Chapter 3 Chapter 3 I'm Thirsty, I'm Thirsty

Human lack of love is the root cause of world poverty, And poverty is the result of our refusal to share it with others. Since everything in the world comes from the gift of God, All are equal before the Lord, Well, when someone is struggling with hunger and poverty The rich have no right to dispose of their excess wealth alone. i'm thirsty i'm thirsty In addition to the reason why Sister Delam obeyed the arrangement of the monastery, there was another important reason—Sister Delam’s speech went to Darjeeling to retire.In addition to the above-mentioned overwork and malnutrition caused by insufficient supply, Mumu's already weak body was infected with tuberculosis.It was a very serious disease at the time, so she had to retire early.

It was an extremely important retirement, on September 10, 1946.Later, this extremely important day became known as "Inspiration Day".Because Mother Teresa heard the call of God to her on this day. This vocation came to be known as: "a vocation within a vocation". On the morning of September 10, 1946, accompanied by Sister Capella, Sister Delam arrived at Calcutta Railway Station. The train station was chaotic and full of beggars.Mumu walked through the crowd to the passenger train bound for Darjeeling.As soon as she reached the door of the first-class carriage, Mom suddenly heard a voice, which seemed to come from an unknown place, and was clearly nearby, "I'm very thirsty, I'm very thirsty." The voice said.

Mumu stopped involuntarily.She followed the sound, and saw a miserable old man in the crowd, with a skinny upper body, stretching out a hand to her, crying weakly, "I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty." broken. Mumu was stunned for a moment, as if she had been hit hard in the chest suddenly, and she stood there in pain, as if she had lost consciousness.She didn't wake up until Sister Capella came to urge her to get in the car.The train was about to leave, and Mumu hurriedly took out a copper plate and threw it at the old man's feet.The old man bent down, but before he could touch the copper plate, a boy suddenly ran over and snatched the copper plate away.

The train left, and Mumu stood at the door of the car, and saw that the old man was still yelling to her: "I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty." And he moved his feet a few times in the direction of the train with difficulty. This is an ancient passenger train. When it climbs up the winding mountain road in the Himalayas, its speed is extremely slow.Sitting at the window of the clean and comfortable first-class car, looking out the window at the slowly receding mountains, trees, and various flowering tropical plants, she felt extremely sad—she felt sad not only for the old man, but also for the status quo of the world Sad, but also sad for the deep uneasiness in my heart.

Before long we reached a small station, and the train stopped.Mumu walked to the door of the car and saw a group of poor people in shabby clothes trying to squeeze up the third-class carriage. She thought, "The more I look at the outside world, the more I feel the privileges I enjoy. They all Why should there be these differences? Aren’t we all God’s children?” She thought as she walked out, she walked into the third-class car unknowingly, and then she stood there until Cape Sister Ra ran up nervously and pulled her away. The beautiful Darjeeling is coming soon, and Sister Capella said with longing: "Oh. I can almost hear the sound of the mountain spring, so crisp and clear. Oh, and there are fruits, the fruits on the mountain are always It’s much better than Calcutta’s.”

But Mumu didn't want to say anything, didn't say anything. The cry of "I'm thirsty" filled her whole life with a powerful and incomparable inner force, which made her feel heavy and unable to let go. In this deep sadness, at a certain moment, a revelation suddenly rose from her heart like a bright moon, and she suddenly understood: it turned out that this was God’s call to her. The Lord, through a wretched man, cried out to her, "I am thirsty", and asked her to go among the poor and serve the poor, and to believe that to serve the poor was to serve Christ.For those who are sad, who are poor, who are hungry, are the sufferings of Christ incarnate.To lose sight of this is to lose sight of the Lord who is suffering for mankind.

