Nobel Lecture Question Answer
Were Mother Teresa and the Sisters successful in teaching family planning to the poor?
To stop abortion and make every child feel wanted, Mother Teresa and the Sisters taught family planning to the poor. They taught the destitutes the natural way of abstaining, of self-control and also the beautiful, very simple and easily understandable temperature meter. Mother and the Sisters helped the needy to understand that self-control should be practised in order to lead a lit and cheerful life.
Consequently, the poor, who followed self-restraint, out of love for each other had healthy happy families. They felt united and could have a baby whenever they wished for. As a result of self-control, in Calcutta alone in six years 61,273 less babies were born. Therefore, Mother appealed to people all over the world to practise natural family planning so that the lives created by God do not get destroyed.
Do you think the poverty of the West is different? What does Mother suggest as measures for removal of such poverty though it is ‘so much more difficult to remove’?
The poverty of the West is different from that of the East as it is the poverty of love and care. Hence, the poverty of the West is much more difficult to remove.
The poor people of the East suffer from hunger and are shelterless whereas a majority of people in the West suffer from mental poverty. They feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for, terrified and thrown out of the society. This poverty cannot be removed with a plate of rice, a plece of bread or any material thing. The helpless people of the West need love, care and attention of their family members.
Mother suggests that the family members should smile at one another since smile is the beginning of love. Smile will help in removing the mental poverty of the helpless Westen people. She urges people to pray for her, her Sisters, her Brothers and her Co-Workers who are present all over the world, so that they may remain loyal to the gift of God, to love Him and serve Him in the poor together with us.
Narrate the experience Mother Teresa had when there was a great difficulty in getting sugar.
A classic instance of sharing love was given by Mother Teresa when she recounted her meeting with a four-year-old Hindu boy. Once in Calcutta, there was great difficulty in getting sugar. The little boy did not eat sugar for three days and told his parents that he wanted to contribute this sugar for the children at The Missionaries of Charity. So, his parents took him to Mother.
Being a kid he could hardly pronounce Mother’s name but had gone to share his love with the inmates of Mother’s home. He knew exactly why he had gone there. This extraordinary incident touched Mother Teresa’s soul. She was overwhelmed at the gesture of the little boy. Mother shared the experience with the hope that people will share their love with the needy just like the child did.
What inspired Mother Teresa and her Sisters to serve the society?
Mother Teresa observed that there were a whole lot of means to destroy peace in the society, like drug addiction, abortion, negligence, hatred and violence. But God did not want this. As He wanted peace to prevail, He sent Jesus Christ to spread the message of love, The life and passionate sacrifice (crucifixion) of Jesus Christ Inspired Mother and her Sisters to serve the society. They wanted to fulfil God’s wish by destroying all these negative aspects of society.
God resides in every form of life. So by serving people, Teresa wished to reform the decaying society, Mother was influenced by the sacrifice made for love to prevail. She taught and urged people to sow the seeds of unity, compassion and love in their families. Society started accepting these ideas gradually and this acceptance inspired Mother Teresa and the Sisters to render their services to more people.
What is the ‘home for the dying’? Who came to visit it? What did Mother teach them?
Home for the dying’ is a place where alling people picked up from the streets are given shelter, It was set up by Mother Teresa in Calcutta. The unwell people are looked after by the Sisters and given the opportunity to die with dignity, Mother and the Sisters picked up more than 36,000 people from the streets of Calcutta and accommodated them in that home. Amongst those, more than 18,000 people have died a peaceful and beautiful death,
About fourteen professors from different universities of the United States came to visit the ‘home for the dying. Thereafter, they went to meet Mother in The Missionaries of Charity.
Mother taught them the importance of ‘smile’. She told them to smile at each other, spend time with one another in the family and peace will automatically prevail.
What did Mother Teresa propose to do with the prize money?
Mother Teresa believed in and followed the ideals of Christ-to serve people and spread peace. She wanted to build a home for the shelterless with the prize money as she believed that ‘love’ begins at home. She also felt that if she and her Sisters could create a home for the deprived, more and more love will spread. This in turn, would bring mutual understanding which would be succeeded by peace.
The noble lady wanted to bring good news for the poor. And that wonderful news will transmit from the poor in our own family to the country and then finally to the whole world. Finally, she thanked God for giving her this opportunity, using which she could help the needy of the entire world.
Narrate the incident on which Mother commented-‘a joy on both sides, he was giving and the poor were receiving.
