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Formed by Our Lady's Love

by Dr. Robert Fastiggi

Inspired by a supernatural revelation, devotion to Mary became an integral part of St. Teresa's spirituality.

St. Teresa of Calcutta was very devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The formative role of the Mother of God in the life and spirituality of St. Teresa is made abundantly clear in Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady by Fr. Joseph Langford, MC (Our Sunday Visitor, 2007).

A Missionary of Charity himself, Father Langford points to the three parts of the vision Mother Teresa had in 1947 that moved her to begin her new religious community.

Carry Jesus to Them

The first scene of the vision was the painful plight of the poor. The second part of the vision showed Our Lady in the midst of the poor with Mother Teresa at Mary's side. In this vision the Blessed Mother tells the future saint: Take care of them . . . they are mine. . . . Bring them to Jesus . . . carry Jesus to them. . . . Fear not. Teach them to say the Rosary . . . the family Rosary and all will be well. . . . Fear not. . . . Jesus and I will be with you and your children.

The third scene in the vision was of Jesus on the cross with Mother Teresa herself gazing at the crucified Lord. This scene, however, also showed the Blessed Mother's left hand supporting Mother Teresa while looking at Jesus.

Jesus then says to Mother Teresa: I have asked you. They have asked you, and she, My Mother, has asked you. Will you refuse to do this for meto take care of them, to bring them to me?

As Father Langford explains, These visions encapsulated Mother Teresa's call, in her inner life as well as in her external work. The Blessed Mother was present in the vision that called Mother Teresa to serve the poor, and Mary tells Teresa that the poor are hers, meaning her children. Father Langford says that Mother Teresa shared in Our Lady's grace of motherhood toward those neediest of her children.

Consecration to the Immaculate Heart

The life of Mother Teresa shows that she was formed by Mary's love in many ways. Mother Teresa wanted each of her Missionaries of Charity sisters to choose the Immaculate Queen of Heaven for her Mother. And she quoted the words of St. Louis of Montfort (16731716) to her sisters: With Mary, we make more progress in the love of Jesus in one month than we make in years while living less united to this good Mother.

Mother Teresa chose Our Lady's Immaculate Heart as her patroness and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as the titular feast of the Missionaries of Charity. Mary's Immaculate Heart was for Mother Teresa the symbol of undivided love and the model of all the virtues. Mother Teresa saw the Heart of Mary as representative of the highest love and humility before God that any human being could ever seek to attain.

Mother Teresa was fond of the saying of St. Ephraim of Syria (306373): May the spirit of Mary be in every soul to glorify the Lord. Mother Teresa wished all her sisters and all followers of Christ to entrust themselves to Mary because Jesus gave us his Mother as our Mother at the foot of the cross.

As Father Langford makes clear, in the Constitutions of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa constantly presented the Spirit of the Society as an extension of and participation in Out Lady's spirit. This is why Mother Teresa wished all her sisters to pray the Rosary as a contemplative prayer; to cling always to Our Lady; and to make the Total Consecration to Our Lady according to St. Louis de Montfort.

According to Father Langford, Mother Teresa's personal daily encounter with Our Lady was something real. It was not something extra, peripheral, or marginal. Mother Teresa's devotion to Mary sustained her in her ministry to the poor and helped her grow in humility and charity. Mother Teresa saw the need for all followers of Christ to stand with Mary at the foot of the cross.

In the words of Father Langford, All are called to entrust themselves to Mary, who stands mystically at their side. Such a consecration enables Mary to lend us her heart and prepare our soul for unimagined gifts of the Spirit.

Mediatrix of All Grace

Mary's role in the spirituality of Mother Teresa allowed her to recognize Mary as our Coredemptrix with Jesus because Mary gave Jesus his body and suffered with him at the Cross. It prompted Mother Teresa to speak of Mary as the Mediatrix of all grace because Mary gave Jesus to us, and as our Mother she obtains for us all his graces.

Finally, Mother Teresa saw Mary as our Advocate because it is through the Heart of Mary that we come to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. Mother Teresa even favored a formal papal definition of Mary as Cordemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate because she believed such a definition will bring many graces to the Church (Letter to Dr. Mark Miravalle, August 14, 1993).

Some Christians (and even some Catholics) fear that too great a devotion to Mary will distract us from Christ. The life of St. Teresa of Calcutta shows that there is no basis to this fear.

This great saint and servant of the poor drew closer to the Heart of Jesus because of her devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Dr. Robert Fastiggi

Dr. Robert Fastiggi is professor of systematic theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

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Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a Christ-centered Catholic community of faith and higher learning committed to forming leaders who will proclaim the good news of Christ to the people of our time. As a leading center of the New Evangelization, Sacred Heart serves the needs of the Archdiocese of Detroit and contributes to the mission of the universal Church.