我喜欢口才好的牧者和修女。
无论她们在外宣讲或者服务贫穷弱小都是一样的彰显天主的光荣。 自由 发表于 2014-2-6 05:46
无论她们在外宣讲或者服务贫穷弱小都是一样的彰显天主的光荣。
嗯哪:lol感谢主！ 自由 发表于 2014-2-6 05:46
无论她们在外宣讲或者服务贫穷弱小都是一样的彰显天主的光荣。
不要有偏见啊。 主是善源 发表于 2014-2-5 16:33
德肋撒修女算不上口才好的修女，但结出的福音果实丰硕累累，多少灵魂被感动而皈依天主。出殡的日子，近百个 ...
印度德肋撒修女在诺贝尔和平奖颁奖大会上的演讲
感谢天主给我们在这里聚会的机会，为我们带来诺贝尔和平奖，我想我们在这里共同用圣方济各一章祷文来祈祷一定是非常适宜的。我们每天领受圣体后，都要用这段祷文来祈祷，因为它适合于我们每一个人。我总想弄明白的是，四、五百年以前当圣方济各撰写这段祷文时，当时的人们一定遇到了和我们今天一样的困难，我们将这段祷文修改得更加适合今天的状况。我想在场的大多数人都已经有了这份祷文，让我们共同来祈祷：感谢天主刚给我们机会，让我们大家今天聚在一起，和平奖的获得告诉我们，我们生来就是要为和平而生存，它也告诉我们，基督除了没有原罪外，祂和我们简直没有两样，祂明确地告诉大家，祂给众人带来了一个喜讯。
这个喜讯就是所有善良的人所期盼的和平的愿望，也是我们都欲得到的--一颗维护和平的心。天主是如此热爱我们这个世界，祂不惜将自己的儿子都奉献出来，当然，这对祂是件非常痛苦的事情；天主是忍受何等的痛苦，才将自己的儿子贡献给我们这个世界啊。祂，这个名叫基督的人把和平带给你，带给我。但是作为男子汉的祂仍嫌做的不够，祂用被钉死在十字架上的悲壮行动，来向我们表示祂对我们伟大的爱，祂是为你，为我，为那些身患麻风病，为那些因饥饿而将死的人，为那些赤裸着身体横卧在加尔各答和其他城市的大街上的穷人，为在非洲、纽约、伦敦和奥斯陆的穷人而献身。祂用祂的死来劝告我们相互同情、互相爱戴。福音书中讲的非常清楚：“像我爱你们一样去爱；像我的父亲爱我一样去爱。我爱你们。”祂的父亲正是因为深深地爱着祂，才把祂奉献出来。我们彼此间也应该互相爱戴，应该像天主对待祂儿子那样，彼此将爱心奉献出来。如果我们说“我爱天主，但是我不爱我的邻居”，这是远远不够的。圣若望说“如果你说只爱天主，不爱邻居，那么你就是一个说谎的人。”如果连每日相见，彼此接触，和你住在一起的邻居都不爱的话，那你怎么能爱一个看不见的天主呢？所以，对我们来说，重要的是去认识爱的含义。爱是实实在在的，是痛苦的。
基督忍受了极大的痛苦来爱我们，爱使祂受难。我们一定要牢牢地记住祂的爱。祂将自己变成面包来让我们充饥，就是让我们满足对天主的饥渴，因为我们生来就是要体验这种爱，我们生来就是要爱别人，被别人爱。基督之所以变成一个男子汉来爱我们，就是要我们尽可能地像祂爱我们那样去爱别人。祂故意把自己扮成一个饥饿的人、一个衣不蔽体无家可归的人、一个病人或者一个犯人，或者一个孤独的人、被遗弃的人。祂对我们说：“是你们拯救了我。”祂渴求我们对祂的爱，就如同穷人们渴求我们对他们的爱是一样的。我们一定要了解这种饥渴，也许这样的饥渴恰好发生在我们自己的家里。
我永远也不会忘记曾经访问过的一家养老院。这家养老院里的老人都是儿女将他们送来的。尽管这里的生活用品一应俱全，甚至还有点奢华，但是这些老年人却都坐在院子里，眼睛盯着大门看。他们的脸上没有一丝笑容。我转向一位老姐姐，问她：“这是怎么回事？为什么这些衣食不愁的人总是望着大门？为什么他们脸上没有笑容？”
我已经太习惯看到人们脸上的笑容，甚至那些挂在垂死的人脸上的笑容。但是在这里，我看到的是一种对爱心的乞盼。那位老姐姐对我说：“这里几乎天天都是如此，他们每天都在乞盼着，盼望他们的儿女来看望他们。他们的心受到了极大的刺伤，因为他们是被遗忘的人。”瞧，这就是世上存在的另一个种贫乏，被爱心遗忘的贫乏。也许这样的贫乏已经悄悄来到我们的身边和我们的家庭中。也许就在我们自己的家庭中，已经有成员感到孤独。也许他们的心已经受到伤害，或许他们处于某种焦虑不安的状态。如果有这样的事情发生，可能我们家庭中的其他成员或多或少都会有些烦恼。类似的事情是否已经存在我们的家庭呢？如果是，我们又如何来包容那些心里感到孤独的家庭成员呢？假如你是母亲的话，你是否能宽容自己的孩子呢？西方国家最令我吃惊的，是许多男孩、女孩的吸毒的现象。我总想搞明白这个问题究竟是谁造成的，为什么会出现这样的事情？我对这个问题的答案恐怕是：因为他们家庭中没有人宽容、善待他们。他们的父母也许因为工作太忙而没有时间照顾他们，可能一些年轻的父母过分忙于事务，致使孩子在街头游荡，甚至染上了恶习。我们今天在谈论和平，而这些事情恰恰都会破坏和平。
