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OF GONXHE BOJAXHIU – MOTHER TERESA
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
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Dr.Nora Maliqi Zylali
ISCHA is the only institution in the world that has established a legal and staffing infrastructure for the establishment of the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu-Mother Teresa, which will mainly deal with research and education of the spiritual and material heritage left by this great woman, who came out of Skopje and spread the ray of hope for the people all over the planet. This Department was officially opened on 7th of February, 2020, and its inauguration was attended by prominent personalities from social, political and religious life.
To unravel the importance and role that this Department will have in its journey, on that occasion also spoke Dr. Skender Asani, according to whom the importance of Mother Teresa in spreading the sublime human and spiritual values, has been inexhaustible inspiration for millions of people, especially for those who have needed the warmth of the extended hand found when others forget.
Mother Teresa remains an exemplary symbol of the hand that remained constantly extended towards the causes she built not by placing herself at the center of attention, but by directing the attention of the whole world towards the most invisible recesses of human suffering.
The Department for the Study, Research and Education of the figure of Mother Teresa, which we are promoting today, aims precisely to unravel the complexity of this figure, by offering the whole society a good model of treatment of all those who are on the right side of global human causes, underlined Dr. Asani.
That the scientific research in ITSHKSH is going through the big doors of institutionalization proves the support that comes from the Ministry of Education and Science.
"Scientific researchers who will be engaged in this department, will have the honor and privilege to research the legacy of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu and the Bojaxhiu family in Skopje, which over the years has made a great contribution to our national cause," said Dr. Arbër Ademi, Minister of MES.
Meanwhile, Monsignor Don Lush Gjergji, present at the inauguration had said that “this Department of the heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, is the first of its kind. Once in Mitrovica, at the inauguration of the statue of Mother Teresa in front of the seat of the Municipality, I had figuratively said that "Trepça" is big and important ... But we also have the "spiritual Trepça", and she is Mother Teresa
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
Document: Decision of the Council of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians, for the establishment of the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, on 4.9.2019
Document: Decision of the Government of RNM, for the establishment of the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, on 26.11.2019
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
Document: Statutory decision of the Council of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians for amending and supplementing the Statute
Document: Decision taken from the Central Register of RNM, for the establishment of the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
II.1. Speech of the director of ISCHA, Skender Asani, on the occasion of the opening of the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa
THE DIVINE DIMENSION OF A DILIGENCE
The Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Theresa, which we are promoting today, aims to precisely unravel the complexity of this figure, by providing the whole society with a good model of treating all those on the right side of the picture of global human causes...
Dr. Skender ASANI, director
In the birthplace of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, here in our ancient Skopje, today we are opening the Department for the Study, Research and Education of the figure of Mother Teresa.
The Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians is taking another important step in deepening the scientific activity, by placing the figure of Mother Teresa at the center of this activity.
There have been published numerous of books, films and thousands of activities done in the name of Mother Teresa, but what we are doing today can be considered as one of the most meaningful undertakings, especially for the fact, that this is department is going to be very unique and specific, which is going to deepen the scientific activity of Mother Teresa. From now and on, this department is going to research the youth, religious and family affiliation of the colossal figure of Mother Teresa, which will have as a reference point the values of Western civilization and coexistence with other cultures and traditions.
Mother Teresa's importance in spreading sublime human and spiritual values has been an inexhaustible inspiration for millions, especially those who have needed the warmth of the outstretched hand when others forget.
Mother Teresa remains the exemplary symbol of the hand that remained steadily extended to the causes she built, not by any means placing herself in the center of attention, but by directing the attention of the whole world to the most invisible relics of human suffering.
The Department for the Study, Research and Education of Mother Theresa's figure, which we are promoting today, aims precisely to unravel the complexity of this figure, by providing the whole society with a good model of treating all those on the right side of the picture of global human causes.
The road that connects Gonxhe Bojaxhi with Mother Teresa crosses the cobblestones of Skopje, but also the same goes through the suffering quarters of Calcutta, and the commonality of this road is the divine dimension of a devotion that exceeds the dimension of national and religious belonging. Mother Teresa was Albanian, but the pattern of spiritual causes she spread throughout the world taught us to overcome the walls of our national, religious and racial egos.
I feel very proud to belong to a generation that is developing in the spirit of Mother Teresa's teachings and prerogatives, and as the director of this institution from now on I am multiplying my responsibility with an
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
even greater obligation that the scientific world will have as a reference point our Department for the Study, Research and Education of Mother Theresa's figure, with all the necessary scientific and human resources.
We will be collaborating with all those research centers, archives and museums and with all those scholars who in their focus are going to have Mother Teresa's glorious name and work, by giving even greater impetus to the major objective, for which we will exist now and in the future.
Skopje, 2 february 2020
II.2. Speech of the Minister of Education and Science, Arber Ademi, on the occasion of the establishment of the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa
WE ARE PUTTUNG ON AN INSTITUTIONAL BINARY A GREAT VALUE OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE
Dr. Arber ADEMI, Minister of Education and Science
Dear Don Lush Gjergji - High Representative of the Bishopric of Kosovo and biographer of Mother Teresa ...
