‘Faith begets faith’ is the ancient Indian spiritual adage and that was nicely brought out in the article “The mystery of Mother Teresa” by Navin Chawla (Aug. 26). It was a great relief reading the article, rather than going through the reports on the imbroglio of India’s major opposition party.
B.R. Kumar, Chennai
Mother Teresa would probably be delighted if we comprehend the spirit of what she did. She understood and brought to the forefront the ‘strength’ that can be found in the weak and the vulnerable and she derived her meaning and strength from it. She was weak herself with no remarkable academic/professional credentials, yet she was strong. If we understand that the strong and the celebrated are actually vulnerable and the weak and the meek and the lowly are actually strong, we can, like Mother Teresa, find meaning in serving. The top-down condescending approach will not help.
Benedict G, Chennai
Posterity will certainly profit by Mr. Chawla’s work on the great Albanian gift to the Indian continent who, for over 45 years, ministered the poor, the sick, the orphaned, and the dying, while guiding the expansion of the Missionaries of Charity, first throughout India and then in other countries. She has been praised by many individuals, governments and organisations; however, she has also faced criticism. Sadly, these include objections by various individuals and groups to the proselytising focus of her work including a strong stance against abortion, a belief in the spiritual goodness of poverty and alleged baptisms of the dying. Indeed Mother Teresa is a jewel of India who resides in everyone’s heart.
S.R. Badrinarayanan, Chennai
The article clearly brings out the humanitarian aspect of Mother Teresa and her attitude to the downtrodden and orphans. She is an advocate of the poor. That the Missionaries of Charity she formed has expanded into hundreds of missions around the globe is a miracle by itself.
Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan, Sydney
