We arrived in lovely, cool Kolkata (PC-spelling of Calcutta) this morning at 11. The change to 80F heat was so refreshing -- we grinned the whole way to the hotel, relishing the cool breezes. What a change from the blast furnace effect of riding a moto-rickshaw in Delhi! And how nice to be off the train -- we shared a berth with 4 middle-aged men who felt free to change their pants (under a towel -- small help!) and burp freely throughout the 17 hour trip. Ah, what hospitality!
Our main event of the day was a visit to Mother House, the home of the order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa. I was deeply impressed by Mother Teresa's philosophy, something I didn't know very much about before. It seems that she was focused not only on being of service to the poor, but being of the poor -- living as they did, not only in lack of resources and comforts, but also in seeking to be as 'Indian' as possible. The habits of the nuns are adapted from saris, they wear very simple home-made leather sandals, and they seek out the destitute in body and spirit from the worst areas of Kolkata, such as an alley near a major Hindu temple where the destitute sick and dying come
hoping for help. As you read this, you must be thinking, yeah, I get it, she helped poor people. I think her philosophy, however, was fundamentally different than that of many missionaries. She wanted to work with other Indian nuns for the Indian people -- other nuns of different nationality could join, but they must submit to the local culture. After the messes we've all seen in the NGO world, this local adaptation must have greatly aided her ability to be effective.
As I stood in the small information area in the room next to her grave, I was at first overwhelmed and ashamed. How could I ever hope to do 1/1000 of the good that Mother Teresa created in the world? She was less educated, with fewer resources, and from a country that continues to suffer poverty itself. If she could do such miraculous good, what on earth am I doing living in and of the material world? Through self-delusion or revaltion, take your pick, I slowly felt inspired instead of daunted -- the resounding theme of her ministry was not only to serve the poor, but to radiate joy in doing so. To be of service to others, and therefore to God, but with joy and gladness. She insisted that the sisters be in and of the material world, and that they should ascribe their light to the Light that inspired them. I may not be able to live a radical life in the slums of Kolkata -- and you, reading, may not believe in any greater Light than the sun -- but I think we can all benefit from a message of cheerfulness in the face of great challenge. let's hope I remember that during the more trying times of our travels!
(I have a picture of Mother Teresa's grave, but not on my flash drive at this email shop -- it touched me to see that someone has spelled out her motto in marigold flowers on the simple marbel slab. They also drew a chalice, with rose petals to signify wine, and the wheat of the Eucharist. What a lovely devotion, mixing the local custom of laying marigolds in temples and mosques with her Christian interrment)
Our main event of the day was a visit to Mother House, the home of the order of nuns founded by Mother Teresa. I was deeply impressed by Mother Teresa's philosophy, something I didn't know very much about before. It seems that she was focused not only on being of service to the poor, but being of the poor -- living as they did, not only in lack of resources and comforts, but also in seeking to be as 'Indian' as possible. The habits of the nuns are adapted from saris, they wear very simple home-made leather sandals, and they seek out the destitute in body and spirit from the worst areas of Kolkata, such as an alley near a major Hindu temple where the destitute sick and dying come
hoping for help. As you read this, you must be thinking, yeah, I get it, she helped poor people. I think her philosophy, however, was fundamentally different than that of many missionaries. She wanted to work with other Indian nuns for the Indian people -- other nuns of different nationality could join, but they must submit to the local culture. After the messes we've all seen in the NGO world, this local adaptation must have greatly aided her ability to be effective.As I stood in the small information area in the room next to her grave, I was at first overwhelmed and ashamed. How could I ever hope to do 1/1000 of the good that Mother Teresa created in the world? She was less educated, with fewer resources, and from a country that continues to suffer poverty itself. If she could do such miraculous good, what on earth am I doing living in and of the material world? Through self-delusion or revaltion, take your pick, I slowly felt inspired instead of daunted -- the resounding theme of her ministry was not only to serve the poor, but to radiate joy in doing so. To be of service to others, and therefore to God, but with joy and gladness. She insisted that the sisters be in and of the material world, and that they should ascribe their light to the Light that inspired them. I may not be able to live a radical life in the slums of Kolkata -- and you, reading, may not believe in any greater Light than the sun -- but I think we can all benefit from a message of cheerfulness in the face of great challenge. let's hope I remember that during the more trying times of our travels!
(I have a picture of Mother Teresa's grave, but not on my flash drive at this email shop -- it touched me to see that someone has spelled out her motto in marigold flowers on the simple marbel slab. They also drew a chalice, with rose petals to signify wine, and the wheat of the Eucharist. What a lovely devotion, mixing the local custom of laying marigolds in temples and mosques with her Christian interrment)
4 comments:
I don't know if there was a convention last week, but I was having an unusual number of nun sightings around DC and I saw some the other day whose ensembles were reminscent of Mother Theresa, so very apropro of you to visit her home and grave.
What a great moment to have from your travels (especially to make all the long bus/train rides and heat worth it)!
A nun convention!
I must google this.
It sounds like you had a wonderful day. I'm very glad.
Oh goodness. As you can imagine, googling "nun convention" returned more jokes than serious entries. One church in Texas mentioned a Roman Catholic Nun Convention.
But then I came across this site:
http://www.dumbentia.com/parody_nigeriandozen.html
This person is sharing letters from a scammer, and she is messing with the scammer's head. Her letters are just hilarious, posing as a nun. One entry was this:
I apologize for taking so long to reply to you. I just came back from a Nun convention in Atlantic City. It was going well until the sacrificial pyre set off the fire sprinklers. So much for our "holy space in a den of iniquity!"
I am so pleased you got to Mother Teresa's convent. Did you know that the Hindu temple nearby shunned them greatly, not wanting them as neighbors, until their leader became very ill with a communicable disease. They were afraid to care for him and left him with Mother Teresa and her sisters. They welcomed him with open arms. I'm not sure he recovered but the event engendered a great respect from the temple monks. She is definitely my hero, gentle in her care of the poor with little patience for those who would waste her time and money. They gave a great reception honoring her in DC. When she got to the podium, instead of thanking them she railed at the waste of monies that could have been better spent to help the poor. A very great irrascible woman!!!!! Hope you took lots of pictures of her convent.
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