Dear Dr. Skender Asani - director of ISCHA ...
Dear scientific researchers, guests and media representatives...)
I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of another event organized by the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians in Skopje.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
Today we are crowning another success together - by promoting the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, which will function within the Sector of scientific research activity of the Institute.
Distinguished guests,
Today I am really happy, that we finally managet to putt on its institutional rails a great value of our cultural and spiritual heritage, which has transcended all the borders of the world.
The great Albanian woman from Skopje, Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, who with her unconditional love and inexhaustible charity towards hundreds of thousands of hungry and sick people, gained the admiration of all humanity, by receiving the great title as Mother of Love, Peace and Humanism.
Gonxhe Bojaxhiu – Mother Teresa, became known in all parts of the globe, for her Albanian origin, who originated from an ancient and generous nation of the Balkans and a city of ancient civilizing proportions, at the time when she won the great Nobel Peace Prize.
Therefore, we as a nation and as representatives of the institutions in the birthplace of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, have the obligation to honor and respect this precious treasure in all possible forms and ways.
For the sake of the truth, the name of Mother Teresa, here, in her birthplace in Skopje, today is proudly carried by the University Clinical Center "Mother Teresa", the Public University in the Albanian language "Mother Teresa", the National Institution Memorial House "Mother Teresa", and so many other charities, streets and squares across the country.
And now, we are extremely happy that this name will be carried by a scientific-research unit of the Institute, which will be named as the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa.
Scientific researchers who will be engaged in this department, will have the honor and privilege to research the legacy of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu and the Bojaxhiu family in Skopje, which over the years has gave a great contribution to our national cause.
Therefore, let me congratulate you all on this auspicious initiative.
I wish the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, as well as the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians, many successes in the realization of the foreseen research-scientific program. Skopje, 7.2.2020
II.3. The speech of Dom Lush Gjergji in the oppening of the department
Dom Lush GJERGJI, representative of the bishopric of Kosovo
The establishment of the Department for the Study, Research and Education of the figure of Mother Teresa, within the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians in Skopje, in my opinion is a very important work, not only for us as Albanians, but for all Northern Macedonia, and beyond, for the Mediterranean and the Balkans, for the whole of Europe, because such figures give to a human and humanity new dimensions of values and virtues, without which life has no meaning and significance.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
This Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, is the first of its kind. Once in Mitrovica at the inauguration of the statue of Mother Teresa in front of the Municipal Headquarters, I had said figuratively, that "Trepça" is great and important ... But we also have the "spiritual Trepça", and she is Mother Teresa.
My wish and desire for you and for all of us, is this: that our children and youth since the cradle to grow up and be educated in the spirit and soul of Mother Teresa.
Congratulations on your work and cheers to many successes that will come!"
Skopje, 7 february 2020
II.4. Researcher Anton Nike Berisha, about the importance of the research of the life and work of Mother Teresa:
GONXHE BOJAXHIU- MOTHER TERESA, FIGURE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN AND DIVINE SIZES AND VALUES
Exploring and illuminating the rich spiritual and human heritage of Mother Teresa - St. Teresa of Calcutta, the name by which she was canonized by the Vatican, means paving the way for a better world, for rapprochement and genuine love between people without considering their place, race, faith and skin color...
Prof.Dr. Anton Nike BERISHA, reseracher
The leaders of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of the Albanians - Skopje aware of the multiple importance of the work of Mother Teresa - Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (born in Skopje on August 26, 1910), for her tremendous sacrifice for people, especially for those of the poorest of the poor, justified since 1930 when as Sister of the Order of Loreto arrived in the city of Calcutta in India, and until her last breath - on 5th of September, 1997, decided to establish the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
This Department will research the activity of Mother Teresa in various fields and aspects; will deal with the enlightenment of her love for mankind; her views and thoughts on life and the need to help the poorest of the poor at all times and in all circumstances, without sparing time, effort and sacrifice. According to Mother Teresa, it was precisely this attitude and this sacrifice that would justify genuine love for God.
The Department will deal with the analysis and publication of the texts of her prayers, speeches, letters and the Spiritual Testament to offer to the Albanian world, so that her work and sacrifice for humanity will be known in the true light, and all her work and sacrifice may not be summed up in the terms of charity, as it has happened and still happens in our world.
To this extent will be researched her extraordinary love for people, namely her ongoing work of bringing people closer to God's love and spreading His love to people, especially to those abandoned and forgotten on the streets, from which society has given up. I say this because the love of God in its essence is the love for mankind.
The Department will also publish various studies dedicated to this extraordinary figure, whom the world called Mother.
In the following, we are going to present the general reasons that conditioned the establishment of the Department of Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu - Mother Teresa, within the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Albanians - Skopje, which will deal with the lighting versatility of the activity of this great figure of humanity.
