the Mother always exuded a benign smile all around. She was bestowed with the Bharat Ratna and the Nobel Peace Prize and she has already been beatified as prelude to her canonization for her benign services.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9789350830406

Book preview

Transmigration of A Noble Soul

It was the month of August in the year 1910, when the flowers were abloom and London looked like a piece of the heaven. Lying on her sick bed was a skeletal figure slowly breathing due to severe congestion in her lungs. She was the renowned ‘Lady with The Lamp’, Florence Nightnigale, a celebrity now, in her 90th year. She had become quite weak and sick. Dazed in comma she was often found bubbling in her sleep. Her work in the Crimean War had been recognised in the world and it was in her direction that the institution of the Nurses had come into being.

When during her terminal sickness she was partially conscious, her favourite Sister came near her to ask: O Lady that lighted many a darkened heart with your noble light! Do you have any of your wish unfulfilled ? That apostle of love and kindness replied in her weak voice. Almighty has been very kind to me. Perhaps I am satisfied with my life. However, one scene still haunts my mind !

What is that?

There, in the Crimean War, I happened to meet one sick Indian soldier. Although he was quite sick but his brain was quite alert. Whenever I would go to dress his wounds he would often say: Sister! I wish if there could be anyone like you in my country. Although there are many spiritual leaders who give very enlightening discourses on various aspects of morality, not many are there who could be giving a healing touch to the wounded hearts personally. Here I see you have many assistants but you seem to be personally attending to all the patients. Then after a pause that soldier said: I wish you be there for only seeing with your eyes. Only then you would realise what is poverty, what is privation and what is like surviving in the hell. Florence, recapitulating the scene, continued: I know that India had produced many great yogis and saints. But I didn’t know much about the Indian conditions."

As that wounded Indian soldier continued to impress upon Florence in Crimea that she must visit India, she did develop some especial interest about India. She had heard about Swami Vivekananda a bit. Then she began to read books especially on India and the Indian conditions.

Unfortunately, as Florence told, that unknown Indian soldier died of his injuries. But before dying he had taken Florence’s word. O Great Lady! You must visit my India. It is a beautiful land but made rotten by the colonial rule. That ought to be your place of action to revive noble feelings the colonial rule had vanished.

Upon that soldier’s death Florence decided that she would definitely visit India. But, as the conditions of life became more demanding she remained fully engrossed in her work. After all starting a noble institutions like that of the Nurses was not a joke. First of all, it was not at all a commercial venture and the funds were always short. Eventually, much as she would have liked, her India-programme failed to materialise.

Now when she fell ill and that too so terminally, she remembered that soldier’s request. But it was too late for her to make any attempt even. So when the senior sister of that private home asked as Florence had any wish still unfulfilled, she couldn’t help muttering: Yes-one small wish ! I wanted to go to India and serve the poor.

With this wish in her heart Florence Nightingale expired on 14th August 1910. But it was only her body that was laid to rest-not her soul; carrying the divine element. That indomitable noble soul did not find rest even with Almighty for it wanted to go to India and serve the poor.

Of course the Christianty doesn’t admit the transmigration of soul from one body to the other but hers appears to be the only case when her restless soul waited for just about a fortnight to find another body to start her work left unfinished in her previous life.

Exactly after 13 days, on 27th August 1910, at a small place Skpoje in Yugoslavia, was born a tiny girl, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Even her parents would not have imagined that their daughter would soon be leaving for India to turn herself into a renowned Messiah of the poor, commonly called MOTHER TERESA.

