Memorial of Saint Teresa of Calcutta

Seeing Jesus in the Least Among Us

Today, as we celebrate the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, we are blessed to be nourished by a gospel passage that perfectly reflects the heart and mission of this great saint — Matthew 25:31-46.

In this Gospel, Jesus speaks about the final judgment, where the Son of Man will separate people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The difference between the two is not wealth, success, or even knowledge of the scriptures — it is whether or not they recognized and served Jesus in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, affectionately known as Mother Teresa, lived this gospel with radical faith and unshakable love. Her life was a living testimony to the simple, yet demanding call of Jesus: to love the least among us as if we were loving Him personally.

She once said, ‘Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.’ For her, the poor were not projects or charity cases; they were the living presence of Christ Himself. She recognized Him in the broken, the forgotten, the dying — and she responded with love that was real, practical, and deeply committed.

It was not easy for her. Many times she spoke of darkness in her soul, of not always feeling God’s presence. Yet she chose to love anyway. She chose to serve anyway. That is sanctity — not soaring spiritual feelings, but faithfulness in love, even when it is hard.

Today’s gospel is both a challenge and an invitation. It asks us: Do we see Jesus in those who suffer? Do we respond with mercy or do we walk away? Are we sheep who follow the heart of the Good Shepherd, or do we close our hearts to the cries around us?

Saint Teresa once said, ‘Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.’ This is our mission. Not to change the world in one grand gesture, but to begin right where we are — in our homes, parishes, workplaces — to love the ones right in front of us.

May her example awaken in us a deep compassion for those in need. May her intercession give us the courage to respond with generous hearts. And may we, too, hear those blessed words from the Lord one day: ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father… for whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.’