Mother Teresa once came across a man who had been bedridden for twenty years. He could move only his right hand and his sole companion was smoking. The crippled man gave Mother Teresa 15 dollars that he had saved by refraining from smoking for a week, Mother was moved by this huge sacrifice. She felt that such a thoughtful gesture could be an inspiration to many.
Mother bought bread with that money and gave to those who were hungry. This made Mother see joy on both sides the man who was giving and the poor who were receiving. Loving others is the best way of loving God. It was a great example of spreading love and peace as narrated by Mother in her speech.
How can we establish peace in the world, according to Mother Teresa?
According to Mother Teresa, love, unity and togethemess are the best ways to establish peace in the world. These can wipe out all the harmful elements from the world. In order to feel at peace, a family should get together and stay united. They should acknowledge one another’s presence at home. Man is bom to love and be loved. The primary duty of all human beings is to serve mankind selflessly. It is actually serving God and will ultimately help people to feel the joy of oneness with God. Peace can be achieved by making sacrifices for others, by making them feel loved, and by being caring towards them. Then all the problems in the world can be conquered.
in what ways does Mother Teresa appeal to the emotions of her audience? What stories does she share of her encounters with the poor in Kolkata ?
Mother Teresa uses various emotional appeals to inspire her audience. She gives examples from her own personal experiences in order to motivate the audience. Her choice of words also has a very strong emotional appeal. While describing the poor, Mother repeatedly uses words like ‘great’ and ‘wonderful. The recurrent use of these words makes the audience believe that the poor are ‘wonderful themselves, even if they have no previous interaction or experience with the poor.
Mother shares her encounters with the poor in Kolkata with the audience. She tells them about the woman whom she and the Sisters picked up from the street. The lady at her deathbed, died peacefully without complaining about the state she was in. She passed away with a smile on her face and a word of thanks for Mother for all the love and care.
The second encounter which Mother shares is of a man whom she and the Sisters picked up from the drain and who was half eaten with worms. Still he held no grudge against anybody. Rather, he acknowledged the fact that he was going to die like an angel under the love and care of Mother. The third story Mother narrates is of a Hindu family with eight children who were starving for days yet shared the rice Mother took for them with their neighbour, a Muslim family who were also starving.
The last story is of a bedridden man whose only companion was smoking. The man gave Mother 15 dollars by not smoking for a week. Through these stories Mother wants her audience to understand that the poor without having any kind of abundance in life, know how to live in unity, to share and care.
Do you think Mother Teresa’s call for action is effective? If yes, why? If not, why? State two reasons for either argument with examples from the text to support your argument.
Mother Teresa wants people to know what true love is and how it can make the world a better place to live in. Yes, I think Mother Teresa’s call for action is effective. It helps to arouse the values that lie dormant in the subconscious mind of man. This call for action helps man to realise that one cannot get close to God just by praying. One has to perform one’s duty, make one’s life purposeful by helping others. Only then can one claim to love God truly.
Mother talks of the poor who have nothing but are rich in certain values. Firstly, she cites the example of a woman she and the Sisters picked up from the street who thanked Mother with a smile on her face before dying. Secondly, Mother shares the experience of meeting a poor starving Hindu family who shared their minimal nice with their hungry Muslim neighbours. Mother opines that God wants the rest of the society to imbibe these values and join hands to spread peace. Only then the social issues like drug addiction, abortion, etc be remedied.
What lesson does Mother Teresa impart on love? What has made her feel quite at home? Give at least two examples from the text and explain love.
Mother Teresa talks about God’s message of love. According to Mother, love begins at home. Love purifies the human heart. It never discriminates between the rich and the poor. Therefore, everyone should meet one another with a ‘smile’ because smile is the beginning of love. It is the duty of every person to create a home where love exists as loving others is the best way of loving God.
The love which Mother has received from everyone. from the moment of her arrival in Oslo where she delivered her speech has made Mother Teresa feel quite at home.
Mother Teresa cites various examples of real love. She recounts an extraordinary experience of a poor starving Hindu family who shared the rice which they received from Mother Teresa with their starving Muslim neighbours. Mother also shares an incident of a crippled man who quit smoking for a week though it was his only enjoyment and donated 15 dollars to Mother Teresa’s organisation. These small yet great sacrifices touched Mother Teresa’s soul and she consider these selfless gestures to be the acts of sharing love with others.
Comment on the use of Biblical and Christian references throughout Mother Teresa’s speech. In doing so, do you think does she fail to acknowledge those of other religions and beliefs? Or do you think her positive outlook overcomes this? Give examples from the text to support your argument.