All her activity – her work, Mother Teresa based on the principle, which is summarized with this opinion: "In reality, there is not much difference between one country and another because people are the ones who always belong everywhere. "People may have different looks, different clothes, have a different background or position, but they are always people, people to love forever, people who are always hungry for love44”.
44 Madre Teresa, Sorridere a Dio. Esperienze – preghiere spunti di riflessione. Diciannovesima edizione. San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano) 2003, p. 57.
Agneze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu – Mother Teresa already proclaimed a saint by the Vatican, with all her being she devoted herself to God, to his love and light45, which unequivocally justify her words:
“"Every breath of mine, every glance, every action it will be an act of Divine Love and everything I will do
I will do it for your love, my dear God46”.
So, to really know Mother Teresa and her action means much more than to get to know the work of a sister who entered the Order of Loreto in 1928 until 194847, when she when he left this remarkable and venerable ecclesiastical order, and until she left this world - on September 5, 1997 - she devoted herself entirely to the poorest of the poor, by caring and suffering together with them.
To get to know the work she did in Calcutta of India and in some other cities of this great state, but also in many parts of the world, and the importance she was giving to her faith in God, that means to get to know better the soul and destiny of mankind in general, the limitless possibilities of an action and prosperity of human life, especially the need to sacrifice for the others, which in essence means to become spiritually richer and better, to become more useful to the people with whom you live and for the world to which you belong.
Mother Teresa was and remains to be a rare example in the history of mankind, for the love that can and has to be shown to the neighbor, especially for the poor and abandoned: to love and be loved, as stated in the Gospel by John: “Love one another! As I have loved you” (John 13:34) and “Love your neighbor as yourself!” (Matt 22:39). Mother Teresa applied this commandment of the Gospel to every action of her life with people,
45 Mother Teresa's church baptism name was Agneze, while Gonxhe was her nickname, used by her parents. Roze was the name of Mother Teresa's mother, known as Drane. Her brother was Lazri, while her sister was Age. 46 Madre Teresa di Calcutta, Il mio libro di preghiere. A cura di Francesco Follo. Mondadori, Milano, 2002, p. 445 – 446. 47 Permission from the Vatican to establish the order Missionaries of Charity arrive on August 18, 1948 in Calcutta, the city where Mother Teresa decided to dedicate everything in her life to the poorest of the poor and those who died miserably on the streets.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
beginning with her "family" of soul - the sisters of the Order Missionaries of Charity48, established by her and spread all over the world.
“I do not know what other people experience, but I love my sisters as I love Christ, with all my heart, soul and mind, with all my strength49 [...] If my love for my sisters is good, then my love for Christ will be good. There are not two loves. The deeper my love for Christ, the deeper my love for my sisters, the greater the zeal to go to the poor.”50 .
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javair Pérez De Cuéllar, on 26 October 1985, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of this important international body, in front of the members of the Assembly and a large number of guests, where was present and the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal J O.'Connor, had said: “"We are in a discussion room. In the course of time, on this stage have passed the people who are valued as the most powerful. Today we have the opportunity to welcome the most powerful woman on earth. I do not believe she needs to be presented, because for her words are superfluous. Mother Teresa seeks facts. I am convinced that what would be best is to show her respect and say that she is stronger than I am, and stronger than all of us. She is the United Nations! She is the peace in the world51!”
De Cuéllar did not valued Mother Teresa as such - powerful - for any of her military victories, or testimonies of her physical strength, but for her spiritual wealth, for the love she showed for the poor wherever they were, and for the sacrifice she made for them.
48 When mentioning the Attribute of Love, I’m using capital letter because in its essence means God, His love. 49Madre Teresa, Sii la Mia luce.Gli scritti più intimi della “Santa di Calcutta”. A cura di Brian Kolodiejchuk. Rizzoli, Milano 2008, p. 254 50 Taken from Gloria Germani, Teresa di Calcutta una mistica tra Oriente e Occidente, men. book., p. 69. 51 José Luis González – Balado, Madre Teresa. Ricordo e messaggio. Edizioni San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano), 2003, p. 108. In another case, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar uses these words: “Here is the most powerful woman in the world. Here is the woman who has been accepted everywhere with reverence and admiration. This is truly the 'United Nations' because in her heart and in her humility she has accepted the poor of every corner of the globe. Quoted according to Madre Teresa, “Il mio segreto: Prego”. Raccolta di preghiere. Tratti dagli scritti di Madre Teresa a cura di Padre Giuseppe Giacomelli, Editrice Shalom, 2000, p. 124.
Mother Teresa became "the most powerful woman in the world" and the world called her MOTHER, first of all, for two main reasons:
First:For the work - the extraordinary care and love she showed for the abandoned and the ones forgotten by people, who died on the streets in misery and contempt, without being able to have at least a "peaceful and dignified death", as Mother has said. She was acting on the basis of inherent principle: "We can not allow a creature of God to die on the roadside like an animal52”.
Second: In poor and abandoned mankind Mother Teresa saw God and His love. She was always saying: "To me every one of them (of the poor and needy who died by the wayside - my v.) Is Christ53”.
