In honor of Mother Teresa’s 101st birthday (she was born in August 1910), in honor of her centenary, we are having a “Mother Teresa Night” this Wednesday at 6:30 in the Hall. It will be a potluck (Mother Teresa was not adverse to eating) so bring a dish to share. Fr. Tony Chako, who served for many years as novice director for her brothers, will be speaking about his personal experiences with her. I will also relate some of my encounters, including three weeks I spent in Calcutta working with her in 1997.

   Jesus instructed Mother Teresa to live in perfect simplicity, so as to understand the poorest of the poor. For example, the sisters do not have their own rooms but sleep in dormitories; they have no furniture in their chapels (no chairs or pews) but sit and kneel on the floor. They have no radios, televisions, computers, and only one phone per convent. Mother Teresa’s brother, Lazaro, once gave her a nice pen for herself, but she refused it because, truly, no sister is allowed to own anything for herself. As she was handing it back to her brother, another visitor approached to give her two less expensive pens for use by the whole community. Mother gladly accepted these. Her brother Lazaro was deeply touched by her fidelity to holy poverty, and inspired by her joyful simplicity. He loved her all the more.

   It is quite difficult to get in touch with Mother Teresa’s sisters, as I often must. They do not have email or computers, nor even an answering machine, simply because the poorest of the poor do not have them. This greater simplicity (the way we used to live only 40 years ago) gives them a wonderful freedom.

   We certainly battle the tyranny of constant communication. We are addicted, in a sense, to the cellphone, to texting, to emails, to facebook. One thing in common with all these means of communication is that they use a screen. They all put a screen between us and the person to whom we are communicating. Less and less do folks talk to each other face to face. We put a screen between us. It began with the television, when we traded real life for a mere image of it on a screen. My mother would always chase us kids out from behind the TV set, saying “get outside and live life rather than just watching it.” Is email, facebook, texting, and whatever new technologies come our way good? I say it can be, but it must be used carefully, sparingly, never as a substitute for real life. We do well to learn from the simplicity of the sisters, who give up their phones and computers only to discover deep joy and freedom. We do well to speak to each other face to face, without a screen between us. It means fewer “friends,” but truer friends.

Several people have asked me to print "Mother Teresa’s Business Card", which I read during a homily some weeks back. She would give a piece of paper to folks who asked for her ―card‖ with these words on it:

Prayer is the fruit of Silence;
Faith is the fruit of Prayer;
Love is the fruit of Faith;
Service is the fruit of Love;
Peace is the fruit of Service.

On the other side was written "God bless you, M. Teresa, MC." The "M" before her name was not for "Mother", but for "Maria" and the "MC" stands for the name of her Order, the Missionaries of Charity. All of her sisters take some form of "Mary" before their given name, such as "Sr. Maria Salome," or "Sr. Marie Therese." Mother Teresa’s tender devotion for Mary centered on her Immaculate Heart. She invoked the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of our Joy after every prayer. This Wednesday is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and the MC’s usually make their solemn profession on this day, as they will do this Wednesday in San Francisco.
Mother Teresa never received Holy Communion in the hand, because she said we should receive Jesus in Holy Communion with the delicacy and reverence with which Mary received Him from the angel. A few months ago I encouraged reception on the tongue. Since then, many more adults have been receiving on the tongue with beautiful reverence, and those receiving on the hand do so with greater reverence. But while parents have begun receiving on the tongue, their children often continue receiving on the hand. And it is really children for whom reception on the tongue is most important. It is they who will have the greater difficulty understanding the difference between a Consecrated Host and a cracker. They often receive improperly when receiving on the hand. Reception on the tongue will greatly help children recognize the solemnity of the Eucharist. I encourage parents, even if you receive on the hand, to teach your children to receive on the tongue. It takes a bit of work to show them how this is done, and the reason for the change. But it will go a long way in helping them recognize the Presence of Christ in this tiny thing they receive.