A Call Within a Call
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, known to the world as Mother Teresa, was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje. From a young age, she felt a strong desire to serve the poor, which led her to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland at the age of 18. After arriving in Calcutta in 1929, she began her novitiate and taught at St. Mary's Bengali Medium School.
However, Mother Teresa was increasingly troubled by the extreme poverty surrounding her, especially during the Bengal famine of 1943 and the communal violence in 1946. It was during a train journey to Darjeeling on September 10, 1946, that she experienced a profound spiritual encounter. As she later described, Jesus' thirst for love and souls took hold of her heart, and she sensed a divine call to leave the convent and live among the poor. 'I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order,' she wrote.
After nearly two years of discernment, Mother Teresa received permission to begin her mission. She left her convent in 1948, wearing a simple white sari with a blue border, and entered the world of the destitute. She received basic medical training in Patna and began her work in the slums of Calcutta, founding a school and caring for the sick and starving.
In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to serving those who were neglected and unloved. Despite her public success, she experienced a long period of spiritual darkness, feeling an intense absence of God's presence. She confided in her spiritual director about her struggle, describing 'a deep longing for God—a suffering continual—and yet not wanted by God.'
Yet, Mother Teresa embraced this spiritual trial, considering it a share in Christ's own suffering. She continued to radiate love and hope, finding Jesus in those she served. Her work became a beacon of light, addressing the profound poverty of loneliness in the modern world.
Through it all, Mother Teresa's unwavering commitment to her faith and her service to others bore witness to God's love and compassion, transforming countless lives and inspiring a global movement of charity.