On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17
“At a seminary in Bangalore, a nun once said to me, “Mother Teresa, you are spoiling the poor people by giving them things free. They are losing their human dignity.”
When everyone was quiet, I said calmly, “No one spoils as much as God Himself. See the wonderful gifts He has given us freely. All of you here have no glasses, yet you all can see. If God were to take money for your sight, what would happen?”
“Continually we are breathing and living on oxygen that we do not pay for. What would happen if God were to say, ‘If you work for four hours, you will get sunshine for two hours?” How many of us would survive then?
Then I also told them, “There are many congregations that spoil the rich; it is good to have one congregation in the name of the poor, to spoil the poor.” There was profound silence; nobody said a word after that.”
Mother Teresa (1910-1997) in In the Heart of the World, ed. by Becky Benenate (New York: Fine Communications, 1997) 57-58.
I’ve been to Bangalore, India, two time, but I was not in this seminary room. That would have been a special moment.
Honestly, I have never bought that “human dignity” argument. I love how generous God has been to me. I neither deserve it nor could I ever earn it. It’s priceless and lavished on me by grace.
And notice what Mother Teresa is really saying. When we lavish generosity on people would could never repay us we look like Jesus.
We don’t look like those people who just butter their own bread or give to take care of their friends.
This Christmas, give to GTP. Empower national workers in majority world countries with training they need but could never access without gracious assistance.
Many charities exist for the rich. GTP works with stewards around the world in the poorest places.
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