Why does Mother Teresa regard the cry of a poor man as the Lord's cry? There is a record in the "Gospel of John": Jesus knew that everything was finished, and in order to fulfill the scriptures, he said: "I thirst. " Therefore, Mumu thinks: I am thirsty——is Jesus' cry to mankind on behalf of all the suffering people throughout the ages.The so-called thirst is not only the need of the body, but also the need of the soul. It means that when people are suffering, what they need most is love and care from human beings. Therefore, when the Sisters of Missionary Charity were founded, Mother Teresa wrote in the constitution of the congregation: "Our goal is to satisfy the endless desire of Jesus for the love of souls on the cross." "We are among the poor Serving Jesus, we take care of him, feed him, clothe him, and visit him.” After the establishment of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, in every place that serves the poor, the mother has to hang a crucifix of Jesus, and On the top of the image, write "I am thirsty" in big characters.

In Mumu's opinion, a Christian must always listen to the voice of the world shouting "I am thirsty", and see Christ in every suffering person.This sudden realization made Mumu ecstatic, she thought, the call of the Lord had finally come.Jesus said, "I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison, You visit me." Jesus also said, "What you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." Who is that hungry?Exile?Naked?Sick?In jail?Who is the least of his brothers?Who else but the poor of the poor, but the untouchables called the Untouchables?Of course it doesn't stop there, Sister Delam's definition of poverty is very broad.In her view, poverty also means:

Hunger is not just about food, but a thirst for love; nakedness is not just about having no clothes, but about being deprived of human dignity; being homeless is not just about needing a shelter, but about being ostracized and rejected.Besides poverty and hunger, the biggest problems in the world are loneliness and apathy.Loneliness is also a kind of hunger, a hunger that looks forward to warm love.This revelation later became a source of strength for Mother Teresa and the entire Sisters of Missionary Charity.Whatever is done for the less fortunate, is done for Jesus.It is worthless if it is not done for Jesus.

This is the essential difference between a nun or monk and a social worker.They all serve the poor or the unfortunate, but the nuns or monks serve the poor for the purpose of serving Christ. Sharing the pain and poverty of the poor with a smile through acts of love and kindness is the foundation of the missionary work of the Sisters of Charity in the future. Therefore, this kind of suffering immersed in joy is no longer a kind of self-sacrifice, but a kind of self-sacrifice. It became a great and rich harvest - a great gift from God. Loving others is the necessary way for us to love the Lord.There is no other way to reach God than that, said Sister Delam: "If you don't love the person you see all day long, how can you love a God who is invisible?"

