Mother Teresa's enduring message

The news that Mother Teresa was made a saint Sept. 4 by the pope reminded me of her speech in Sendai and had me pondering her life as well.

She visited Japan several times and fortunately I had a chance to listen to her speak in Sendai.

She was filled with compassion for people in need beyond the boundaries of nations. Listening to her speech, I learned that everybody is given his or her own gift and using it for others is so important. We must be careful not to use our gift only for our own profit; we should share it with people around us. People shall never live by bread alone. Indifference to others is not good, and once we start looking at the world, we surely find some place or people that need our support.

After she finished her speech, she passed by very near me, within 1 meter or so. Surprisingly at that moment, I felt as if she seemed to look at me, and gave me a silent message with her love-filled eyes and smile that said: "Did you come here just to listen to my speech and see me? Choose a path of serving people as a good Samaritan anywhere you live."

Looking around the world, we will realize that there is a large number of people who are struggling to get bread for their daily survival, while in (materially) rich countries many people are hungry for love.

She really "worked for the welfare of the poorest of the poor." Her entire life tells us very clearly that our hands, our love and our lives can be used for good purposes.

I shall never forget Mother Teresa's life, her speech and silent message for me.

Her remarks that "Love begins at our home" will be with me always.

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.