It is a picture that has been seen by many – Mother Teresa sitting, crouched in prayer with her head bent, or with her head up hugging an abandoned baby.
These are the two faces of Faith: the Face of Contemplation and the Face of Action.
Saying prayers or listening to preaching is a good spiritual experience but while our lips move and our ears listen, do our hearts move?
If Faith has to see growth, it has to be a constant movement.
We have to move to transformation, that is being good ‘Doers.’
A time to reflect
Diwali is a time to celebrate Light representing knowledge, love and selfless service in the family and the community. It is also a time for members of all faiths to move to that transformation so that our ears listen to the preaching, our lips move with our prayers and our hearts move towards action.
We hope that this message will be heard and understood by all.
The annual Mother Teresa Inter Faith meeting (scheduled to be held at 2 pm on Sunday, November 17 at Catholic Church of Christ the King, 260 Richardson Road, Mt Roskill, Auckland), is continuation of the Celebration of Light.
It is aimed at making visible the Light of Love and Peace of the large congregation of people representing the various faiths in New Zealand.
Interfaith Meet
Auckland is greatly privileged to host the Mother Teresa Interfaith Meeting and this year we are honoured to have His Highness the Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali deliver the keynote address.
The yearly meeting is held in the spirit of Diwali, spreading knowledge and promoting mutual respect through education. It is important that we think, speak and write respectfully, avoiding unfair criticism.
It is important for all of us to learn about our own faith and respect those of others. Families, educational institutions, community organisations, religious bodies and the media should work towards this goal.
Charity Day
The UN General Assembly, at its meeting held on December 12, 2012 declared September 5 (the Feast Day of Mother Teresa) as the ‘International Day of Charity.’
It reaffirmed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognising the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the World.
The Mother Teresa Interfaith Meeting is promoting the Light of Love, Peace, Dialogue, Reconciliation and Forgiveness in the true spirit of Diwali.
Let there be Peace and Reconciliation in every home, family and place of worship.
The Diwali spirit will help us to move from monologue to dialogue, condemnation to appreciation, isolation to collaboration and appreciation of good things in other religions and faiths.
Knowledge of Faith alone will not suffice; it must reach the Living level.
Faith is a gift which one has to use; or else, it ceases to be a gift. Faith is a journey and it must be expression of Action. Faith should keep the Light of Freedom, Love, Peace and Justice burning.
Mother Teresa said, “Loneliness is the most terrible type of poverty,” and dedicated her life to making the poor a part of the global family. What a change this world would undergo, if each of us were to emulate the Great Mother!
I extend Happy Diwali Greetings to all Indian Newslink readers.
Wenceslaus Anthony is Chairman and Managing Director of WAML Group based in Auckland. He is also the Honorary Chairman of the Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee, which conducts annual meetings in homage to the Great Soul, whose service to the poor and disadvantaged continues to inspire millions of people around the world.
Photo :
Mother Teresa comforting an abandoned child
