Sister Prema: Mother Teresa, give us your faithfullness to God and to the poor

Today marks the 109th anniversary of the birth of the saint of Calcutta, patron of voluntary service. The superior general of the Missionaries of Charity remembers the "faithfulness" of the Mother to the call of God who asks her to serve Him in the face of the poor. Mother Teresa "defender of the right to life of aborted, abandoned and disabled children"

Calcutta (AsiaNews) - "Our dearest Mother, give us a part of your faithfulness to God and to the poorest of the poor". This was stated by sister Mary Prema, general superior of the Missionaries of Charity, in a message released on the day of the 109th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She recalls the "fidelity" of the saint to the baptismal promises, to the call of God, to the poor, to the service to the last of society, the "discarded" of which Pope Francis often speaks. The following is the memory of Sister Prema.

I would like to share with you my reflections on a conviction of the Mother: "God did not call me to be successful. He called me to be faithful. "

I used to marvel at how the Mother accepted success and failure with the same peacefulness and cheerfulness.

She was not concerned about success, wealth, fame and power. She knew that God had called her and that God is always faithful. Her own Albanian culture educated her to keep her word of honour, even at the cost of her own life.  Mother was faithful to what her own mother had taught her.

She was faithful to her baptismal promise to serve God in the Catholic Church.

She was faithful to her call to belong only to Jesus as a religious sister.

She was faithful to God's call to serve Him in the poorest of the poor in India and throughout the world.

She faithfully relied on God's Providence for everything she needed in her service.

She faithfully loved everyone and never closed her heart to anyone, especially those who wounded her.

Her faithfulness in season and out of season was blessed by God with extraordinary fruitfulness.

She became a defender of the right to life of for the unorn, the abandoned and disabled children.

She became the Mother of the unwanted and of those who were considered useless and a burden on society.

She has become an icon of God's tender and caring love.

She was faithful in dedicating herself to the most humble service, so much so that in 1985 the UN secretary general Perez de Cuellar called her "The most powerful woman in the world".

Our dearest Mother, today, on your birthday, we ask you to give us part of your faithfullness to God and to the poorest of the poor.

* Superior general of the Missionaries of charity