Homily of Archbishop Edward Adams, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines
at the Mass Commemorating the Centenary of the Birth of
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception 
Manila
26 August 2010

Your Eminence, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales,
Your Excellencies, my Brother Bishops,
Reverend Sister Mary Donatienne, Regional Superior, Missionaries of Charity,
Reverend Sisters Missionaries of Charity,
Reverend Brothers Missionaries of Charity,
Reverend Monsignori, Reverend Fathers,
Reverend Brothers, Reverend Sisters,
Brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is a great honor for me to be with you this morning as we commemorate the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  It is a privilege for me to pray with you and to reflect with you on Mother’s life’s work and message.  I do so as the Representative of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and in his name I greet and bless all of you.

There is a prayer that the Missionaries of Charity pray every day.  Cardinal John Henry Newman, who is soon to be beatified, wrote it, but when we hear it, it is easy for us to think of Mother Teresa praying it with her Sisters. This is the prayer:

Jesus, help me to spread your presence wherever I may be. Fill my heart with your Spirit and your life.  Take such hold of me that my life becomes a reflection of your life.
Let your light shine through me and remain in me, that all those whose lives I touch might know your presence.
May people not see me, but see you.  Remain in me, so that I might shine with your light, and others might see that light.  
The light will come from you, O Jesus.   Not even the smallest ray of light will be mine.  You will bring light to others through me.   Place on my lips your greatest praise.
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 to my heart from You.  Amen.

 “You are the light of the world; a city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt 5: 14).

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

With this image, we have an explanation why the Church has added Mother Teresa to those souls who are called “Blessed”.  Her life and her example as “Mother of the poor” speak to everyone, bring the light of the Gospel into view, and are as clearly visible as a city set on a hill.

Today we are here to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and to thank God for the light that has reached each one of us through her.

This holy woman, this Gospel messenger, whose life was deeply marked by love, is Blessed. We look to her as an example of Christian life, of Christian mission, as an icon of compassion and mercy, as a source of inspiration for us as we seek to follow Christ and His way.

Mother Teresa was indeed, as she described herself, a missionary, a messenger of God and His love and an ambassador of His holy peace.   She wanted the people whom she cared for to experience the tenderness of God, the God of love.  Her hands, her arms, her smile, her gestures, all carried the message:  “You are loved, there is someone to take care of you”. The power of Mother Teresa's love was able to win hearts for her Lord.

Her life was a model of how to live the hymn to love which we find described in St Paul's Letter to the Corinthians.  Without love we are nothing. On the other hand, a life of love is something, “something beautiful”.

Mother Teresa herself used to tell a story of what happened one day when a woman was brought to the house in Calcutta.  The woman was in a pitiful condition, suffering terribly. Mother cared for her and spent a lot of time with the woman, washing her and cleansing the infected sores that covered her body.  Despite the care she received, the woman kept cursing and venting her anger on all who approached her.

Mother continued to help her.  At a certain point the woman stopped her cursing and said: “Why are you doing this?  Who told you to do this?”  Mother Teresa answered: “My God told me”.  And the woman asked her:  “Tell me about your God”. And then, Mother Teresa, embracing her, said: “But you know Him. My God is called Love”.

Where did Mother Teresa find the strength and the perseverance to place herself at the service of her fellow human beings?  Pope John Paul II tells us that “she found it in prayer and in the silent presence of Jesus”. 

Privately, Mother Teresa confessed that she did not often feel that presence.  She underwent tremendous temptations against her faith, and was to struggle with these attacks all her life.  But her conviction that God was working through her remained solid, undiminished.

She devoted her energy to the service of those in need.  But poverty and suffering were not the center of her attention; instead, her life was directed towards God.  She abandoned herself to Him without condition, placing herself at His disposition for His holy purposes, no matter what she felt.  She put herself in the hands of the Lord and, because of this, she succeeded in touching the hearts of others, giving them the comfort of the God of love, of the God whose comfort she rarely experienced.

Blessed Mother Teresa based her life on the Beatitudes which were her model for living. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Mt 5:3).  “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5: 8). This was one of the things Our Lord said which Mother Teresa would never forget.  

She would often repeat that “a pure heart can see God”.  With God as the center of one’s life, every circumstance, every situation becomes part of His plan.  The desire of Mother Teresa for God was so great that it led her to recognize Him even in sadness, even in darkness.

Her courage in facing the difficulties she encountered is for us an incentive to imitate her:  her great love moved her to smile, even when things were hard and her mission not easy.  Her deep faith helped her to keep cheerful amid suffering, both internal and external.

We can say truly that Mother Teresa has been a gift of God to a world that is hungering after truth and love.   

Since she was consumed by love for God and her neighbor, many saw her as an authentic example of Christian life; they were attracted by the Face of Christ that shone in her and in her service to the poor.  That is why people of all beliefs saw God in Blessed Teresa.

Men and women are still attracted by the high ideals of goodness and love that Mother Teresa lived.  Faith in God and obedience to His will were the foundation of her virtues.  She offered her life to God without reserve and, because of this, God could work marvels in her. 

For this too, Mother Teresa will live on in the Church as an example, giving us encouragement on our journey towards holiness, which she considered the simple duty of every Christian.

“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Mt 5: 14).  Although Mother Teresa never sought fame, she exercised an immense fascination.   

She showed how a life for God and founded on the Beatitudes can be full of love and give light to the world, the light which is Christ.

Yes, today we remember that Mother Teresa was born a hundred years ago, and at this Holy Mass, we thank God for the light that has reached each one of us, and the whole world, through her coming into existence and through her response to His call.

            This great woman, this missionary of love, this “missionary of charity”, whose life was deeply marked by the Gospel of love, is indeed Blessed Mother Teresa, Blessed Teresa. 

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.   Amen.