我们读圣经时，会读到天主说过的一句话：“即便是一个母亲遗弃了她的孩子，我也不会遗弃你们。我要将你们捧在掌心里保护你们。”我们被天主保护在祂的掌心中，我们是如此地贴近祂，就像是未出生的孩子蜷卧在祂的掌心里。我们可以这样分析这句话，前面的部分谈到“即便是一个母亲遗弃了她的孩子……”按照常理说，这简直是不可能发生的事。然而祂在后面又说：“即便……，我也不会遗弃你们。”这后一句尤其使我感动。这是一句深深地撼动我心灵的至理名言。
我们今天之所以能聚在这个地方，全是靠了我们的父母，因为他们需要我们。如果他们不想要我们的话，我们绝不会在这个世界上生存。
我们需要自己的孩子，我们爱自己的孩子。然而还有其他数以百万计的人，他们是怎么想的呢？今天的印度有许许多多的人在关怀着孩子们的成长，而在非洲却有许多孩子正在死于营养不良或饥饿……我在此向人们呼吁，向全世界人们呼吁--“让我们夺回孩子的生命”，因为这个时代是孩子们的时代。今年是保护儿童年。今年年初，我曾经讲过，我们都为孩子们做了些什么呢？我逢人便讲：“让我们在这一年里保证每一个孩子的顺利出生。我们需要那些未出生的孩子。”今天是今年的最后一天。我们是否确实做到了这一点呢？我要告诉你们一件令人震憾的事。我们用领养的方式开展了向堕胎的斗争。我们挽救了成千上万的小生命。我们靠医疗站、医院和警察局来向人们发出通告：“请不要虐杀孩子，我们收养这些孩子。”于是，一天中的每一小时都会有人给那些未婚先孕的妇女打电话，通知她们“请到我们这里来，我们会照顾你，我们将收养你的孩子，给孩子找一个良好的家庭。”天主保佑，我们找到了许多需要领养孩子的家庭。此外，我们还做了一件漂亮事。我们将许多街头流浪的人、乞丐召集起来，给他们上课，组织他们按照我们的计划组成自然家庭，并收养被遗弃的小孩。
在加尔各答仅仅6年的时间里，这样的自然家庭就收留了61273个弃婴。鉴于自然家庭往往以自我约束、自我控制的方式存在，它有其独特的好处。我们对自然家庭的成员开展了“升温爱心法”的培训。这种方法即简单又易行。那些穷人通过培训，很快就知道如何去做。你想知道这些人后来怎样对我说吗？这些街头流浪的乞丐们明确地告诉我：“我们的家庭是健康、团结的。无论在什么地方，我们都可以随时收留被遗弃的婴儿。”我以为如果大家都能这样做，都明白用什么方法去救助弃婴的话，天主为我们创造的生活就不会遭到破坏。
穷人们是伟大的。他们能教给我们许多美好的习惯。有一天，一些穷人找到我们，向我们表示感谢。他们说：“你们搞慈善的人是最好的人。你们帮我们制定家庭计划，教我们开展计划，因为再没有比自我约束、互相友爱更重要的事了。”他们淳朴的话是最美丽、最生动的语言。也许这些人缺吃少穿，甚至没有一个固定的家，但是他们都是伟大的人。
穷人是非常可爱的人。有一天，我们从街上收容了四个无家可归的人，其中一个人看起来情况非常糟糕。我对修女们说：“你们去照顾那三个人，我来看护这个病人。”我用全部爱心和所能做到的一切去抚慰这个可怜的人。我扶着她躺在床上。她的脸上露出了美丽的笑容。她紧紧拉着我的手，感激地说了一句话：“谢谢你。”然后闭上眼睛死去了。
我在她面前禁不住对自己反思。我问自己：“如果把我换成她，我会说什么呢？”我可能会说：“我很饿，我快要死了。我很冷，我浑身都在疼。”或者其他什么话。然而她的话却教给了我很多很多，她给了我崇高的爱。她带着安祥的微笑死去了。再举一个例子：一天，我们从阴沟里救起一个人。当时他的半个身体都被蛆虫吃掉了。我们把他带到救济所，他说：“我在街上过着猪狗不如的生活，但是我将像一个天使一样死去，去接受天主的爱和呵护。”一个穷人能说出这样的话，足以看到他内心的伟大，他的品德是非常令人感动的。他临死前并没有诅咒任何人，没有说过别人的坏话，也没有去和其他任何人攀比，他就像一个纯洁的天使。这就是我们人民的伟大之所在。这也是基督为什么说：“我曾经赤身裸体、无家可归、没有食物；我被人遗弃、遭人唾骂、受人冷落，是你们帮助了我。”我认为，我们不是真正的社会工作者，也许我们只是做着一些社会工作。但我们却是这个世界上真正具有深刻思想的人，因为我们每天二十四小时都和基督在一起，和祂交流。你和我，我们大家都要将基督带到自己的家中，因为我们和家人一同生活，也应该共同祈祷。我认为，在我们的家庭中不需要用暴力换取和平，我们所要做的，相聚在一起、相互爱戴，用爱心为我们带来和平，带来欢乐，带来相互鼓舞的力量。只有这样，我们才能战胜世上的邪恶。我们要用祈祷、用我们真诚的奉献，从家庭开始，消除那些痛苦、怨恨和悲哀。我们提倡的“爱从家庭开始”并不是要看我们做了多少事情，而是要看我们在做的过程中融入了多少爱，看我们为基督做出了多少贡献。
前一段时间，我们在加尔各答遇到的最大困难，是买不到白糖。我不知道这事怎样传到孩子们的耳朵里。一个四岁的印度男孩回家后对他的父母说：“从今天开始，我三天不吃糖。我要把我的那份糖给德肋撒嬷嬷的孩子们。”三天以后，孩子的爸爸妈妈陪着孩子来到我们这里。我从前从未见过他们。那个小男孩甚至连我的名字都叫不准，但是他非常明白是来做什么的。他知道他想要别人分享他的爱心。