I must live among the poor Immediately after returning to Calcutta, Mother Durham went to see the priest.She told the priest: "I have already decided, in fact, God has told me what to do." The priest said, "Yes, God knows all about our feelings." Mumu said, "No, that's not what it meant, Father. He told me. He told me through the mouth of a beggar. I heard him clearly, and he said, 'I'm thirsty.'" The priest looked at Mumu and asked worriedly, "Are you sure you heard the voice of God?" Mumu replied: "Yes, Father, just like he called me back then, even though I was only 13 years old at that time, now he called me again, he asked me to follow him to the poor, to help the poorest people .” The priest said: , but you are a reclusive nun born out of the world. According to regulations, you are not allowed to go outside. " Mumu looked at the priest and said firmly: "Father, this is his call to me. This is a call with profound meaning. Do you remember what Gandhi said to the Christians in India? He said that if you want to help them , you have to be with them and work with them. How can we help them when we are locked in the monastery?" "Don't you want to be a nun?" asked the priest. Mum replied: "Never, Father. The church is my life and my eternal home. I just ask permission to go out and work." Only then did the priest suddenly realize that he shook his head and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you mean to say that you wish to remain a nun but live outside the convent?" Mumu nodded and replied, "Yes, in order to serve the poor, I must live among the poor. To do otherwise would be to betray my faith." Although the priest was skeptical of Sister Duran's request, he still promised her that he would discuss with the dean as soon as possible, and then report to the bishop of Calcutta, hoping that the bishop could ask the Vatican for permission on her behalf. The Catholic Church is a global church and a supranational organization, with the Pope as the head of the church.The Pope and his Holy See reside in the Vatican in Rome, Italy; in addition to being the center of global Catholicism, the Vatican itself enjoys internationally recognized independent sovereignty and has the right to exchange diplomatic envoys with other countries. Therefore, it has strict canon and canon law.For example, if a nun wants to live and work outside the monastery, it is not allowed.Sister Delam therefore had to obtain special approval from the Vatican.Otherwise, she would have to give up being a nun. Because it is a global church, it has set up many dioceses in countries or regions around the world.The diocese is the administrative unit in charge of regional educational affairs, and the head of the diocese is called the bishop. Therefore, the Abbot and Father of Lloyd's Abbey had to go to the Archbishop of Calcutta for the unreasonable request of his mother. The bishop had known about Sister Durham beforehand, and he was already waiting in the parlor before the priest and the abbot arrived. The bishop first said: "I heard that a nun was a little confused because of heat stroke?" The priest replied: "We are all troubled by this, but Mother Teresa is currently rebuilding her faith, but she firmly believes that the Lord is calling her to the poor." The dean took the priest's words and said: "I believe that Mother Teresa is sincere, but she didn't think of the complexity of the matter. If Mother Teresa gave up everything and went out alone, it would definitely affect the entire convent." The priest quickly explained: "She wants to apply for special permission. She is willing to stay in the monastery and continue to carry out her vows. All she asks is permission to walk out of this wall." The dean said with some displeasure: "This is another problem. The nuns of the Laureate Sisters have always lived in seclusion. Now a nun said that she heard the voice of God and wanted to leave the monastery." The priest argued: "But her argument is very powerful. She said that she could see the face of Christ on the face of every sufferer in India. She said that they are all the suffering incarnation of the king." The dean retorted: "If those children know that the principal heard the voice of nothingness and saw the vision, what impact will it have?" The bishop immediately took the dean's words and said, "I think this matter must be kept absolutely secret." The priest said, "Of course. The question is, how do we answer Mother Teresa?" The Bishop replied, "Say nothing." The priest was obviously puzzled, and he said, "Your Excellency, but..." The bishop quickly made a stop gesture and said: "This is not the first time a nun has made such a request to me. Last time I advised an applicant to wait for a year, and after a year, she sat in the chair you were sitting in." Come on, thank me for not taking her application seriously." The priest said: "But Mother Teresa is different, she is really serious." The bishop said, "Then please tell her to write to me in a year's time, if she is still willing to write. Until then, stop this matter and let no one mention it again." My duty is to serve the world's poor The year had not yet expired, but Sister Durham, moved by great force, wrote a second letter to the Bishop, making her request more deeply and earnestly.Her firmness and obstinacy must have exceeded the bishop's imagination.But how did the bishop know that even if Mumu wanted to give up, it was impossible.The miserable