Sainthood is the ultimate objective of the faithful. It is a step of drawing close to the Lord through a life full of obedience, love for all humans, sacrifices for the betterment of life, as well helping the poor and the needy.
The Holy Bible abounds with verses that shed light on sainthood. Here are some of them:
“You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
“To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” (Colossians 1:2)
“I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” (Psalm 16:3)
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)
MOTHER TERESA… A SAINT
In 1950 Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation which had over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for sick people soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children’s- and family counseling programs; orphanages, and schools.
Members, who take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, also profess a fourth vow: to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor”.
Teresa received a number of honors, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was canonized on 4 September 2016, and the anniversary of her death (5 September) is her feast day.
A controversial figure during her life and after her death, Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work. She was praised and criticized for her opposition to abortion and criticized for poor conditions in her houses for the dying. Her authorized biography was written by Navin Chawla and published in 1992, and she has been the subject of films and other books.
Teresa had a heart attack in Rome in 1983 while she was visiting Pope John Paul II. Following the second attack in 1989, she received an artificial pacemaker. In 1991, after a bout of pneumonia in Mexico, she had additional heart problems. Although Teresa offered to resign as head of the Missionaries of Charity, in a secret ballot the sisters of the congregation voted for her to stay, and she agreed to continue.
OUR TRIBUTE TO MOTHER TERESA
St. Teresa, you saw Christ in the poorest of the poor, and the world saw Christ in you.
You were a shining beacon of Divine Light in a century of great darkness and so few saints
You have temporarily left your body, but not the Church. You are still united with us in the Body of Christ; and in some mysterious way you are now closer to us than you ever could have been before.
Though the Church has not lost you, I suppose the world has. It has lost a tireless servant of the poor and a fearless prophetess for life.
Holy Teresa, pray that the poorest of the poor will never be without aid.
Pray that the world leaders will finally take to heart your call to protect all human life; a call they hopefully will heed.