这些事就是使我得到爱心的感受和体会。自从我来到这里后，就一直被爱的气氛包围着，我一直沐浴在真诚理解的爱心中。在这里，无论是来自非洲的人，还是来自印度的人，都有一种融入特殊氛围的感觉，是回到自己家的感觉。我觉得，自己好像又回到加尔各答，和修女们在一起，我们是在一个真正的大家庭里。
我在这里要对你们讲，要你们在这里发现贫乏，发现你们家中的贫乏，然后将爱灌输到贫乏之处，从灌输爱心做起。请把这个喜讯带到你们家人那里，带到你们的邻居中去，去真正认识他们。我曾经结识了一个印度家庭，这个家庭有八个孩子。从和这个家庭的接触中，我有一些非常感人的收获。一天，一位先生来到我们的住处。他说：“德肋撒嬷嬷，一个有八个孩子的家庭已经断炊好几天了，请帮帮他们。”听了他的话，我马上给这个家庭送去了一些大米。孩子们看到大米眼睛都睁得大大的，眼睛里还闪着兴奋的光。我不知道你们是否见过饥饿的人的眼睛，但是我太熟悉这些眼睛了。当那位母亲接过大米后，立即把它分成两份，然后就出去了。当她回来后，我问她：“你去了哪里？做什么去了呢？”她简单地回答说：“他们也在挨饿。”原来她的邻居是一个穆斯林家庭，这个家庭也正在受着饥饿的煎熬。所以她把我送给她的米分了一半出去。这件事深深地感动了我。家庭中的孩子们从母亲那里得到快乐，他们和母亲共同享受着生活的乐趣，因为他们有母亲的爱。你瞧，这就是爱的发源地，爱的源头出自家庭。
我们都应该为我们这个世界上有这样的人感到欢乐。我将于15日返回印度，那时我要把这里的经历带回去，把你们的爱带回到印度去。
我很清楚，在座的各位做不到将家产倾其所有去布施穷人，我们也不需要大家这样做。我们希望各位，尽你们所能来帮助我们的事业。令我惊喜的是，穷人家忍饥挨饿的孩子虽然过着难挨的日子，但是他们还是一样欢乐，而且把欢乐带给他们的父母。对于我们来说，身为人之父母，我们不仅要满足孩子们生活的必需品，而且还要给予他们极大的爱。
让我们感谢天主赋予我们这个机会，使我们大家相聚在这里，是我们共同的语言把我们紧紧地连结一起。我们将共同携手去帮助全世界的儿童，因为我们的修女已经遍布世界各地。我将用获得的和平奖奖金为无家可归的人建立一所救济院，将爱心从这里不断地延伸。我们一定要把和平传给世人，让他们理解我们的爱。要让所有贫穷和贫乏的人都知道这个喜讯，把这个喜讯传到自己的家中，传到我们的国家和整个世界。要做到这一点，我们的修女，我们所有的人都要不断地祈祷。我们用祈祷和天主交流，以此达到相互理解和共识。我相信，我们一定能够让全世界都了解慈善会的工作和热情，并让我们唤起全世界人民的热情，共同分担世界上贫苦人民的疾苦。我感到，这件事在贫困国家中容易做到，但是在西方国家，我们还有许多问题有待解决。
我在大街上遇到穷人时，会给他一碗米饭或一片面包，我有一种满足感，因为我已经尽了责任，我帮他解除了饥饿。但是对他而言，他是一个无家可归、被社会的大门所拒绝、被遗弃、遭唾骂、受威胁的人，这样的贫穷对他来说是伤害最大的，也是我们使他们摆脱贫穷最难做的事情。我们有许多修女在西方国家正在从事这项工作。
请你们为我们祈祷，将我们所开展的事业的喜讯传到各个地方。我们需要你们这样做。你们应该在自己的国家里逐渐了解贫困和贫乏的人，也许我们在座的各位并不为生活发愁，但是如果我们审视一下自己的家庭生活，我们就会发现，有时家人之间相互微笑也是件不容易的事。那么就让我们从相互微笑来开始我们爱的传播吧。
所以，让我们见面时彼此微笑致意。微笑是爱的开端。一旦我们彼此有了爱心，我们就要去做一些事情。请为我们的修女、为我、为我们的修士和分布在世界各地的教友们祈祷。为我们全身心地信仰天主交给我们的使命祈祷，为你我共同热爱天主、侍奉天主、扶助穷困祈祷。如果你们不能和我们共同承担这个使命，恐怕我们的事业也不能很好地发展下去，但是我并不想看到你们倾家荡产。我只要你们尽其所能。
前几天，我从一个瘫痪二十年的病人那里收到十五美元的捐款。这个人全身能活动的部分只有右手。他唯一的嗜好是吸烟。这个人对我说：“我一星期没有吸烟，现在我把省下来的钱交给你们。”这样的贡献对他来说一定是经历了非常痛苦的煎熬，但是他为分担拯救贫困人们的行动是多么壮丽啊。我用这笔钱为那些正在挨饿的穷人们买了面包，使捐赠者和接受捐赠的人都感到非常快乐。
天主赐给我们每个人的礼物是要我们互相爱戴。我们都可以用天主的礼物做我们能做到的事情。让我们为了基督施与他人爱心吧。让我们像祂爱我们一样互相爱戴。让我们用无私的爱去爱祂。让我们在圣诞节即将到来之际，为基督献出我们彼此的爱。
让我们的心中保持对基督的爱，和所有我们接触过的人共同分享祂的爱。传播到大众中间的欢欣是实实在在的，因为我们和基督在一起，没有什么理由不使我们欢欣鼓舞。基督存在于我们的心中，祂就在我们所遇到的穷人中间。基督是我们送给他人的微笑和他人带给我们的微笑。愿我们拥有一个共同的观点，决不使一个孩子被遗弃；无论面对什么样的恶劣环境，我们都要保持微笑。
