Mother Teresa On Gift Economy

inspiring..faith goes way beyong fear and uncertainities

"Most of us can't imagine living in that way and I'm not even suggesting it, but the knowledge that Mother Teresa operated a successful multimillion-dollar operation just that way, makes you think anew about money and flow."

Um, perhaps you could say what you mean, if you actually mean something. You make an observation, tell us you're not suggesting we try it, then you imply there's a hidden meaning. You wrote half of the article, how about finishing it, if you can.

I love Mother Teresa!! Thanks for this. God Bless.

 There definitely is something about DIVINE PROVIDENCE.

I catch myself trying to live outside the providence of this present moment; that's when I'm anxious about the (nonexistant) future.

My life, right now, in this present moment, is "good enough".

I need to transfer the effort of wanting more and more into enjoying more and more.

Well I am sure prayer and faith works, but realize why Mother Mary prayed it was for others to help others. It was not for herself! So off course god will help her, because he wanted to make all his children not just her could get some help. When we pray its usually for ourself our our families, its pretty microscopic. In that case we do need prayer and action.  

Reading with my heart, I found the article inspiring and purely perfect. Not one word was missing. Thank you for writing it.

Bless this humble woman for enriching the lives she served and our lives through her life's example.

 Divine providence is moved by Divine grace.It is the most powerful force on the universe.It descends and acts when it is invoked by total surrender.It acts from within.The Divine resides in the heart of all beings.Its whisper can be heard in a mind purified by self surrender.It is the voice spoken out of the cosmic silence.It is cosmic will, which can perform authentic miracles under its laws.

MikeS-Stop bringing in the negative aura and when you comment dont refer to "us" because that means you are speaking for all of us. I think this was a beautiful story of inspiration and hope. Thank you Mother Teresa for all that you did while you were here in earth. I try to do all I can for the needy but you went beyond the scope of it all.  

I found myself giggling when I read the comment by Mike S. because, although I tend to be effusively positive, I also appreciate some surly "realism" to balance things out for me.  I found the beauty of the article to have some conflicting messages as well.  I think we just all have to find our way to right relationship with money and spirituality and the place where those two things coincide. It's so deeply personal and often so hard to know the "right" answer.

Prayer has absolutely no value.  Most people want to believe that it has value and that is why they do it.  Faith - which means belief in something without reason - can be equally discarded & rejected without any reason.  Action by itself is the only mechanism by which any change can be brought into being.  Mother Teresa - did help many people, no question about that, but she propagated the same dogma in the minds of many generations to promote prejudice, bias and bigotry. 

Re: Rational

Most people who are agnostic, I would venture to say all, have not felt the power of prayer. I am sorry that this is so, for the feeling is remarkable. I have faith in God and pray for people to be willing, for just a moment, to believe.

While I respect Mother Teresa's life and work, I do think prayer only goes so far. I think she had many people under her who were fundraising as much as they could to care for all of those needy people. Prayer maybe made her feel better but she had lots of other help. She was also a saavy woman who used language as a tool, as well.

Rational & Barb...Unless you have experienced faith and true surrender in prayer you have no idea what it is like and by your comments you have admitted that you lack both.  It is nothing that one can explain.  It's like having sex.  You can describe the experience but until one has actually experienced it, well you don't really know what it's like and just as in the act of sex there are varying levels of pleasure.  Prayer in humbleness of heart and soul is an amazingly powerful experience.  Faith... I am propelled into action by my faith.  I do crazy things like return to school to complete my bach and then masters and then PhD?  My faith inspires me not to give up and to risk...something...with out fear or chaos.  It's a beautiful thing.

Well, it is one's prerogative to believe in something that doesn't exist.  Using sex as analogy is actually quite absurd because sex is a biological fact (& act!) - a primary means to achieving the end of propagating life.  It can be observed, it can be defined in very definite terms, it can be experienced.  Faith, on the other hand, is like believing in something that one can never observe or define in concrete terms or experience it in concrete terms such that it can be repeated again.  One can choose to be driven by the dogma their parents (or soceity) instilled in them - but that doesn't necessarily become a voice of reason or action.  No wonder, people of faith drop their faith when their child is sick and don't pray so that magically their child will heal.  Instead of faith & God, just substitute the word with "Luck" and believe me everything you say will still make sense to you.

Whatever the religion we belong to if we take the path of love and kindness to spread humanity like Mother Teresa, we can still make people keep the faith as well as provide the needs and raise unlimited funds. She has shown us the path that we need to take. Let us instill Mother Terasa in our own bodies and lets walk her way.  

While Mother Teresa's act of humanity is certainly to be admired - it was not free and unconditional.  She wanted all the children to have the christian dogma in their thinking.  By doing that she has contributed to multiple generations of people who will be willing to commit crime under the guise of "faith".  Baba Amte - who probably did even larger work by rehabilitating people suffering from leprosy - did not worry about the faith of the people he was healing.  His work does not carry the mental burden of dogma the individual will carry and propagate in subsequent generations.  Mother Teresa's so called work in return for "surrendering to Jesus" actually eventually made her question her own faith and belief in God because she - deep in her heart - knew that her work was not unconditional and with true love.

Re: Rational

The belief that only what we can empirically observe & measure is "real" is a dogma too.  Valuing physical or sensory data over other forms of experience a value judgment in itself. 

As you say, each of us chooses what to believe . . . let's just be fair enough to admit that "only the physical is real" is just as much a belief system as any religion.  

That said, perhaps we all stand to learn more by discussing our varied viewpoints with open minds and hearts rather than criticizing the beliefs we do not agree with.

As the founder and operator of The Animal House Jamaica (which cares for over 150 of Jamaica's forgotten animals at any given time) I can totally endorse Mother Theresa's belief because we have experienced the same phenomenon. If you have faith there will be miracles.

Thank you Allie and Maureen.  Open minds and hearts, faith and miracles.  Well said. 

What a beautiful article to read first thing in the morning...I always always loved Mother Teresa for her work and for her love towards any being. We are blessed to be born  if not in the same country ...at least in the same world where she walked. Nipun...thank y ou for posting this article. Peace and Love.

Great......truly inspiring ,such article make us realise ,that life is more than being a zillionaire.

Thanks