convicting

i believe it was saint vincent de paul who used to say to those who wanted to join his congregation: "never forget, my children, that the poor are our masters. that is why we should love them and serve them, with utter respect, and do what they bid us." do you not believe that it can happen, on the other hand, that we treat the poor like they are a garbage bag in which we throw everything we have no use for? food we do not like or that is going bad -- we throw it there. perishable goods past their expiration date, and which might harm us, go in the garbage bag: in other words, go to the poor. an article of clothing that is not in style anymore, that we do not want to wear again, goes to the poor. this does not show any respect for the dignity of the poor; this is not to consider them our masters, like saint vincent de paul taught his religious, but to consider them less than our equals. -- mother teresa

i ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. give until it hurts, until you feel the pain. -- mother teresa

open your hearts to the love God instills in them. God loves you tenderly. what he gives you is not to be kept under lock and key, but to be shared. the more you save, the less you will be able to give. the less you have, the more you will know how to share. let us ask God, when it comes time to ask him for something, to help us be generous. -- mother teresa

to see more challenging words, check out this post from my friend leigh. (and if you're wondering, i just got an anthology of mother teresa quotations for $5 at the bookstore. that might be a bit of a paradox...$5 for a book about giving to the poor...but it's already challenging my heart, so i think that's $5 well spent...)