我永远不会忘记不久前的一件事。有14位来自美国不同大学的教授来到加尔各答，参观我们的救济院。在交谈过程中，他们谈到了对刚刚参观过的一家临终慰藉所的感受。（我们在加尔各答开设了一家临终慰藉所，从街头收留过三万六千人，其中一万八千人安祥地死在临终慰藉所里，他们已经回到了天主的家园。）其中有一位教授问我：“德肋撒嬷嬷，请给我留下一句让我永远难忘的话。”我对他说：“彼此微笑保持家庭的和谐气氛，彼此和睦相处。”
另一位教授问我：“你结婚了吗？”我说：“是的。我有时感觉面对基督微笑是一件很难的事情，因为祂耗费的精力太多了。”的确是事实。耗费精力多的地方，就是爱的发源地。即便如此，我们也应该将我们的欢乐送给祂。
正如我今天所讲过的，我上天堂不为别的，我是为了大众而上天堂，因为大众净化了我的心，我所作出的奉献可以让我安然地面对天主了。我认为，我们一定要为美好的生活而生活。我们和基督同在，因为祂爱我们。我们只要记着天主是爱我们的，我们就会像祂爱我们那样去爱他人。不为大而爱，只为琐细而爱。从细微的小事中体现博大的爱。我们要以挪威为中心，将爱传播到整个世界，让战争远离我们。如此，那些待出生的婴儿就会欢叫着来到人间。我们把自己变成传播世界和平的火种，挪威的诺贝尔和平奖将会真正是献给和平的厚礼。
愿天主保佑你们。 自由 发表于 2014-2-7 06:05
印度德肋撒修女在诺贝尔和平奖颁奖大会上的演讲
感谢天主给我们在这里聚会的机会，为我们带来诺贝尔 ...
As we have gathered here together to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize I think it will be beautiful that we pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi which always surprises me very much - we pray this prayer every day after Holy Communion, because it is very fitting for each one of us, and I always wonder that 4-500 years ago as St. Francis of Assisi composed this prayer that they had the same difficulties that we have today, as we compose this prayer that fits very nicely for us also. I think some of you already have got it - so we will pray together.
Let us thank God for the opportunity that we all have together today, for this gift of peace that reminds us that we have been created to live that peace, and Jesus became man to bring that good news to the poor. He being God became man in all things like us except sin, and he proclaimed very clearly that he had come to give the good news. The news was peace to all of good will and this is something that we all want - the peace of heart - and God loved the world so much that he gave his son - it was a giving - it is as much as if to say it hurt God to give, because he loved the world so much that he gave his son, and he gave him to Virgin Mary, and what did she do with him?
