Mother Teresa asked nothing of others that she would not do herself.
She worked with her sisters and was protective of their well being. She
also continued to trust that God would meet the needs of the congrega-
tion. This faith and devotion to God often rewarded Mother Teresa and
her sisters in amazing ways. On one occasion when there was no food in
the house, a knock came at the door. A woman standing outside had with
her bags of rice. She later told Mother Teresa that she did not have any in-
tention of going there, but for some reason came bringing the rice. That
evening, Mother Teresa and the sisters had their dinner.
In another instance, Father Henry asked Mother Teresa for some
money to print some leaflets. She searched the house and found only two
rupees, which she gladly turned over to Father Henry. As he was leaving,
he remembered a letter that he had brought for her. Opening it, Mother
Teresa discovered a gift of 100 rupees. When a newcomer arrived at the
Motherhouse, there was no pillow available for her; Mother Teresa offered
the young woman hers, but the sisters refused to allow it, stating that she
needed the pillow for her own rest. Mother Teresa insisted and while
doing so, an Englishman appeared at the Motherhouse with a mattress.
He was leaving the country and wanted to know if the sisters would have
any use for his mattress. This and other events demonstrated to Mother
Teresa the power of faith as well as God’s providence when people com-
pletely surrendered their lives into his care.
As the sisters soon learned, there was great joy to be had from small
things when living the life of the poor. One of the first Christmas holidays
celebrated by the group was an example. One sister recalled how on
Christmas morning the sisters awoke to find that the dining area had been
decorated with streamers and balloons; by each place at the table was a
white paper bag with a sister’s name on it. Inside of each bag were letters
from home and gifts from Mother Teresa. All the sisters received pencils;
one remembered gifts of a bar of soap, a clothes peg, St. Christopher and
Miraculous Medals, sweets, and a balloon. The sister remembered how
thrilled she was by the gifts and Mother Teresa’s generosity toward her
congregation.REACHING OUT
By 1953, the work of the Missionaries of Charity had grown tremen-
dously. On April 12, 1953, the initial group of Missionary Sisters took
their first vows in Calcutta’s Roman Catholic Cathedral; during the same
ceremony, Mother Teresa took her final vows as a Missionary of Charity.
She also now succeeded Archbishop Périer as superior of the order she
“RIGOROUS POVERTY IS OUR SAFEGUARD” 59