From 1948, when she received the permission of the superior of the order of Loreto, mother Gertrude, and the decision of the pope, Pius XII, all her action and life Mother Teresa devoted to the poorest of the poor and the most miserables.
About this sacrifice father Brian Kolodiejchuk, postulator of the Mother’s beatification54 process states:
“"With her life sacrificed in the service of the poor, Mother Teresa embraced the same fate as Christ55”.
Here lies the main reason why Mother Theresa loved the poor, regardless of who they were and where they came from, with divine love. This definition is best expressed in her words to God: “"My Lord, according to my free will and with the help of your love, I want to sit here in the streets with the poor to fulfill your wish. I do not want to go back: my community are poor people [...] My home is the home of the poor. Not simply of the poor, but of the poorest of the poor [...]To those who do not manage to cry, because they have shed all the tears. Of those who lie on the cobblestones of the streets, knowing that they are dying, while all the others pass by, without paying any attention to them. Of those who need not so much a brick house, but a heart that understands them. Of those who are hungry, not so much for food, but for the
52 Quoted according to Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa. Traduzione di Alessandra Borgonovo e Claudia Valentini. Rizzoli. Milano, 2009, p. 23. 53 Quoted according to Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa, men.book.,p. 23. 54 Beatification of Mother Terese took place on October 19, 2003 by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome, attended by hundreds of thousands of people coming from different parts of the world. 55Madre Teresa, Sii la Mia luce.Gli scritti più intimi della “Santa di Calcutta”, men. book., p. 157.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
words of God. Of those who need not so much to dress, but dignity, purity and justice. Of those who are abandoned, unwanted, the ones who failed in the course of life, because they are poor too, spiritually poorest of the poor, in whose likeness, you, My Lord, you hide, thirsting for my love[...]56”.
By sacrificing herself and her sisters for the poorest of the poor, the abandoned and the destitute, Mother did not intend to change the world. She was aware of this, so she said that their job was nothing more than a water drop in the ocean: “Look, she says to a married man who asks her if she changed the world with her job, I never thought that I can change the world! I have bled to be just a drop of pure water in which will shine the love of the God. Strive to be a drop of pure water, and so we will be two ... 57” However, at this concrete example, made with extraordinary devotion and humility, Mother Teresa testified the necessity of the poor and needy people to be loved with divine love, to be taken care of, with great kindness and with the greatest dignity.
Anyone who has dealt and will deal with the work of Mother Teresa, her texts, letters and her thoughts, or to interpret them authentically, means to know the Bible and an extensive range of prominence in this field, namely to face with some of the most inherent and at the same time most complex phenomena of mankind, of his world and his destiny, which for centuries have been the object of scrutiny by the brightest minds of human society and which will be the object of scrutiny as long as there are people above ground. The author of several books for Mother Teresa, the eminent Spanish writer José Luis González - Balado, writes in the preface of his book “Mother Teresa. Reminder and message: “I say with conviction that still, after the publication of my books for Mother Teresa and her work, her life and her soul, arguments about which I want to ponder, can not be included in the pages of a book or many books 58”.
And, indeed, every time you go back to the texts - the thoughts of Mother Teresa, I am more and more convinced that in their essence they are deeper and more complex than they seem during an ordinary reading,
56 Taken from Gloria Germani, Teresa di Calcutta una mistica tra Oriente e Occidente. Paoline. Milano, 2003, p. 165. 57 Angelo Comastri, Madre Teresa. Una goccia d’acqua pulita. Paoline. 4à Edizione, Milano 2007, p. 34. Look Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 104. 58 José Luis González – Balado, Madre Teresa. Ricordo e messaggio. Edizioni San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano), 2003, p. 7.
the depth that is molded - conceived within an extraordinary simplicity. Its texts in themselves relate to the previous tradition, to the heritage that Christianity has created in man for 2000 years, yes and to parts of the earliest heritage of human knowledge in general.
We are convinced of this even when reading a series of books and monographs of the most prominent authors dedicated to the life and work of Mother Teresa, or those who have known her in person59 .
To concretize the importance of Mother Teresa's work as well as the richness that her texts contain, I am bringing three thoughts, which are directly related to what was said above.
Archbishop of Calcutta, Mons. Henry D 'Souza points out that the extreme poverty in India, especially in the city of Calcutta, where the Mother lived since 1929, shocked her deeply and made her transform (change), as happened with the fact that, by sacrificing for the poor and miserable in the city of Calcutta and other cities of India, with her work and the ones of the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, the Mother changed India, by giving value to the life on an individual, in particular by overturning the concept of the poor as "worthless clothes" and "condemned" by God and by restoring to them the true importance and dignity of mankind, created by God: “Yes, India has changed Mother Teresa, by forcing her with the violence of poverty, to take into account the issue of the poorest of the poor. But, Mother Teresa has changed India too, by opposing the fatalistic mentality60 and by restoring the irreplaceable value of an individual 61”.
