Anchored To Her Soul

Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu had a surreal journey through life, inspired by a vision. She left her home in the rural countryside of Albania and went to Calcutta, India, a place lost to time. The established traditions of the people included ones of casts, servitude, and privilege. She witnessed wanton cruelty and bigotry openly displayed. Among the crowds, she saw starving children, untouchables, with bloated bellies begging for food as scorn and laughter mocked their pleas. And she made it her mission in life to help as many of India’s poor as she could. She was appalled that another’s pain could trigger such barbaric behavior. Fear forces a self-imposed silence that unwittingly enables bigots and bullies. So, we look the other way and shamefully walk away. We have little love for strangers, even though Jesus asked us to love thy neighbor as thyself. Most humans are a selfish lot, chasing the almighty dollar no matter the cost. Most, perhaps, but not all, have severed their souls from their hearts; there are still a few tethered to both; the ones we call Saints. Mother Teresa was one, firmly anchored to her soul, she held her ground until the day she died; choosing not to walk away.