Mother Teresa

"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." - Mother Teresa.

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." - Mother Teresa.

It is easy to become a mother. What really is a challenge is how to be a good mother to your child. You may crib endlessly about how frustrating it is to bring up a single child. If rearing just a child makes you reach the end of the tether, imagine how difficult it is when a person considers all the people of this world as her/his children who need to be tended, protected and looked after. You'd think that the person must be crazy to do such a thing. Well, it may seem crazy, but for some it is the sole cause of their existence. Mothers look after their children but very few like the great Mother Teresa look after the people of this world as their children.

Mother Teresa, an epitome of love and care for mankind, is a messiah for the poor and underprivileged people. When the talk is about motherhood, none can help but recall the glimpses of Mother Teresa, the mother of human beings. Her story is very inspiring, especially for younger generations. Read further to learn more about the life of this petite saint.

Born in Albania, Mother Teresa's original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Right from the age of 18, Agnes was into spirituality. It was in the year 1931, when this young girl with a golden heart, acquired the name Teresa from the French nun Thérèse Martin. In 1937, she took vows and began teaching in Saint Mary's High School in Calcutta.

In 1948, she got another opportunity from God to serve society. The same year, Mother Teresa was relieved by Pope Pious XII from her services and she was granted the status of an independent nun. And thereafter, she got engrossed with the task of serving the poor and sick people of Calcutta. The coming years witnessed the setting up of a charity organization called the Missionaries of Charity. In 1950, her source of concern was the care of lepers, the people whom society ostracized.

The 'Missionaries of Charity' opened its branches in almost every country to assist the poor, elderly, blind and people suffering from deadly disease like AIDS. For the bright future of children, she opened up schools. In 1979, she was awarded with Nobel Prize for the services that she had rendered to the society. But the journey of this great messiah on earth was to end in August 1997, when she made her way towards the heaven.

There is a lot to learn from the life of mother Teresa. She truly was a woman of substance, a mother who was an embodiment of selflessness, self-sacrifice and altruism. Let us not forget her devotion towards the poor. Imagine how different the plight of this world would be if blessed with such mothers!