Authentic Freedom , True Joy
As I think back over my more than twenty-six years of teaching at Sacred Heart , I am struck by how often I and others have invoked her name in countless examples to illustrate something in moral theology . One example I am fond of goes something like this .
Could we ever imagine St . Mother Teresa choosing to kick a sickly Hindu man rather than carry him across the road , like the Good Samaritan , to one of her homes or hospices ? Students get a “ kick ” out of this example ; indeed , they usually smile or chuckle when they hear it . They simply can ’ t picture someone of Mother Teresa ’ s saintly moral character willfully harming another human being , much less a sick and dying one .
It ’ s not that she was no longer free to do so , but that she now had acquired what Christians consider true freedom : the freedom to choose and to do the good out of love for God and neighbor . Her will was harmonious with God ’ s will . That ’ s both authentic freedom and true joy . This is why saints are the most dependable ( and happy !) people on earth . It ’ s literally in their character ( not their DNA !) to be constant .
No Pretense
Another virtue was of course her piety . A common image of her is with hands clasped together in deep prayer . A rosary was a constant companion . Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI ’ s words from 2005 illuminate the relationship between piety , prayer , and anti-poverty work , particularly in Mother Teresa ’ s own life : People who pray are not wasting their time , even though the situation appears desperate and seems to call for action alone . Piety does not undermine the struggle against the poverty of our neighbors , however extreme .
In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service . In
“ She wasn ’ t in love with poverty , as one well known critic of her had it , but with the poor .”
her letter for Lent 1996 , Blessed Teresa wrote to her lay co-workers : “ We need this deep connection with God in our daily life . How can we obtain it ? By prayer .” Deus Caritas Est ( God Is Love ), no . 36
St . Mother Teresa ’ s words were always simple but never simplistic . They weren ’ t trite pious phrases . She didn ’ t “ do ” throwaway lines . Rather , she did what all saints do in speech and action : she stripped away the pretense to focus on the essential — Jesus — especially his face as found in the least of his brothers and sisters .
Saint of Social Teaching
St . Mother Teresa was a living embodiment of Catholic social teaching ( CST ). If
CST is what comes to be out of the encounter of the gospel message with the needs of a particular time , she was its perfect practitioner .
By adopting the culture of the Indian people she served , Mother Teresa displayed yet two other virtues : humility and respect . How many of us could be someone like her , who , in St . Paul ’ s words , was “ all things to all people ” without compromising moral principles and religious beliefs ?
“ To the weak I became weak , to win over the weak . I have become all things to all , to save at least some . All this I do for the sake of the gospel , so that I too may have a share in it ” ( 1 Cor 9:22-23 ).
In her concern for the family and in her care for the weakest among us , including the unborn , St . Teresa showed us what Catholic social teaching should look like ; it was ( and is ) true “ social justice .”
In her words and deeds , she reminded us that Christian charity should be about love , not simply “ charity ,” understood only as a handout ( although , that ’ s surely often needed ). Christian social action shouldn ’ t
“ There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love .”
be primarily philanthropy , politics , or bureaucratic programs . It should be about one goal : bringing the love of Christ to the poor in body and soul .
When Benedict XVI wrote the following words in Deus Caritas Est , I couldn ’ t help but think that he , again , had Mother Teresa in mind as his inspiration : Love — caritas — will always prove necessary , even in the most just society . There is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love . . . .
We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything , but a State which , in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity , generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need .
The Church is one of those living forces : she is alive with the love enkindled by the Spirit of Christ . . . .
In the end , the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man : the mistaken notion that man can live ‘ by bread alone ’ ( Mt 4:4 ; cf . Dt 8:3 )— a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human .” ( No . 28 )
Memento Mori
I remember well the day I heard the news of Mother Teresa ’ s death on September 5 , 1997 . My 64-year-old father-in-law would pass away unexpectedly twelve days later . Within the span of eighteen days , these two moral and spiritual giants in my life had died . Almost twenty years later , whenever I reflect back on those mournful days , I recall the ancient words ( both pagan and Christian ), memento mori : “ Remember that you have to die .”
St . Teresa taught us how to die a holy death because she showed us how to live a holy life : in Christ Jesus . That ’ s what all saints do .
Dr . Mark Latkovic is professor of moral theology at Sacred Heart . shms . edu 5