As soon as he came in her life - immediately she went in haste to give that good news, and as she came into the house of her cousin, the child - the unborn child - the child in the womb of Elizabeth, leapt with joy. He was that little unborn child, was the first messenger of peace. He recognised the Prince of Peace, he recognised that Christ has come to bring the good news for you and for me. And as if that was not enough - it was not enough to become a man - he died on the cross to show that greater love, and he died for you and for me and for that leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street not only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and New York, and London, and Oslo - and insisted that we love one another as he loves each one of us. And we read that in the Gospel very clearly - love as I have loved you - as I love you - as the Father has loved me, I love you - and the harder the Father loved him, he gave him to us, and how much we love one another, we, too, must give each other until it hurts. It is not enough for us to say: I love God, but I do not love my neighbour. St. John says you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbour. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbour whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live. And so this is very important for us to realise that love, to be true, has to hurt. It hurt Jesus to love us, it hurt him. And to make sure we remember his great love he made himself the bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love. Our hunger for God, because we have been created for that love. We have been created in his image. We have been created to love and be loved, and then he has become man to make it possible for us to love as he loved us. He makes himself the hungry one - the naked one - the homeless one - the sick one - the one in prison - the lonely one - the unwanted one - and he says: You did it to me. Hungry for our love, and this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you and I must find, it may be in our own home.
