The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5.22-23

Mother Teresa The Simple Path
The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.

Our world will seek these attributes like they are a prize to be earned and won.

I want to be more loving, so I work at loving others or serving others.
I want to be more peaceful, so I mediate and strive to simplify my life style.
We don’t get these attributes as prizes but rather as a result of our relationship with the “perfect” human being – Jesus Christ. They are the by-product of our relationship with Jesus.

We seek Jesus,
we seek to know Him
we seek to follow Him more nearly
we seek to see Him more clearly
we seek to love Him more dearly . . . day by day (Ignatius)

We seek first the kingdom of God,
We seek first Jesus Christ and . . . all these things shall be added

Being Contemplative

Recently a comment was made that my tendencies to be contemplative was misinterpreted. My longing for time alone, my desires to go on long walks in the woods was perceived as a lack of personal motivation or even drive. Initially that comment hurt, but I realized it was only an observation from a person who doesn’t really know me or understand what a contemplative life is about.

I am probably one of the most “discontent” people around. I always want MORE. More in my relationships, more things fixed in my house, more plants for my garden; more volunteers working and leading in the kids ministry; more education; more opportunities for our kids; more dinners with friends; more time in the woods; more time with my husband; more love, more patience; more wine, more sex, more laughter! I want MORE.

Being contemplative (for me) is about prayerfully entering into silence and solitude – the desert, the woods. In this sacred space, the goal is not to hide from others, devoid of pain, or to hold myself apart from and above the community in which I live. It is to receive the grace to learn to face MYSELF directly so I can learn to live an ordinary life with a sense of awe and wonder; to live generously with my family, friends and community.

Mother Teresa was contemplative SO THAT she could pour herself out to others. I’m certainly no Mother Teresa, but I find comfort knowing that a lot of religious people didn’t get or approve of her.

Mother Teresa's Bday

Today is Mother Teresa's bday. She would have been a 100 years old.

I became acquainted with Mother Teresa during my spiritual direction course work. I had to choose a "saint," someone whom I would walk with and learn from. I was drawn to Mother Teresa because she was a woman,and I also loved her hands - gentle, healing, full of life experiences. Not a particualy "spiritual" way to choose a saint,but the Spirit did not guide me wrong. It was no accident that Mother Teresa was my saint.

There are days in ministry that I feel like I make little progress.
Haven't we dealt with this issue;
haven't we had this conversation;
we have no money again;
who else "needs/wants" me today; etc?

Then I think of Mother Teresa. Everyday she began sitting in silence in the presence of Jesus, she took communion and the essence of her beloved Jesus filled her. THEN everyday she walked into the streets of Calcutta, into a cultural system that saw little change and she LOVED and cared for whomever she came in contact with.

Mother Teresa encourage me (and others) to believe the best of those we encounter. To believe that they are doing the best that they can, with what they have, at this particular moment.

I know that ministry goals,plans and measureable objectives are important, but ultimately it is about loving others, inviting, encouraging and guiding others to become WHOLE human beings created in the image of God.

Thank you Mother for the life you lived. Thank you for showing me how to follow more closely after our Beloved Jesus.

Mother Teresa - story of grace

One night, a man came to our house to tell me that a Hindu family, a family of 8 kids, had not eaten anything for days.
They had nothing to eat.
I took enough rice for a meal and went to their house. I could see the hungry faces, the children with their bulging eyes. The sight could not have been more dramatic!
The mother took the rice from my hands, divided it in half and went out. When she came back a little later, I asked her, "Where did you go? What did you do?"
She answered, "They also are hungry." "They" were the people next door, a Muslim family with the same number of children to feed and who did not have any food either.
That mother was aware of the situation. She had the courage and the love to share her meager portion of rice with others. In spite of her circusmtances, I think she felt very happy to share with her neighbors the little I had taken her.
In order not to take away her happiness, I did not take her any more rice that night. I took her some more the following day.

Mother Teresa - Missionaries of charity prayer

There is a prayer that the Missionaries of Charity pray every day. Cardinal Newman wrote it:

Jesus, help me to spread your fragance wherever I am.
Fill my heart with your Spirit and your life.
Penetrate my being and take such hold of me that my life
becomes a radiation of your own life.
Give your light through me and remain in me in such a way
that every soul I come in contact with can feel your presence in me.

May people not see me, but see you in me. . .

May I preach you with actions more than with words, with the example of my actions, with the visible light of the love that comes from you to my heart. Amen

Mother Teresa - prayer

Prayer makes your heart bigger, until it is capable of containing the gift of God himself.

The first requirement for prayer is silence. People of prayer are people of silence.
- Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa - Love begins at home

Sometimes it is harder for us to smile at those who live with us, the immediate members of our families, than it is to smile at those who are not so close to us.
Let us never forget: love begins at home. - Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa - Smile

Once, some years ago, a group of teachers from the US came through Calcutta. After visiting the Home for the Dying in Kalighat, they came to see me.

Before they left, one of them asked me if I would say something that they could keep as a remembrance of the visit and that would also be useful to them.

"Smile at one another. Smile at your wives." (I have the feeling that we are in such a hurry that we do not even have time to look at one another and smile.)

One of them said, "Mother, it is obvious that you are not married!"
"Yes, I am," I answered. "Sometimes it is very difficult for me to smile at Jesus because he asks too much of me."

NOTE: During my 2 year spiritual direction program, I had to "walk" with a saint. I chose Mother Teresa, or rather she chose me. Her life has deepen my understanding of what it means to love Jesus and follow him.

Mother Teresa

Today is Mother Teresa's birthday. She was born August 26, 1910. Her name was Anges and she was the youngest of 3 kids. Her mother, a huge influence in her life, cared for the poor and "fringe" people of the community. Even after the family lost all their wealth, her mother continued to serve those in need.

Parents are the most influential person in a child's life.

Be Gentle With One Another

“Let us be very sincere in our dealings with each other,
and have the courage to accept each other as we are.
Do not be surprised or become preoccupied
at each other’s failures
– rather, see and find in each other the good,
for each one of us is created in the image of God.”

Mother Teresa has become my personal companion. I frequently think about her and how she would deal with certain challenges that I face. Her life and words are transforming me.