So, in the "hell of Calcutta’s life", with the unparalleled sacrifice, the Mother and her sisters justified the necessity of the "value and dignity of every human being", regardless of position, wealth and suffering. Looking
59 Look my books for Nënën Tereze: Nëna Tereze në shtat shpalime – seven volumes. Faik Konica & Kuvendi françeskan i Gjakovës, Prishtinë 2019, which includes 10 books from different natures, dedicated to thish figure. 60 The Archbishop of Calcutta, Henry, among other things, states: “Karma is the great compass of Indian life. If today you are a bramin you are because in previous years you behaved well. If you are an untouchable, you suffer from your past. Do you have a rash? God punishes you for old sins ... According to Hindu belief the soul does not die but is transferred from one person to another. If persons have done good before, then even that soul is good that has been placed in the respective shame. More extensively at Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio. Paoline 8° Edizione, Milano 2007, p. 97 – 102. 61 Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 100.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
at this phenomenon of Mother Teresa, Sandro Bordignano points out: "For Mother Teresa the poor become" the prophet of the new mankind (humanity). "Perhaps we still adore too much the divine of progress in order to accept the deep humanity of her words62” and “I believe that no philosopher or humanist has such a vivid sense of humanity and the value of every human being; the meeting with the mayor or with the cardinal, with the wretched or the poor, preoccupies him in the same way 63”. Mother Teresa not only once used the expression of the great Gandhi “Who serves the poor, serves God64”.
Even on the occasion of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize (1979) the Mother had clearly demonstrated her determination towards the poor: “"As for the Nobel Prize, I said I would only accept it if it was given to me for the worship of God and on behalf of the poor. I do not accept any reward on my behalf. I am nothing (read: before God - my v.)65”.
Even the words of the bishop of Loreto, a city in Italy, Angelo Comastri (now cardinal), justify the fact that everyone who deals with the life and work of Mother Teresa, lovingly and unknowingly, is facing with great difficulties, we can even say that they can be insurmountable: “"I would like to put in letter some personal memories of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, but at the same time I feel a little tight talking about her. In fact, I mean that Mother Teresa can not be defined, can not be described, can not be confessed because the source of her life is hidden in the mystery of God himself66”.
To deepen and unravel the action of Mother Teresa, where many of those who knew her in person, called "living Gospel,67”, everything must be connected with her unwavering faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and in her prayers which were the main tool and source of life and sacrifice for
62 Madre Teresa di Calcutta, Tu mi porti l’amore. Scritti spirituali. Cità Nuova Editrice, Roma, X edizione, 2005, p. 61. 63 Madre Teresa di Calcutta, Tu mi porti l’amore. Scritti spirituali, men. book., p. 44. 64 Quoted by Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 55. This Gandhi’s opinion, Mother used in a letter on 1978, when she wrote to the first Minister, Morarij Desai, and members of the assembly, during the consideration of the draft law for restricting the religious freedom of Christian missionaries. Look extensively Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 54 – 55. 65 Angelo Comastri, Madre Teresa. Una goccia d’acqua pulita, men. book., p. 33. 66 Angelo Comastri, Madre Teresa. Una goccia d’acqua pulita, men. book., p. 29. 67 Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 80.
the mankind. It is no coincidence that the Mother had declared herself the "Voluntary Servant of the will of God68”.
The Mother witnessed the boundless faith in God with words, concrete actions and prayers. She herself reveals to us the essence of her life and work: “"I am just a poor womanwho is praying. "Through praying, God has filled my heart with love, and so I have been able to love the poor with the love of Godt69”.
Through prayer Mother Teresa united (put together) the earth and the sky70, the concrete and the divine. Prayer enabled her to act with godly devotion and love; it helped her to accept the suffering of people as her own, an act that was a gift of God's grace.
Sister Nìrmala, a collaborator and heiress of the leadership of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa on October 7, 1950 in Calcutta, India, sheds light on the importance of praying for Mother Teresa: “"Prayer has served Mother Teresa to face poverty, disappointment, to endure her own pain and the suffering of herself and others. Her grave in Calcutta, is located exactly at the place, where she, on her knees, prayed for hours, which was the most essential means of her life and action. "As the sisters of the order established by her, the Missionaries of Charity, as well as other people, testify, she continues to be present in the actions of the sisters in every corner of the world, where suffering bites the flesh of a man71”.
It goes without saying that Mother Teresa was a human being like everyone else, who in daily life experienced joy and suffering, pain and misery. However, the crucifixion of the Christ on the cross "I am thirsty!", she made the foundation of her breathing and her life action. She says this clearly in her Spiritual Testament (dated on March 25, 1993), sent in the form
68 Madre Teresa, Sorridere a Dio. Esperienze – preghiere spunti di riflessione, men. book., p. 73. 69 Gloria Germani, Teresa di Calcutta una mistica tra Oriente e Occidente., men. book., p. 27. 70 F. Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 78. 71 Giampaolo Mattei, Io, Nìrmala. La storia dell’”erede” di Madre Teresa di Calcata. 37 Collana Campioni. Ellenici, Leumann (Torino), 1999, p. 20.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
of a letter to the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity72 and to the members of other missionary branches73, all of them established by Mother Teresa.
