This September 5th marks the 27th anniversary of the passing of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Born in 1910, Mother Teresa joined the Sisters of Loreto at age 18 and dedicated her life to serving the poor. Her humble ministry in the slums of India soon expanded across the world through her order of the Missionaries of Charity and eventually garnered her international attention. In recognition of her compassion, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and she continued working with the underprivileged until her passing in 1997. Less than 20 years later, Pope John Paul II granted her sainthood in 2016.
Today, we invite you to be inspired by the wisdom of Saint Mother Teresa with these 10 quotes.
On Showing Love to Others
“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
“It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.”
“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us… Bring love into your home, for this is where our love for each other must start.”
On Submitting to God’s Will
“We will be the happiest people in the world if we belong to God, if we place ourselves at His disposal, if we let Him use us as He pleases.”
“Give your heart to God, deliberately, knowingly, willingly. It belongs to Him.”
On Having a Christian Attitude
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
“If you were to die today, what would others say about you? What was in you that was beautiful, that was Christlike, that helped others to pray better? Face yourself, with Jesus at your side, and do not be satisfied with just any answer.”
“If you do your work with joy, you can bring many souls to God. Joy is prayer, a sign of our generosity, evident in our eyes, our faces, our actions.”
On Living For God
“Every human being has a longing for God. Christians go one step further—not only do we long for God but we have the treasure of His presence always with us.”
“There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in – that we do it to God, to Christ, and that’s why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.”
Sources:
Butler’s Lives of Saints, ed. Bernard Bangley.
“Holy Quotes from Mother Teresa,” Franciscan Media.
“Mother Teresa’s Feast Day: 25 Quotes on Living Life. Beautifully,” National Catholic Register.
“Mother Teresa Quotes,” Catholic Online.
“Mother Teresa of Calcutta,” The Vatican.