The most beautiful thing in the world is to love one another as God loves each one of us. And it is for this purpose that we are in this world. Contents Preface by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C. Introduction I God Is Love II Jesus III What Prevents Me from Loving IV Faith in Action Is Love V Be a Cause of Joy to One Another Preface BRIAN KOLODIEJCHUK, M.C. Where There Is Love, There Is God is in some ways a sequel to Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. The latter presents Mother Teresa’s life from the perspective of her relationship with God and her commitment to those He called her to serve—the poorest of the poor. Sent to alleviate the sufferings of the poor, she was to be identified with them, experiencing, in the depths of her soul, their struggle and pain. She embraced these persistent and intense sufferings with heroic courage and fidelity, giving evidence of her extraordinary faith in God and surrender to His will. The encouragement that the disclosure of this hidden aspect of Mother Teresa’s life has been to many led to the idea of making more of her insights available as they can teach us much in dealing with our own struggles and sufferings. This publication is not an exhaustive anthology of Mother Teresa’s teaching. Where There Is Love, There Is God attempts, rather, to impart succinctly what she believed and taught about some of the fundamental issues of human life, particularly relevant in our times. Given her constant interaction with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, no life situation was foreign to her, and she had many opportunities to pronounce her views on a wide range of subjects. She unflaggingly communicated her convictions as to where true peace and happiness are to be found, inspiring her contemporaries by the sincerity of her words, and even more by the authenticity of her life. While she is more of an example and model for us in Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, here her role is primarily one of teacher and guide. Through the practical and timely advice she offers, Mother Teresa sets us on the path to closer union with God and greater love for our brothers and sisters. Selections from her wealth of insight are compiled in the pages that follow with the hope that her example of love and her words of wisdom will help us to bring more love into our world and make it a little better place in which to live. Introduction If Mother Teresa’s entire life and message were to be summarized and described in only two words, without question those words would be God and love. In truth, God was the center of her existence, her very life, and love—for God and neighbor—her message. But if pressed to use just one word, love would express it all, “for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God … God is love” (1 John 4:7, 8). Mother Teresa’s simple statement, “Where there is Love, there is God,” chosen for the title of this book, reflects this profound truth. God uses human instruments for His purposes and He used Mother Teresa’s hands and heart to manifest His love in today’s world. By her life, words, and work, she proclaimed that God is real, that He is with us and that He “still loves the world through you and through me.” Specifically called to be a Missionary of Charity—a carrier of His love to the poorest of the poor, indeed to each person she met—she did not think that this was a vocation uniquely hers. Every person, she believed, is to be “a missionary of charity,” a carrier of God’s love in whatever their state of life. She strove to make others aware of this fundamental call and invited them to respond generously. Mother Teresa’s zeal in assiduously carrying out her mission was striking, even in her advanced years. What was the source of her dynamism and determination? Faith in God. This is what shaped her personality and permeated every aspect of her life. She spoke of God or of the things of God in virtually every conversation, “for out of the abundance of the heart, [the] mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) and she did so spontaneously and naturally. Hers was not an artificial piety, aimed at impressing others. Neither did she cater to human respect, fearful of expressing her faith and convictions. She expressed simply and sincerely what she believed, with the sole aim of pleasing God and doing good to souls. Mother Teresa’s upbringing and environment were conducive to growth in the Faith, and she developed an intimate relationship with God early in life. At the age of eighteen, she took the decisive step to pursue a life of total dedication to God, answering His call to become a missionary in India. After living as a Loreto nun for nearly twenty years, she received what she would term “a call within a call,” while traveling by train to Darjeeling for her annual retreat. God was asking her to be a Missionary of Charity, a carrier of His love to those who felt most unloved, unwanted, uncared for, those who often find it difficult to believe in His love because of their circumstances. Though it would entail a radical change in her life, she willingly embraced this new mandate. The inspiration Mother Teresa received on the train gave her profound insight into God’s love. She understood as never before how much God desired, longed, “thirsted” to love and be loved: He thirsted for her love and for the love of each person He created, especially those most in need. Jesus’ words from the Cross, “I thirst,” were for her the expression of this intense love and, were always to remind her of the call she had received, a call to satiate His thirst. Satiating Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls implied a willingness to strive for ever greater intimacy with Him. It also implied a readiness to be a channel, heedless of the cost to self, through which God’s love could be communicated to His children. This call gave Mother Teresa a sense of responsibility and urgency toward her mission. If Divine Providence placed someone in her path, she would do all she could to help that person come to know God better and so enter into a closer relationship with Him. Despite the obstacles she faced in responding to her new call, Mother Teresa enjoyed an abundance of consolations in the months following the inspiration. Yet, as she started her mission to the poor she was plunged into the dark reality of desolation that those whom she served experience: the feeling that God was no longer present, that He no longer loved her or cared for her. Nevertheless, she remained truly and profoundly united to God, even though her feelings suggested the opposite. She became one with Jesus in His agony and one with the poorest of the poor in their sufferings by experiencing their pain at being unloved, unwanted, uncared for. In sharing their sufferings, she was indeed taking upon herself something of the pain of those she loved. Nearly half a century lived in spiritual aridity did not hinder Mother Teresa’s ability to perceive the hand of God in the ordinary as well as the challenging circumstances of life, and to respond to Him in love. An impressive manifestation of this was her ability not to get disheartened by the daunting hardships nor overcome by the sufferings or the evil that she witnessed daily. She deeply believed that God in His love could bring about a greater good even from apparent or real evil. In the midst of her own spiritual darkness, her unfaltering commitment to her mission and the constant smile that hid her pain attested to her deep faith that God, whom she no longer felt to be close, was still “in charge.” This unshakable faith carried her through life. No matter how demanding it was, she remained serene, and even joyful. In fact, the darker the darkness, the more tenacious was her faith. While her interior suffering mounted, her mission among the poor flourished. The expansion was rapid and global: In the first 25 years of their existence, the Missionaries of Charity had 704 sisters in 87 foundations, caring for thousands of the poorest of the poor—the dying, the orphans, the leprosy suffers, the physically and mentally challenged, those who found themselves at the margins of society. In 1963 Mother Teresa had also founded a branch for brothers. In 1976, the contemplative sisters were founded and 1977 saw the establishment of a branch of contemplative brothers. A branch for priests came into existence in 1983. At the time of her death there were 3842 MC Sisters in 594 foundations in 120 counties; 363 MC brothers in 68 foundations in 19 countries, 14 MC Contemplative Brothers in 4 foundations in 3 countries and 13 MC Priests in 4 foundations in 3 countries. Her religious family also included diocesan priests and lay associates who desired to share in her mission of love. To all the members of her religious family and to those who desired to share in some way in the MC charism, Mother Teresa frequently addressed words of instruction and encouragement and, at times, of admonition as well. These exhortations are the primary source of this collection of quotes. Other sources are her public speeches and open letters. Though addressed to a particular group, Mother Teresa’s teachings are applicable to all. Human nature, being what it is, presents the same challenges regardless of vocation or occupation. The quotes have been grouped according to five central themes, each having a broad range of sub-themes. Part I examines who God was for Mother Teresa, Part II her relationship with Jesus, and Part III gives practical examples of the many obstacles we encounter within ourselves that prevent us from loving. The two final sections contain Mother Teresa’s teaching on how to put our faith into action by loving (Part IV) and how to be a cause of joy to one another by living lives of love (Part V). Each part is preceded by an overview of the themes presented in the particular section.