I never forget an opportunity I had in visiting a home where they had all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them in an institution and forgotten maybe. And I went there, and I saw in that home they had everything, beautiful things, but everybody was looking towards the door. And I did not see a single one with their smile on their face. And I turned to the Sister and I asked: How is that? How is it that the people they have everything here, why are they all looking towards the door, why are they not smiling? I am so used to see the smile on our people, even the dying one smile, and she said: This is nearly every day, they are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten, and see - this is where love comes. That poverty comes right there in our own home, even neglect to love. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried, and these are difficult days for everybody. Are we there, are we there to receive them, is the mother there to receive the child?
I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given into drugs, and I tried to find out why - why is it like that, and the answer was: Because there is no one in the family to receive them. Father and mother are so busy they have no time. Young parents are in some institution and the child takes back to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking of peace. These are things that break peace, but I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child - I will not forget you - I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible - but even if she could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here - our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions. Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is left for me to kill you and you kill me - there is nothing between. And this I appeal in India, I appeal everywhere: Let us bring the child back, and this year being the child's year: What have we done for the child? At the beginning of the year I told, I spoke everywhere and I said: Let us make this year that we make every single child born, and unborn, wanted. And today is the end of the year, have we really made the children wanted? I will give you something terrifying. We are fighting abortion by adoption, we have saved thousands of lives, we have sent words to all the clinics, to the hospitals, police stations - please don't destroy the child, we will take the child. So every hour of the day and night it is always somebody, we have quite a number of unwedded mothers - tell them come, we will take care of you, we will take the child from you, and we will get a home for the child. And we have a tremendous demand from families who have no children, that is the blessing of God for us. And also, we are doing another thing which is very beautiful - we are teaching our beggars, our leprosy patients, our slum dwellers, our people of the street, natural family planning.
And in Calcutta alone in six years - it is all in Calcutta - we have had 61,273 babies less from the families who would have had, but because they practise this natural way of abstaining, of self-control, out of love for each other. We teach them the temperature meter which is very beautiful, very simple, and our poor people understand. And you know what they have told me? Our family is healthy, our family is united, and we can have a baby whenever we want. So clear - those people in the street, those beggars - and I think that if our people can do like that how much more you and all the others who can know the ways and means without destroying the life that God has created in us.
The poor people are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. The other day one of them came to thank and said: You people who have vowed chastity you are the best people to teach us family planning. Because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other. And I think they said a beautiful sentence. And these are people who maybe have nothing to eat, maybe they have not a home where to live, but they are great people. The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition - and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you - and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her, and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. As that man whom we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for. And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel - this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus had said: I was hungry - I was naked - I was homeless - I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for - and you did it to me.
I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the Body of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God in your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family don't need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace - just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.
There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty - how much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.
Some time ago in Calcutta we had great difficulty in getting sugar, and I don't know how the word got around to the children, and a little boy of four years old, Hindu boy, went home and told his parents: I will not eat sugar for three days, I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa for her children. After three days his father and mother brought him to our home. I had never met them before, and this little one could scarcely pronounce my name, but he knew exactly what he had come to do. He knew that he wanted to share his love.
And this is why I have received such a lot of love from you all. From the time that I have come here I have simply been surrounded with love, and with real, real understanding love. It could feel as if everyone in India, everyone in Africa is somebody very special to you. And I felt quite at home I was telling Sister today. I feel in the Convent with the Sisters as if I am in Calcutta with my own Sisters. So completely at home here, right here.