Early Days Upto Agnes’

Reaching Calcutta

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was a kind-hearted child right from the beginning. Her father was a grocer who occasionally also indulged in building activities. Agnes even in her childhood couldn’t tolerate anyone lying sick or helpless and without care. Often she would be found tending a hurt squirrel or dressing the wounds of a hurt sparrow. She also had a pet dog in whose care she passed a sleepless night when that had injured its leg. Her warm heart knew no limits. Often she would allow the paupers passing before her father’s shop to have edibles free of cost. Notwithstanding her father frequently chiding her for her foolish behaviour, Agnes was helpless. She couldn’t see misery if she could help. Her liberal heart often caused a short fall in the inventory of the shop. Her father always scolded her but her mother ever came to her rescue: Don’t forget what Holy Jesus has said: If you, can wipe off tears from a weeping eye, millions of kingdoms of heaven shall stand before you in reward." It was because of her mother’s support and guidance that Agnes got encouragement in helping the needy and distressed.

Her father was not that hard-hearted and was right to some extent. Those were the days when the First World War had begun to distrub Europe. An era of shortages and privations had begun. War clouds had begun to rain weapons and everything was in short supply. Hunger, penury and privation seemed to plague every house. Agnes’ house was not spared either. When everything was in short supply Agnes’ freely distributing edibles from the shop was what her father had strong objection to. But realising his daughter’s compulsively helping nature he too relented a bit.

But Agnes was somewhat disturbed seeing the condition the whole world seemed to have been reduced to. Why do these mighty kings wage wars? Hasn’t Almighty given them a lot? Why do they hanker after more power and riches? These were the questions that kept on rankling her heart. She seemed to have taken the spirit of Christ to her very heart. She wanted to help the needy, eliminate hatred and animosity from the world. But how alone she could have done so?

Then, as her good luck would have it, she happened to meet a Nun who was one of her mother’s acquaintances. Getting information from her Agnes felt as though this was the organisation she was pining for. That there is a full fledged body of the devoted beings who leave everything else to serve God was something that illumined young Agnes heart with the hope as bright as a hundred suns. She immediately asked her parents to allow her to become a Nun.

Agnes was hardly 12 when she made this request. After initial hesitation of her father, she was allowed to devote her rest of the life in the service of God. But that was not only the distination Agnes wanted to reach. It was just stepping stone towards the realisation of her ultimate goal.

When she became Nun she was, unlike the other girls not upset at all. Infact the life of penance and continuance doesn’t appear very attractive to a young mind. But in the Christian society much honour is given to the Nuns. Many get drawn because of that attraction for honour and sanctity. And only few remain really wedded to that concept of devoted service.

Agnes was one of them. She was happy to be doing something she felt she was destined for: service, devotion, dedication.

Fortunately during this period she happened to come in contact with Father Antony Vizjek, a Jesuit priest. His cousin had met Agnes once and she was surprised to know this little Nun’s so insatiable curiosity about India. Then the cousin directed Agnes to Father Antony Vizjak.

Father Vizjak it was who wrote to Agnes, in detail, about the work of Catholic missionaries in Bengal. To her pleasant surprise Agnes learnt about the Loreto Nuns from Ireland already working in India, particularly in Calcutta.

Learning about Calcutta, Agnes felt as if some divine indication beckoning at her. She wrote to the Loreto Nuns in Ireland to learn more about their work in India. The organization obliged her by sending enough of literature not only on their work but also on India. This kindled her interest in India further and she decided to join the Loreto Nuns at Ireland. Would they be willing to take her? Pat came their enthusiastic response and then Agnes broached this subject before her parents. She was about seventeen when she told her parents that she would like to become a missionary and spread the message of peace and love through out the world. Although her parents were reluctant to leave her on her own—she was hardly mature to take on the world all alone—yet when they saw her intense desire to help the poor they allowed her.

Getting their permission Agnes was besides herself with joy and her face began to register a divine gleam. Now she was getting closer to her goal. Joining the Loreto Nuns was the second step towards her ultimate goal.

In fact, right since many days before she had been requesting the headmistress of her school to let her go out to serve the humanity at large but she was asked to wait till she came of age. Now, having received the permission of her parents she sought to request the head-mistress of her school.

Despite all these desired developments, at times the young Agnes felt in the quiet of the rights: Would I be able to stay away from my home and render service unto the poor? Can’t I stay back her and do the same? Although these questions did make her slightly