Before studying Mother Teresa, I had little to no knowledge of this incredibly brave and inspiring woman. I knew Mother Teresa worked in Calcutta, but I embarrassingly never even knew Calcutta was in India. I was aware Mother Teresa worked with the poor and sick but I didn’t understand the risks and challenges she had to take, just to serve. Mother Teresa inspired me through her trust in God, her patience and strength in her journey, and her ability to draw others to God’s call. Through her actions she served God and she served those who, without her, would have died on the streets.
One of the things that immediately inspired me about Mother Teresa was her ability to put her trust in God’s call for her. Mother Teresa never questioned what God wanted her to do. In an article about her called I Thirst, Mother Teresa explained her call to serve the poor by saying, “the message was quite clear. I was to leave the convent and consecrate myself completely to help the poor and live among them. It was an order. I knew where I belonged, but I did not know how to get there.” As soon as God spoke to her, she was willing to follow his call. I don’t think I could so blindly follow God’s call, especially if it called me to leave the comfort of my home or in her situation the Loretta Sister’s Convent. Not only was Mother Teresa willing to leave her home, but she left without having anywhere to go, another thing that I don’t have enough bravery to do. I was inspired by Mother Teresa willingness to follow God’s call, even though she didn’t have a clear path laid out for her.
The second thing I found most inspiring about Mother Teresa was her patience and strength throughout her journey to serve the poor. Mother Teresa knew she needed to leave the Loretta Convent and she followed this path, even though the Mother Superior didn’t approve and was working against Mother Teresa. She stayed strong in her faith by patiently waiting for permission from the Vatican to leave the Convent while remaining calm and trustful in God. I find her patient strength inspiring because if I had to wait to follow God’s call, as Mother Teresa did, I would become frustrated and begin questioning God’s call for me. Later in her life, when Mother Teresa again had to wait for the Vatican’s permission to create her own order, she didn’t become angry at Mother Superior’s attempts to stop the creation of the new order or at how long she had to wait. If I believed I was following God’s call to serve the poor and it seemed that people and time were working against me, I would become discouraged and upset, emotions she had the strength to withhold.
Finally, I was inspired by Mother Teresa’s ability to draw other’s to God’s call. Mother Teresa was such a light of Christ that she easily drew other to God’s call to serve the poor. Mother Teresa’s service to the poor and dying in Calcutta drew many of the students taught by the Loretta Sister to join her in service. Mother Teresa didn’t advertise or work to convince people to follow what she did, but through her actions, she inspired people to follow God’s call. In the I Thirst article, there was an incredible statistic, after Mother Teresa death “she left behind 4,000 sisters, as well as 550 priests and brothers. The Missionaries of Charity are spread over 517 missions in 120 countries.” This enormous growth in her order shows that Mother Teresa’s work drew others to serve God, an ability I find incredible and inspiring.
In conclusion, I have learned so much about Mother Teresa and have been inspired by her actions. Mother Teresa’s incredible trust, patience, and strength gave her the power to inspire other to follow God’s call and inspired me to be more like her. It is no wonder that such and incredible, spiritual, and inspiring woman was named a Saint because she truly represents how to act Christ-like. Although I know I do not have the call to be a sister, like Mother Teresa, I believe she is a wonderful example of how to live your life and I hope I can reflect the goodness she created for others in God’s name.
