The Compassion That Cures
- MOTHER TERESA
In Haiti just as in England, Spain, Italy, or India — there are unhappy people everywhere.
Not only because they don't have any bread to eat. No, they hunger for love, understanding, and companionship. They suffer from loneliness, the feeling of being unwanted and rejected, a poverty of the soul. These are the things that can be far worse than being hungry or not having enough material goods....
Let's not live distracted lives. Let us know ourselves so that we can better understand our brothers and sisters. If we want to understand those with whom we live, we need to understand ourselves first of all.
Sometimes we see how joy returns to the lives of the most destitute when they realize that many among us are concerned about them and show them our love. Even their health improves if they are sick. After all, was it not Christ himself who said, Every time you did it to the least of my brethren, you did it to me? You are not to be indifferent to the suffering of others, but it is meant to affect you deeply.
This is J. Fraser Field, Founder of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
Please show your appreciation by making a $3 donation. CERC is entirely reader supported.
Acknowledgement
Blessed Mother Teresa. "The Compassion That Cures." from One Heart Full of Love (Cincinnati, OH: Franciscan Media, 1988).
This excerpt appeared in Magnificat in October 2015.
The Author
Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, to Albanian heritage. She founded the Missionaries of Charity which in 2015 consisted of 5,161 sisters serving in 758 houses in 139 countries. She described herself in this way: "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." Among her books are A Call to Mercy, Jesus is My All in All, Come Be My Light, and Where There Is Love, There Is God.