On Sunday 4th Mother Teresa will be canonised. She is the symbol of humility. Respectfulness and humility: those are the two words I want to propose this month following the scheme given by Pope Francis  reflecting on each letter of the word MISERICORDIA (in Latin). “Respectfulness is an endowment of those noble and tactful souls who always try to show genuine respect for others, for their own work, for their superiors and subordinates, for dossiers and papers, for confidentiality and privacy, who can listen carefully and speak politely. Humility is the virtue of the saints and those godly persons who become all the more important as they come to realize that they are nothing, and can do nothing, apart from God’s grace (cf. Jn 15:8).” (Pope Francis)

We can see in the comment on these two words a sort of mirror of Mother Teresa, a model for WUCWO, especially for those who have some responsibility inside WUCWO. Mother Teresa reminds us also of our priority we decided in Fatima: attention and care for the suffering of the world. She encourages us to propose the globalization of solidarity in opposition to the globalization of indifference. Solidarity represents “one of the fundamental principles of the Christian view of social and political organization… Light is shed on this principle by the primacy of love… Personal behaviour is fully human when it is born of love, manifests love and is ordered to love. This truth also applies in the social sphere; Christians must be deeply convinced witnesses of this, and they are to show by their lives how love is the only force (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-14:1) that can lead to personal and social perfection, allowing society to make progress towards the good.”(STC 580) We can see in Mother Teresa such a convinced witness of love, mercy, humility, and respectfulness. May she be our model to fulfil our task as women of WUCWO.

Further reading:

Social Teaching of the Church 197 – 208; 388- 392.

Prayer of compassion by Mother Teresa

Lord, open our eyes
that we may see you in our brothers and sisters.
Lord, open our ears
that we may hear the cries of the hungry,
the cold, the frightened, the oppressed.
Lord, open our hearts
that we may love each other as you love us.
Renew in us your spirit.
Lord, free us and make us one.

Amen