“There are many people in the world who are hungry for a piece of bread, but even more who are hungry for a little love.”
The longing for love is one of the greatest unmet needs of our time and points to the fact that we were created for God. “The greatest poverty of man is not to know Christ,” because he is the love of God. The meaning of life is “to love and be loved,” says Mother Teresa.
Around September 5th, the memorial day of St. Mother Teresa, let us be inspired in our own struggles by this great woman of courage, hope and confidence. Her example shows a path to a selfless kind of love. She herself wanted to be nothing other than an instrument of love: “I am a pencil in the hand of God who writes a love letter to the world.”
Johannes Hartl puts it this way: For most people, Mother Teresa is probably the most impressive person ever. “Where you see true, real love, something in your heart says, ‘This is it! That’s it.'”
Her thesis: True love hurts. It always has to hurt. It must be painful to love someone; painful to leave him, and you’re willing to die for him or her. To be able to do this, you must be very close to Jesus…
Mother Teresa’s namesake (St. Teresa of Avila) shares this inner attitude: “They often ask me about the means to reach pure love. Here it is: Forget yourself and look for yourself in nothing.” According to Teresa, Jesus himself must love in her and through her. “Yes, I feel that when I show love, only Jesus acts in me; the more I am united to Him, the more deeply I love all my sisters.”
What can we learn from this unique woman? Be merciful towards yourself and become attentive, respectful, and capable of loving others. Perhaps we will learn a whole new balance between giving and receiving and the courage to open our fearfully cramped hearts.
Only love can fill our inner emptiness. It makes us able to overcome ourselves and give ourselves completely. Only then have we learned what it means to truly love. And to love – that is ultimately our calling, and only in love will we find our fulfillment and our true selves.
Quotes and thoughts from: Hartl, Love, Suffering, Glory, 16. Obereder, Examples of Renewed Faith, 46f. Feldmann, Love remains, www.missio.at/missio-informiert/themen/mutter-teresa/mutter-teresa-sms-aktion/zitate.html , Mother Teresa quote
This is a piece written by the staff from our partner dating site in Austria called kathTreff.
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