And so here I am talking with you - I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people. And find out about your next-door neighbour - do you know who they are? I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who had eight children. A gentleman came to our house and said: Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children, they had not eaten for so long - do something. So I took some rice and I went there immediately. And I saw the children - their eyes shinning with hunger - I don't know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And she took the rice, she divided the rice, and she went out. When she came back I asked her - where did you go, what did you do? And she gave me a very simple answer: They are hungry also. What struck me most was that she knew - and who are they, a Muslim family - and she knew. I didn't bring more rice that evening because I wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing. But there were those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy with their mother because she had the love to give. And you see this is where love begins - at home. And I want you - and I am very grateful for what I have received. It has been a tremendous experience and I go back to India - I will be back by next week, the 15th I hope - and I will be able to bring your love.
And I know well that you have not given from your abundance, but you have given until it has hurt you. Today the little children they have - I was so surprised - there is so much joy for the children that are hungry. That the children like themselves will need love and care and tenderness, like they get so much from their parents. So let us thank God that we have had this opportunity to come to know each other, and this knowledge of each other has brought us very close. And we will be able to help not only the children of India and Africa, but will be able to help the children of the whole world, because as you know our Sisters are all over the world. And with this prize that I have received as a prize of peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people that have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor - I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace, be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world.
To be able to do this, our Sisters, our lives have to be woven with prayer. They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering - and I feel that the passion of Christ is being relived all over again - are we there to share that passion, to share that suffering of people. Around the world, not only in the poor countries, but I found the poverty of the West so much more difficult to remove. When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But a person that is shut out, that feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person that has been thrown out from society - that poverty is so hurtable and so much, and I find that very difficult. Our Sisters are working amongst that kind of people in the West. So you must pray for us that we may be able to be that good news, but we cannot do that without you, you have to do that here in your country. You must come to know the poor, maybe our people here have material things, everything, but I think that if we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each, other, and that the smile is the beginning of love.
And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something. So you pray for our Sisters and for me and for our Brothers, and for our Co-Workers that are around the world. That we may remain faithful to the gift of God, to love Him and serve Him in the poor together with you. What we have done we should not have been able to do if you did not share with your prayers, with your gifts, this continual giving. But I don't want you to give me from your abundance, I want that you give me until it hurts.
The other day I received 15 dollars from a man who has been on his back for twenty years, and the only part that he can move is his right hand. And the only companion that he enjoys is smoking. And he said to me: I do not smoke for one week, and I send you this money. It must have been a terrible sacrifice for him, but see how beautiful, how he shared, and with that money I bought bread and I gave to those who are hungry with a joy on both sides, he was giving and the poor were receiving. This is something that you and I - it is a gift of God to us to be able to share our love with others. And let it be as it was for Jesus. Let us love one another as he loved us. Let us love Him with undivided love. And the joy of loving Him and each other - let us give now - that Christmas is coming so close. Let us keep that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts. And share that joy with all that we come in touch with. And that radiating joy is real, for we have no reason not to be happy because we have no Christ with us. Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor that we meet, Christ in the smile that we give and the smile that we receive. Let us make that one point: That no child will be unwanted, and also that we meet each other always with a smile, especially when it is difficult to smile.
I never forget some time ago about fourteen professors came from the United States from different universities. And they came to Calcutta to our house. Then we were talking about that they had been to the home for the dying. We have a home for the dying in Calcutta, where we have picked up more than 36,000 people only from the streets of Calcutta, and out of that big number more than 18,000 have died a beautiful death. They have just gone home to God; and they came to our house and we talked of love, of compassion, and then one of them asked me: Say, Mother, please tell us something that we will remember, and I said to them: Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. Smile at each other. And then another one asked me: Are you married, and I said: Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at Jesus because he can be very demanding sometimes. This is really something true, and there is where love comes - when it is demanding, and yet we can give it to Him with joy. Just as I have said today, I have said that if I don't go to Heaven for anything else I will be going to Heaven for all the publicity because it has purified me and sacrificed me and made me really ready to go to Heaven. I think that this is something, that we must live life beautifully, we have Jesus with us and He loves us. If we could only remember that God loves me, and I have an opportunity to love others as he loves me, not in big things, but in small things with great love, then Norway becomes a nest of love. And how beautiful it will be that from here a centre for peace has been given. That from here the joy of life of the unborn child comes out. If you become a burning light in the world of peace, then really the Nobel Peace Prize is a gift of the Norwegian people. God bless you!.
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