What the spiritual shepherds, theologians and authors of other fields bled to clarify (through assessments and studies), what was meant by the expression of Christ "I am thirsty", Mother Teresa clarified with her work and concrete love for the poor and needy, for whom she was carying and sacrificed. In a word, "I am thirsty!" for Mother Teresa is the love for the mankind, is the understanding that everyone should have for their neighbor; it is the thirst for love that makes the human soul richer, more human and divine.Who is thirsty – for love for his neighbor - especially for the poor, he is thirsty – for love of God.About this Mother has said: "If you want the love to be true, first of all, it must be lived for my neighbor ... this is the love that leads me to the love of God74”.
In her texts, especially in the Spiritual Testament, the Mother points out one thing of multiple importance: God needs the love of mankind, our love: by uniting and becoming one with the love of God, he (man ) is enriched with such love to prove this love to others, starting from his parents, from his brother and sister, from the closest and to every creature of God.
Exactly in her Spiritual Testament, the Mother made public what had happened to her while traveling to Darjeeling, India (foothills of the Himalayas) on September 10th , 1946 (where the Mother had set out to participate in spiritual exercises), where she experienced the "Call within the call" of the Son of God, The Christ. Her first call of God, the mother experienced on August 15th , 1922 in the Church of Letnica in Kosovo.
The second call (September 10th, 1946) significantly changed the course of Mother's life and action.
After this date she was covered by a visible divine dimension, this was something that was emphasized by many of the people who cooperated
72 Look for more extensively at Spiritual Testament of Mother on the book: “Nëna Tereze, Testamenti shpirtëror. Translation from italian language and the analysis by Anton Nike Berisha. “Fjala hyjnore”, Prishtinë 2008. 73 In addition to the order Missionaries of Charity (1950) Mother founded four other branches: The Missionary Brothers of Love (1966), The Contemplative Sisters (1976, dedicated to prayer and intercession for the poor), The Contemplative Brothers (1979) and finally the Missionary Fathers of Love (1984), to offer spiritual help and healing to the missionary sisters and brothers of Love. Look Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa, men. book.,f. 24. 74 Madre Teresa di Calcutta, Tu mi porti l’amore. Scritti spirituali, men. book., p. 38.
and lived with her, "a presence of light”75 of God himself that radiated Mother Teresa. Famous Italian journalist, Franca Zambonini (Franka Xambonini), who met and knew Mother Teresa closely, writes about her meeting with Mother Teresa on April 26th, 1990 in Rome: “She was there, in the former chicken coop of St. Gregory's fathers. And she was waitting for me. Once again I experienced the fascination of her presence. She gave me that blessing that emanates from the face of a divine being; a spiritual influence that the Indians call dershan, a perception of the truth of a higher being. A minute in the presence of a saint sweeps away the mountains of sin, the indu scriptures say. To receive the dershan queues of crowds led Mahtma Gandhi to pass. "Today they run around Mother Teresa when they see her on the streets of Calcutta76”. This quality of the Mother is also justified by the words of the Italian doctor, Vincezo Giulio Bilotta, who for two months of the year1982, took care of the healing of Mother Teresa's angina pectoris at the Clinic of Rome "Salvator Mundi", he said that while he dealt with the healing of her body, Mother Teresa healed his heart (lezo: soul):
“"Later I realized that I and the abandoned were the same in the eyes of Mother Teresa, in her extraordinary ability to love and, above all, in her spiritual motherhood, was perceived a reflection of God’s fatherhood77”.
In fact, the humanity and the divine in the Mother was noticed by her co-workers in every action of hers, which led them to call her "Living Saint", even while she was alive. Father Joseph Langford emphasizes "In Mother Teresa there are many more signs (qualities) of wisdom and the supernatural78”.
These two qualities - human and divine - of the Mother are unequivocally testified by the words of Cardinal Martini, who met her more often than usual:
75 Franca Zambonini, Madre Teresa. La mistica degli ultimi.3° Edizione, Paoline Editoriale Libri, Milano 2003, p. 19. Father Joseph Langford says “The presence of God in her gave Mother Teresa a kind of radiant energy”. Look his book Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa, men. book., p. 152. 76 Franca Zambonini, Teresa di Calcutta. La matita di dio, men. book., p. 164. 77 José Luis González – Balado, Madre Teresa. Ricordo e messaggio, men. book., f. 41. 78 Quoted by Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa, men. book.,p. 67.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
“"In the past decades,every time I have met Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who will be beatificated tomorrow by Pope John Paul II79, I have gained the deep impression, as of a creature outside of the everyday, almost as a vision of a being who does not belong to this earth, though with the ability to administer concrete earthly things. It had in it a unique commonality of tenderness and strength, of spirituality and concreteness, of humility and awareness of its dignity and mission, which made it to appear to me as something whose roots did not seem to be in this world. For this reason, I am glad thatlast week I had the opportunity to visit Kosovo (near the Church of Letnica, where Gonxhe was spending almost a month during the summer), one of the places where Mother Teresa spent her childhood, and to I write down some memories of her childhood 80”.
