Mother Teresa Truth Behind Her Sainthood and Sacrifice
She has been called a living saint, a symbol of mercy, and even a controversial figure—but who was Mother Teresa, really?
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in what is now North Macedonia, she grew up in a devout Albanian Catholic family. Her father was a successful businessman and politically active, but died suddenly when Agnes was just eight. The family, once stable, faced hardship. Still, her mother raised her in love and generosity, planting the seed of vocation that would soon bloom.
At 18, she left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, eventually traveling to Calcutta, India to teach. But in 1946, during a train ride to a retreat, she received her “call within a call” — a divine directive to leave the convent and live among “the poorest of the poor.” She obeyed.
From the Classroom to the Streets
She traded her habit for a simple white sari with blue stripes and walked the slums of Calcutta. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, and for decades she would feed, clothe, and tend to the forgotten.
Mother Teresa was not driven by the idea of curing poverty. She was driven by the belief that no one should die unloved.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
She lived that every day.
Was She Perfect?
No. Critics accused her of not modernizing her clinics or doing enough to reduce suffering. Some disagreed with her strong Catholic views on suffering and dying. Her own private letters revealed decades of spiritual darkness, where she couldn’t feel God’s presence.
And yet, she never stopped serving.
Her struggle makes her more relatable—not less. She was never driven by applause. She was driven by obedience.
Canonized and Controversial
Mother Teresa was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis in 2016. The Vatican confirmed two miracles attributed to her: the healing of a tumor and a brain infection.
But the true miracle might be how her love still echoes across borders, classes, and beliefs.
A Saintly Friendship: Mother Teresa & Pope John Paul II
Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II shared a rare spiritual friendship. They met multiple times, but their most famous encounter was in 1986 at her hospice for the dying in Calcutta.
She called it “the happiest day of my life.”
He walked with her through the rows of the dying, blessing each one, even four corpses, including a child. He later said the home “bears witness to the primacy of love.”
In return, she bowed and kissed his ring. He kissed her head. At her beatification, John Paul II honored her as “an icon of the Good Samaritan.”
A Spiritual Visit: Mother Teresa & Padre Pio
Though she never met Padre Pio in life, she visited his tomb in 1987 and prayed over it for a long time. Both were bound by deep prayer lives, humility, and extraordinary service to the poor. Their paths never crossed in person, but they were spiritually aligned.
Final Reflection
To the world, she was a saint. To the forgotten, she was a mother. And to those of us still searching for hope—she is proof that love, when lived out, never goes unnoticed.
Mother Teresa is loved through the years not because she was flawless, but because she was faithful. She made us all believe that mercy matters.
And today, the world still needs what she gave: unshakable love for the unloved