figure of the beggar kept swaying in front of her eyes, and his miserable voice of "I'm thirsty" echoed in her heart all the time, preventing her from having a moment of peace. In August 1947, India became independent.On the day of Indian Independence Day, a grand celebration ceremony was held at the Laureate Abbey. Before the celebration was over, the priest couldn't wait to call Mother Delam into the corridor, and said to her: "The King's Cult has agreed to forward your letter to Rome. However, he has one condition, that is, you must apply to disown the secular world." Mother was astonished, and she asked, "Doesn't this mean that I must leave the Sisters of Lloyd?" The priest replied, "Yes, that is the only way he can consider your request. You can only leave as a lay woman, not as a nun." Mumu shouted excitedly: "Father, I have been a nun for 17 years, and I can't return to secular life." The priest said: "Then you have to give up your unusual idea." As a result, Mumu replied more stubbornly: "No matter what, I will not leave the Lloyd Sisters, this is my home. But I will not give up my ideas." Looking at this stubborn nun, the priest shook his head helplessly, and said earnestly, "You're taking too much risk, do you know that? If your plan doesn't work, you won't be able to come back here." Mumu did not answer the priest right away. She pondered for a while, and then said in an unquestionable tone: "This is God's plan, not mine. Father, I will rewrite a letter." Then there was a continuation of waiting. At that time, to obtain special permission beyond canon law, there were a lot of procedures that had to be done——. In the middle of this uncomfortably long wait, however, Sister Durham was granted the honor of becoming an Indian citizen, which comforted her a lot.It was one of the proudest achievements of her life.Later, our beloved Mother Duran often said: "I belong to the world, and my responsibility is to serve the poor all over the world, but deep down in my heart. I always feel that I am an Indian." So for most of my life later Here, Mumu always only wears that Indian-style white robe. no they're just too poor The reply from the Vatican still hasn't come. During the continuous waiting, Mother Delam's confidence and courage have experienced another test from reality. That day, Mumu took some students on a faith field trip.On the way back Mother saw an old woman in the street, wrapped in a rag, so sick that she could not feel the rats and cockroaches eating her.Seeing this scene, the female students hid behind Mumu.In fact, Mumu was also very scared.It's just that she knows how to rely on the Lord better. On that narrow street, people who come and go are all extremely poor people.Mumu shouted to them: "This woman is going to the hospital immediately, she is dying, can't you see?" No one answered her.Instead, people looked at her strangely, like a monster.Deaths caused by poverty and disease happen every day under their noses. If they see too much, they get used to it and become numb. Mumu knelt down, and she touched the old man's face.Only then did the old man forcefully open one eye, and said weakly, "Help me." Mumu immediately replied, "Don't worry, I will take care of you." Then, Mumu asked someone to borrow a trolley, and took the old man to a free hospital run by the government as quickly as possible. But the hospital refused to accept it.The doctor said: "The hospital is so overcrowded that there is no room left and it is a waste of precious resources to save a dying person." In Calcutta, for the poor, especially those who live in the streets, illness is often the end, or something like the end.Because medical bills are so expensive, they simply cannot afford them.Although the government has also opened some free hospitals, in fact, the hospitals are full before the treatment begins.The hospital was so overcrowded that the stairs, the corridors, and every corner imaginable were filled with patients.Moreover, the conditions of these hospitals are mostly relatively simple, and often do not even have some necessary equipment.And the biggest wish of doctors every day is to stop accepting patients.This makes it impossible for patients admitted from the street to enter the hospital. Such was the situation that Sister Durham faced at the time.She said to the doctor, "She's human too!" The doctor replied: "But there is nothing we can do." Mother pleaded: "She is a child of the Lord just like everyone else." The doctor shrugged his shoulders and said, "I know how you feel very well, Sister, but there is nothing I can do." Then he turned and left. Mumu anxiously shouted at the doctor's back: "Then what will she do? Should we just watch her die like this?" The doctor stopped.Turning around, she said helplessly to her mother, "Try sending her to another hospital, I don't know either." But the owner of the car refused to continue lending the car to Mu Mu. He said impatiently that he still had something to do. Mom is sad.But she didn't blame the car owner, nor did she blame the doctor.In Mumkit's entire life, she never judged anyone.In her view, judging others is not an expression of love.For Jesus said, "Judge not, lest you be judged. For as you judge, the Lord will judge you; and with what measure you measure, the Lord will measure you .Why do you only see the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t think of the log in your own eye?” At this time, there was a rumbling