Even the words of Sister Nìrmala deeply justify the divine dimension of Mother Teresa: “"Depended (Mother Teresa - my b.) completely on the divine providence for all our needs and for those of the poor [...] I remember that Mother Teresa's eyes were looking beyond this world. Mother Teresa was deeply, absolutely surrendered to the will of God and, God, used her as a tool for his love [...] Mother's heart was burning with love for Christ - the Eucharist (in communion), to whom she completely and impartially devoted her life, with a heartfelt belief in Him, and He turned her (Mother Teresa - my b.) into Himself. Thus, when people saw her, in reality they saw the Christ81”.
So, loving people with the love of God, especially the miserable and the abandoned, Mother Teresa was enriched and transformed into that Love and that Light and it was precisely the divine light and love that she carried for the poorest of the poor to relieve their pain and suffering: "(Mother Teresa) Has taught us, in the name of God, to embrace whoever is not loved, whoever we find in ourselves and in others. Through her God has placed His merciful hand on our pain and our wounds82”. So, through
79Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II, on October 19th , 2003. 80 Taken from “La repubblica” on October 18th 2003, one day before Mother was beatified from Pope John Paul II. 81 Giampaolo Mattei, Io, Nìrmala. La storia dell’”erede” di Madre Teresa di Calcutta, men. book., p. 20 - 21. Italian historian, Indro Montanelli emphasizes: “The complete sacrifice of her life (Mother Teresa) for others, without being aware that she is making this sacrifice, what could be other than holiness ”? Quoted by Franca Zambonini, Madre Teresa. La mistica degli ultimi, men. book., p. 19. 82 Joseph Langford, Il fuoco segreto di Madre Teresa, men. book., p. 158 – 159.
the "living words" and action that "does not follow the human logic, but follows the call coming from Above83”.
It is this quality of hers that makes her message the most essential and for all the times: “Through these ("living words" of Mother Teresa - my b.) is perceived the intensity of a message to encourage, within our limits, to do something to imitate a person who wanted to resemble only to the Jesus of Nazareth, by loving and serving the poor84”.
By the end, I’m bringing to you, the valuation that American Congress has done to the work of Mother Teresa, on the ocassion of her gold medal award:
“"The American Congress estimates that Mother Teresa has made a decisive influence in every sector of life and in every corner of the world [...]
According to the assessment of the American Congress, Mother Teresa is an instrument of God's will. The love for God, which came through Mother Teresa, has had an indelible effect and changed human history. "Through personal example, Mother Teresa guides and shows people how to live in love for humanity85”.
I am convinced that what was said in this overview regarding the work and sacrifice of Mother Teresa for the mankind and especially for the poorest of the poor, convincingly justifies the decision of the Institute for Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Albanians – Skopje, for the establishment of the Department for Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu – Mother Teresa.
83 Angelo Comastri, Madre Teresa. Una goccia d’acqua pulita, men. book., p. 41. 84 José Luis González – Balado, Madre Teresa. Ricordo e messaggio, men. book., p. 13. 85 On behalf of the American Congress this were the words said by MP Jachson Junior on June 9th, 1997. Quoted by Cristina Siccardi, Madre Teresa. Tutto iniziò nella mia terra. San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo (Milano) 2009, p. 173.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
II.V. Dijana Tosla, the creator of Mother Teresa's anthem, on the opening of the Department and the sanctification of Mother Teresa:
SAINT TERESA, AN ORIGINAL SCIENCE OF HUMANITY
Dijana TOSKA, creator of Mother Teresa’s anthem
During her young ages, Gonxhe began her journey towards the world, worthily armed with the value - to be a human being is simple, but to be a man is difficult.
The first thing she learned in Calcutta was the ignorance, sadness, death, siege with many dangers, and with many surprises for a poor girl who was neither a doctor nor a politician, except the empathy she possessed and offered in the service to another human no matter who it was.
However, healthy education together with the moral virtues inherited from her mother Drane and her father Kole, mold Gonxhe Bojaxhiu with the features of spiritual and human prosperity, which give her a divine will to harmonize the most complex social relations with individual ones. With full confidence and courage, diplomacy and self-sacrifice, by loving to the point of pain, she managed to enjoy life in a revolutionary way, because she was looking for this life as an essential obligation.
With all the capital she inherited from the tradition of the Bojaxhiu family, she had begun to build her empire, and with secure steps to build an original science on humanity and based on love and universal principles.
Mother Teresa uniquely declared war on the material world, aggressive societies, ignorance, immorality, seeking another way of thinking and civic consciousness, demanding equal society for her poor, sufficient food, medicine for lepers and forgetfulness. by God Himself. The biggest disease today is neither cancer nor leprosy, but our indifference and lack of interest, disrespect and contempt, she said. Therefore, only when the rich share their wealth with the poor and realize how beautiful and majestic is simplicity, will they experience happiness, and injustice will pave the way for living with dignity.
