Continuing the charity blog post series “Charity and the people behind them” I’m thinking about Mother Teresa today.

In 1946 Teresa travelled to Darjeeling for a retreat. It was on that journey that she came to realise her true calling: ‘I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.’.

In reality not many of us would turn our backs on our lives, our families, our homes, our jobs to live a life of total giving and charity. But this is just what Mother Teresa did. In fact, when she left her home, and although she lived until the age of 87, she never saw her mother or sister again.

This was her reality when in 1948 she set aside her nun’s habit and in a simple sari and sandals worn by the women she would be living among, she moved to a hovel in the slums to begin her work.

One of her first projects was to teach the children of the poor. She didn’t have any equipment or supplies, but she taught them to read and write by writing in the dirt with sticks.

In addition to promoting literacy, Teresa taught the children basic hygiene. She visited their families, enquiring about their needs and helping provide for them when she could.

So charity can clearly mean more than donating unwanted items or money. In this case, it meant giving up her life to give her time to those who needed it. Her whole life became a charitable act and a way of living.

Thanks for reading, Happy Sunday x