By the Numbers
The Legacy of Mother Teresa: are we doing our part?
By Tom Copeland
If February is represented by a fictitious, mythological Roman God of love, masquerading around in a sanctified diaper with a bow and arrow blessing ambitious lovers as the icon of Valentine’s Day, then perhaps March should be represented by the late Mother Teresa, who spent 45 years as a Catholic nun ministering to the poor, sick, and orphaned. The theme in this month’s issue of Around Wellington is all about giving back, and it’s a great time to evaluate our efforts and ask ourselves, are we doing our part?
Mother Teresa has gained worldwide notoriety and praise as the embodiment of what it means to be selfless and giving, and her existence has served as a living testament, the epitome of altruism and a life-long commitment to service. Although she’s received acclaim from diverse nations and governments, much criticism came in her later years just before and after she had passed. Nevertheless, her Missionaries of Charity organization she founded in India circa 1950 continues to grow its influence and purpose today.
What we can take away from Mother Teresa’s incredible story is this: giving back nourishes the soul. Think about it. The mere mention of her name evokes warm feeling of sainthood and noble inspiration, even if you’ve never read even a paragraph of the her life story, and that’s a delightful and peaceful feeling. We’re talking about a woman who during her first year following the founding of her Indian missionary, had to beg for food and water not just for the poor people she was serving, but for herself!
She would go on, with the approval and blessing of the Vatican and governments all over the world, to open homes for the sick, ailing and dying; homes for those suffering from disease and famine; leprosy clinics; orphanages for poor, abandoned children; and would spend months in disaster areas administering medicine and counseling to hundreds of thousands of victims. At the time of her death in 1997, her Missionaries of Charity operated 610 missions in 123 countries with the help of over 4,000 sisters and a brotherhood of 300 members.
She may have the most courageous story of any living person I’ve ever read about. I wonder to myself, all of this for what? What was the ultimate purpose? If she was alive today, and we had the chance to ask her why she dedicated more than 50 years of her life to service, what would her answer be? Would she divulge a long, theologically-intertwined spate of an explanation? Or would she simply rouse, “it was my calling?” What drives that kind of unrelenting decency, that gallant devotion?
I read that when she was presented with the award of more than $192,000 that accompanies each recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa requested the money to be given to the poor in India.
Maybe this is the month to ask ourselves, are we maximizing our personal altruistic contributions to our community? I for one believe Mother Teresa gave as much as she possible could, and therein lies the point. We don’t have to drop our lives and families to join the Peace Corps, but we should at least be giving back as much as we could. March is great month to re-commit ourselves to philanthropy and altruism, in whatever way we can, whether we donate time, money, or resources.
Tom is a freelance web designer and writer and sits on the board of directors for The Children’s Coalition, Inc., a West Palm Beach non-profit committed to alternative media arts programs for at-risk youth. Find out more about TCCI and make a small donation at http://tccipbc.org.