On her very unique way, Mother Teresa declared war to the material world, aggressive societies, ignorance, immorality, by seeking another way of thinking and civic consciousness, by demanding equal society for her poor community, sufficient food, medicine for the lepers and forgetfulness by God Himself. The biggest disease of today is neither cancer nor leprosy, but our indifference and lack of interest, disrespect and contempt, she said. Therefore, only when the rich will share their wealth with the poor and realize how beautiful and majestic simplicity can be, only then they will experience happiness, and injustice will pave the way for living with dignity.
Where did this rebellious and petite woman was finding the support for this divine power, how did she manage to become one of the most influential people in the world, how did she manage to impose her empire of love as a model and guide of faith and inspiration, in front of which they began to bow presidents and kings of the world's most powerful empires, while the Holy See for the first time in the history of its existence, was accepting a woman to set new rules in the Vatican, allowing the
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
establishment of a Catholic religious congregation, the Missionaries of Charity. The faith she won in the world with the unique way by giving herself in the service of humanity and with her modest figure. She managed to prove the world that the power of human love is the key that can save humanity and make the world a better place to live.
Mother Teresa did not seek glory, it was given to her by the poor. She managed to mediated a truce between the Israeli army and Palestinian guerrillas, in order to rescue 37 children that were trapped in a hospital, and from than she took the epithet of peace general, she built Shanti Nagar, the city of peace. She was decorated with the most prestigious awards in the world, for the promotion of humanity, peace and brotherhood among peoples, she was declared an Honorary Doctor, and also received the Nobel Peace Prize. Her poems are the peace of the world itself, it is the United Nations that gives light to the universal unit.
After seventy years of helping humanity, provoking and sensitizing the world for the importance of the family, Mother Teresa will declare that, the destruction of world peace begins at home.
For her, education wasn’t the preparation for life, but it was life itself and the most powerful weapon which fought for human enlightenment and love for one another.
THE OPENING OF THE DEPARTMENT
For ISCHA, as much as it will be a historic challenge to find a sublime response towards the unique empire that this sanctuary built with her work, moreover it will be a privilege to research her blood which is the science itself.
The cult of human love seeks to find the human formula starting from the family and the chimney of the house, the system of human norms and values, the source of ethical and moral authority, the supreme good and humanistic religions which worship humanity and defend the thesis that human has unique and sacred nature.
The opening of the Department for the Heritage of Gonxhe Bojaxhiu – Mother Teresa in her hometown, for me, represents a beautiful adventure in the service of peace and returning to the scene, exactly where the construction of an original science on humanity began.
"Give hope to this tired and torn apart world, by the most beautiful adventures and by becoming an activist of peace," Said Pope Francis, during his visit to Skopje last year. "When everything seems motionless, stagnant, when personal problems bother you, when social situation does not give you the right answer, it is not good to give up! Dream big dreams that give hope to the tired world. Aged prematurely! Dream, together, Christians and Muslims, the dream of brotherhood among all nations, all young people, all people, ”was the message of the Holy Father.
Leadership of ISCHA made the great historical step by establishing this Department, and restoret the worlds attention to the source of the roots of our national heritage, whose worthy daughter was our Saint herself, and realizing their age-old dream.
In fron of itself, the institute has a colossal work, which is going to give new dimensions to human values and virtues, especially now after the pandemic which is opening a new chapter for the life of every family on earth. This noble work will be a new inspiration for each of us, in order to follow the path that Mother Teresa traced, and without which life has no meaning.
CANONIZATION OF MOTHER TERESA
(September 4th 2016, Vatican)
With the Anthem of Mother Teresa, Albanina nation for the first time thanked her daughter for the universal glory she bestowed on us, in a very unique and historical moment in Vatican, where we felt proud to be identifed as the nation of the Holy Mother.
The sons of her nation, through the voice of conscience gathered like pomegranate seeds from all around the world, and through this work of art in the eternal city of Rome, manifested the splendor that the civilization of an ancient nation carries.
Millions of people in the world probably for the first time, had the opportunity to hear Our Mother’s sweet language, through the poem "Farewell", which she wrote with her own hand in the Albanian language and through this moral testament of humanity that her sons and daughters did it as an evidence of our love for humanity, peace and tolerance.
NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA
The anthem of Mother Teresa has now become a nationwide institution that carries with it the seal of a postage stamp, awarded the first prize in the world.
In 2016, was issued the postage stamp dedicated to Mother’s canonization, and it was named as the success of the day, while today it presents traces of time, identity, dignity, history and geography, which extends beyond the borders, takes you to the multidimensional meaning and makes you proud, and suddenly one day, through the bridges built by that mission, life accidentally confronts you with your authorship, somewhere even across the ocean.
When a journalist from London had asked her, how he can help Mother Teresa in Calcutta, she replied:
My son, have you ever asked yourself what happens with your London’s Calcutta? "Calcutta is located in your city, very close to you, do not come to look for it so far."
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