Mother begins her speech with the prayer of St Francis of Assisi. Then she cites the scriptures, talks about the Holy Communion, St John, Jesus Christ and Biblical references. She does so to make people understand what true love is. But critics say that she only gives instances from the Bible, talks of Christianity and Christ, and does not acknowledge other religions, But Actually, Mother Teresa tries to express that the will to serve mankind exists in human beings irrespective of cast, creed and religion.
Mother’s positive outlook overcomes all criticisms. The problems she talks about, the solutions she provides, the message that she conveys, are beyond any religion. When she talks about old age homes, she appeals to mankind and not to God. The solution to abortion lies in the heart of people, not in scriptures. Drug addiction is a social and not a religious problem. She wants to deliver the message of love, sharing and humanity. Thus, she may have taken help from the Bible to establish her points but she spreads the universal message of love and peace, surpassing the mere boundaries of religion.
What is Mother Teresa’s conception of God? Why does Mother Teresa say that her life and the lives of the Sisters have to be woven with prayer?
According to Mother Teresa, God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. He has created human beings in the palm of His hand and He would never forget them. He wants a peaceful world where love prevails. He wants mankind to understand the real meaning of love. Love is not just worshipping God-it is to sacrifice, to be selfless, to help others as God had sacrificed his Son for the welfare of the human race. God resides in every person. His presence benefits every human being and by serving mankind, people are actually serving Him. So, man should be thankful to God for His creation and for His sacrifice.
Mother Teresa and her Sisters have witnessed suffering throughout the world. To share and to do away with this suffering, the passion of Christ has to be relived. Mother’s life and the lives of the Sisters have to be woven with prayer in orderto understand the suffering of the poor. Prayer will act as a bridge between God and mankind. Only then will they be able to make their lives purposeful.
Why did Mother Teresa say that she was married?
One of the fourteen professors who came from the United States to the Mother House of ‘The Missionaries of Charity’ wanted to know it Mother Teresa was married. Mother considered that she was married to Jesus Christ. The kind of conviction and dedication she had towards herwork, made her feel connected to Jesus, Motherused the term ‘demanding to indicate that Jesus was like a demanding husband. Jesus demanded sacrifices from Mother for the welfare of mankind and instructed her to keep working selflessly for the betterment of the society.
Mother Teresa received boundless love and respect from people all across the globe for her noble deeds. This lovepurified Mother’s soul andinspired her to do more work for the well-being of the human race. Mother’s selfless love for people irrespective of cast, creed and religion forced people to shower love on her which in turn, ensured her joumey to Heaven.
Why does Mother Teresa thank God at the beginning of her speech?
Mother Teresa at the onset of her speech thanks God for the gift of peace. She reminds the gathering of people that mankind has been created to live and enjoy. that peace. To spread the message of peace, God had sent His son, Jesus, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, appeared in the form of man. He inspired us through his works and experienced all kinds of hardships to redeem the human soul. His unconditional and limitless love for the sufferers is the proof of his greater love towards mankind. Therefore, Mother Teresa expresses her gratitude to God by thanking Him at the beginning of her speech.
What does Mother say about the utility of suffering?
Universal suffering makes Mother Teresa feel as if the passion of Christ is being relived all over again and people must prepare themselves to share the passion and the suffering of others. The worldwide suffering makes. us think about the love for Christ in a new and reformed manner. Mother Teresa asks the crowd present at the gathering to question themselves whether they are ready to make themselves a part of this suffering. to Mother, suffering is the best way to test one scorering strength. She advocates the crowd to forget their own sufferings and think about others because she believes suffering brings out the best in an individual.
What according to Mother Teresa, is the difference between physical and mental hunger?
Mother Teresa makes a clear distinction between physical hunger and mental hunger. Physical hunger anses from the lack of material amenities. On the other hand, mental hunger is not a result of scarcity of material luxuries but the lack of love, attention and peace. According to Mother Teresa, mental hunger or poverty is more difficult to remove than physical hunger or poverty. Mental hunger is way more painful and agonising compared to physical hunger. The pain that an unloved and uncared for person feels, is completely different from the pain that a starving person, dwelling on the street, feels.
Why did Mother Teresa remind all, the need of Jesus’ love?
Mother Teresa made everyone aware of the need of Jesus’ love. Christ had universal love and He taught us to love one another selflessly. Jesus died for the well-being of mankind. He sacrificed himself with pain to evoke love and peace. Mother Teresa emphasised on the essence of Jesus’ love. Jesus came to remove hatred from the world. By sacrificing his own life Jesus Christ imparted us the lesson of enduring pain and suffering for the well-being of humanity. The best way to serve God is to love and help others.
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