Mother of all

The blue-and-white trimmed sari she donned has become the symbol of self-less service

Of all human tragedies, the plight of orphans is the most heart-rending. Innocent children, without a mother to care for, are neglected, abused, oppressed and trafficked until they are made the scum of society.

The condition of the marginalized sick of the society follows very close to the curse of being orphans. Lepers, the physically and mentally challenged, the mal-nourished and the terminally ill from economically weak backgrounds who have no recourse to any help are the realities of a developing and over populated country.

Add to the above the scores of destitutes living in squalid conditions and we have the picture of what we have seen and continue to see in our country. Though the need for altruistic individuals is a dire need, only a handful, rise up to the need and make a difference. One such stalwart who came to India and became a mother to the suffering humanity, Mother and now Saint Teresa, stands out as a shining light in the dark world fraught with selfishness and apathy towards poverty, hunger and pain.

While it is a fact that deep within we all hunger for a more giving and sharing life, it takes extraordinary courage and magnanimity to lead such a life.

Many among us want to make a difference, to donate and to see a world with less poverty and suffering. Yet it took only one nun in a blue and white trimmed saree of foreign origin to dare to act. So, what does it take to be a Saint Teresa, I wondered as the world gathered to watch her Sainthood in Rome. 

Following her life and times what unfolds is her deep sense of compassion translated into action that was the mojo to the life she lead. Saint Teresa, it stands out, was an integrated woman of action. 

From the time she came face to face with the realities of the pathetic conditions of the slum in her neighbourhood, the comfort of her room in Loreto Convent meant nothing. 

The habit she wore, the God she adored and the spiritual life that she sought at a tender age of 18 perhaps gave her the power that is lacking in the vast majority among us who see suffering, but remain indifferent.

The blue-and-white trimmed sari Mother donned has today become the symbol of self-less service.

From the weather-beaten bodies she nursed to the thousands of orphans she mothered, from the lepers who felt loved and the hundreds who died peacefully in her arms and from being an ambassador of the unborn child to promoting love for the neighbour, Saint Teresa was indeed a mother of all mothers!