thunder in the sky, and it was about to rain heavily.Mumu hurriedly asked the nun to take the students back first.Then, she bent down and hugged the old man. You know, it was a very, very dirty old man, covered in grime and smelling bad--and dying.To embrace such a person requires more than love.More courage, will and strength are needed. The heavy rain fell as soon as it was said.Sister Duran held the old man in her arms, shook her gently, patted her lightly, and kept saying softly, "It's okay, it's okay, don't be afraid." Like a mother caressing a baby in her arms. During this period, the nurse on duty came over several times to ask Mumu to go away, because she was standing at the hospital door with such a filthy person in her arms, which made some people feel inconvenient, but Mumu just stood there as if she didn't hear her.Later, the hospital was finally moved by Mumu's behavior and accepted the dying old man This incident made Sister Duran have a deep understanding of a sentence his mother said many years ago.My mother said: "Don't be impatient when doing good deeds, but be patient." When Mumu went back, it was completely dark.As she was walking, she suddenly found herself lost.On the streets of Calcutta, which she thought she was very familiar with, she lost her way—she walked into a narrow and chaotic alley. People kept putting their hands in front of her and saying roughly, "Give me the money, give me the money." Or "Give me the food, give me the food." Mumu was terrified, and she involuntarily quickened her pace.At this time, someone grabbed her and asked fiercely, "Why are you walking so fast? Is there something hidden on your body? Sister." The nuns live a group life in the convent. Even if the convent is very rich, the nuns themselves have no personal property. They must abide by the three vows stipulated by the canon: no wealth, no beauty, and no will.The property that the nuns can freely dispose of is just a few extremely limited daily necessities. Fortunately, Harry, a worker from St. Mary's Middle School, came at this time.Seeing Harry's familiar face, Sister Durham, who was still in shock, felt relieved and breathed a long sigh of relief. Harry asked with concern, "Are you okay? Principal." Mom replied: "It's okay, I just didn't expect it to be so messy." It can be seen from this that for a nun who has lived in the high wall for a long time, it is indeed not an easy task to get out of the high wall to live and work in the society, even for a nun like Mother Delam. Harry said, "Lucky for you, Headmaster, they're all..." "No, Harry, they're just too poor." Mumu interrupted Harry immediately.She knew what Harry was going to say.Mumu said, "Besides, I'm not used to them yet. I must get used to them." The experience of that day made Sister Delam understand that it is not an easy task to walk into the slums to serve the poorest of the poor. It is not enough to have love and enthusiasm. Tenacious personal will, as well as the understanding, acceptance and habit of poverty, but the experience of that day also gave Sister Delam an extremely important inspiration.Although the first hospice worthy of the name was not officially established until August 1952, the moment Mumu bent down to pick up the sick old woman lying on the street, this wonderful idea quickly sprouted in her heart. Two years of waiting finally paid off On April 12, 1948, Pope Pius XII's ratification was finally sent to Lloyd Abbey. It was a beautiful day. In the morning, it was time for Mass. As soon as Mother Delam walked to the door of the church, the priest came over holding a letter.The priest said, "Look, your request has finally been answered. If you agree, I can open it for you." We can imagine Mumu's mood at that time, she must be very, very urgent, but she said, "Father, let me pray first." The priest said: "If they agree to your request, then today will be your last two hours. The mass is over. : "Father, please help me unpack it.No matter what my Lord decides, I will absolutely obey.who am I?Is it possible to bargain with him? " So the priest opened the letter.As a result, he only glanced at it, and exclaimed in surprise: "Oh, that's great, it's simply a miracle, my Lord has manifested His will, and you are allowed to observe it for a year as a special case." This meant that Sister Durham would leave Lloyd Abbey for a year as a nun, not as a lay woman.During this year, her status in the order will be preserved. The priest shook his head in puzzlement, and said, "How could this be? I remember that I clearly changed your request to disobedience, which completely exceeded my expectations." Although Sister Duran was also very happy, she was not as surprised as the priest, because she prayed for this result every day, even just now, she was also praying for this result.She had already had a premonition that God would definitely answer her prayers, and she never doubted it during the long wait.This firmness comes from her absolute trust in God. Mumu solemnly took the letter from the priest, and then she knelt down in front of the altar and prayed reverently – Mumu lived a life of gratitude all her life.The name of God should be praised and even more grateful. Here, I would like to introduce a little story related to gratitude by the way. One day, a man visited the famous writer Hugo, and he asked: "If all the books in this world must be burned, only one is allowed to be left." Book, master, which