09/05/2026
Saint Teresa of Calcutta - September 5 - Bianca Bekke
“You saw during Holy Mass with what tenderness, with what love, Father was touching the Body of Christ. Make sure it is the same body in the poor that you will be touching. Give that same love, that same tenderness.”
These words spoken by Mother Teresa are what we strive to emulate at Mother Teresa House as we care for the terminally ill in their final days. Explains Bianca, the executive director of the organization. She continues, saying:
Each glance given, word spoken, and wound cared for is done with gentle, loving compassion as if we were tending to Christ himself.
“Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (Mt. 25: 37-40)
Saint Teresa of Calcutta offers an ideal example of how we should treat and care for our hospice guests, as well as all those who enter our end-of-life care home. We give them unconditional love. It begins with the posture we present in receiving each individual, whether over the phone, in an email, or face-to-face in our homes.
A posture of acceptance and love.
Mother Teresa loved all of God’s creation and did not consider an individual’s religion, political affiliation, social, or economic status.
She loved all – like Jesus does and like He calls each one of us to imitate.
As the executive director of Mother Teresa House, I look to Saint Teresa of Calcutta as a model of holy guidance. This soft-spoken, diminutive woman was a channel of God’s grace to others throughout her life. She demonstrated a proper relationship with God. He was the King of her life, and she was the instrument in His hand. Allowing His Will to be done in all things.
As a girl, I often remember seeing Mother Teresa on the evening news. The reports always communicated the charitable works she was doing around the globe. Often, she was featured with her good friend, Pope Saint John Paul II. Now, as two great canonized Saints of our time, I think back to the images being conveyed on the nightly news. These two holy people were, in a larger sense, working together for the sanctification of souls and the greater glory of God.
May all of our relationships be as holy as their relationship was! Mother Teresa is a prime example of a life well ordered! She was in communion with her God and in right relationship with her neighbors.
Another aspect of Mother Teresa’s life that I often reflect on as the leader of an organization is her humility and complete dependence on God. There are many examples throughout Mother Teresa’s life where she turned to God’s aid and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin. Through such prayers, she was always assisted by Divine Providence and overcame the obstacle at hand.
I am quite sure there were times in her life when her prayers were not answered in the way she anticipated. But, as the saintly woman she became, I do not doubt she surrendered to God’s Will. Accepting all things that He was happy to give her and her sisters, the Missionaries of Charity.
So today, on the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, imitate her by giving Glory to God this day in worship, exercising an act of charity toward your neighbor, and accepting all things the Good Lord is willing to bestow on you this day!
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Pray for us!