one do you think should be kept?" Without thinking about it, Hugo replied, "The Book of Job." The Book of Job is a book of wisdom in the Bible.Job was a man who lived his whole life in a state of enlightenment.When he was rich, he thanked God; when he was poor, he thanked God; when he was happy, he thanked God; when he was sad, he also thanked God; when he was healthy, he thanked God God, when he was sitting in the dust covered with sores, he still thanked God. Our Chinese nation also has a character similar to Job.He is Jie Zhitui with perfect personality in the Warring States Period. walk out of the monastery gate Then, she went to buy cloth. Among a large pile of gorgeous silks and brocades, she chose the cheapest white cotton cloth, although the boss repeatedly said that this kind of cloth is not suitable for European women, and only poor Indian women buy such coarse cloth to wear.But this is what she wants.Then, she made an Indian-style saree from the cloth.As the boss said, this white coarse sari is the clothing of ordinary Indian women, but in her view, the poor are also the precious children of the Lord. Since the Lord has called her to serve the poor, then she should Same as what they wear.And in her opinion, this saree can also be the most beautiful dress in the world. To remind herself of her duty, she rolled three blue borders around the edge of her sari and pinned a small cross on her left shoulder.This cross became a symbol of her, distinguishing her from ordinary Indian commoner women. It was an ordinary saree, but the priest gave it the most wonderful blessing and sprinkled it with holy water.Henceforth, this saree is no longer an ordinary saree and after consecration, it becomes a holy robe. Water has very rich meanings in the "Bible". It symbolizes both destruction and salvation, and at the same time, it also symbolizes life that will never run dry.Jesus said: Whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst again. "Water is not only the source of life—the Spirit of God moved on the water to create the world: it is also a sign of salvation—Jesus was baptized by John himself, making water a necessary material medium for the redemption of the world. In Catholic rituals , water is a material symbol, representing death and new life, and water is used for baptism. When believers enter the church, they light holy water and cross themselves, which is to remind themselves that they have been baptized and converted to Christ. The priest handed Mumu a notebook and said, "This is given to you by the bishop. He hopes that you will use this notebook to write down everything you have experienced. It will be very meaningful." Mom took the notebook.The priest added: "If you are going to help the poor in Calcutta, you may need assistance in various ways. Are you going to see the governor? The bishop will be happy to introduce you." Mom quickly said, "No, I don't want to do that." The priest asked worriedly, "Then where do you start?" Mumu replied, "I don't know. I just know that now I have to get out of this high wall." The priest finally said: "You have to remember that we love you no matter what. If one day you want to come back, we will welcome you at any time. The door of the monastery will always be open for you. But we will pray for your success .” Sister Durham was so moved by these words of the priest that she could no longer control her emotions—she wept.Although her face was full of tears, she still smiled and said firmly, "Father, if this is the work of the Lord, it will be successful. If it is only my work, then it will not be successful." It is said that at noon, or in the afternoon, her students held a lively farewell party for her.In fact, a sentimental farewell party.Many years later, a nun recalled in an interview with a reporter: "We sang non-stop, all of which were Bengali songs. They were beautiful, sentimental, and full of parting. The children surrounded her and gave away many A gift for her. We wept as we sang about the beauty of Bengal. In fact, everyone wept, everyone wept. Then she left without a word and never came back. I think she ran into church, and then disappeared from there, and we never saw her again." The nun was right in her analysis, and Sister Durham ran into the church, said a short prayer, and walked away from there, leaving a group of children who loved her dearly at the farewell party.But if she doesn't walk away like this, she may not be able to move her feet because of her reluctance. Sister Duran didn't expect that when the two-year expectation became a reality, saying goodbye turned out to be such a difficult thing, and it made her sadder than leaving home back then.If she hadn't relied on her firm belief in God, she would never have the courage to step out of this high wall and start over. As Mother Delam walked out of the monastery gate, the church bell rang, which she had heard for 17 years.In a trance, she felt that this beautiful voice did not come from the church, but from the kingdom of heaven, which was the command of the Lord.Therefore, she was even more convinced that the Lord would never let her down.Although she is alone now and has nothing, the Lord will not leave her alone.Because the Lord has said: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." With the Lord, there is everything. "Lord, help me." This prayer will surely be answered. This day is April 12, 1948. This year, Mother Delam was 38 years old.