‘NOBEL LECTURE’ ~ MOTHER TERESA ( Summary, Explanation, Questions Answer, Class 11 Semester 2)

 

‘NOBEL LECTURE’ ~ MOTHER TERESA 

Summary, Explanation, Questions Answer, Class 11 Semester 2

Message of the Text

'Nobel Lecture' is a contemplation upon attaining peace through love. Mother Teresa brings out the obstacles against peace. Lack of love is the primary concern in this case. Mother Teresa has given some examples to show how love can change the world. She wants love in people for others. But she thinks that love should start at the family level first.

There are many people remaining in families, but living lonely lives. Mother Teresa finds the greatest instance of lack of love in abortion. She thinks it is a killing of children by the mothers. She wants to stop abortion by practising self-control. Again, she refers to love as the connecting point. She reads this self-control as an expression of love. She is astonished to see the number of unwanted children on earth. She indicates these types of lack of love as the starting point of breaking of peace. Only love in people can bring back the much-awaited peace on earth and this love, like charity, should start at home.

Summary of the Lecture

Mother Teresa begins her Nobel Lecture by thanking God, and asks the audience to utter the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi because though the prayer was composed almost 500 years ago, it highlights the problems shared by a true worshipper of God in modern times as well.

Mother Teresa thanks God and expresses her indebtedness to Christ. Christ was born to spread the news that we must live in peace. Christ was God incarnate, Christ was God's son, and God gave the world His son so that mankind may get peace of heart.

Christ, the Prince of Peace, was born to Virgin Mary. He was first recognised by the child in the womb of Elizabeth, Mary's cousin. Christ died for the sake of mankind. He came as the saviour of the souls of all human beings. The gospel of love was preached by Christ. Even St. John, one of Christ's disciples, pertinently pointed out that, in order to love God, one must love one's neighbour first. Christ sacrificed himself and turned himself to bread so that we can get infused with his spirit. His sacrifice was for the benefit of Man.

Mother Teresa stresses the importance of love and care in a man's life. She says that material affluence cannot always bring peace to a man's heart or a smile on his lips. She shares her own experience of visiting an old-age home where she saw several old parents who have been made to stay there by their children who live elsewhere. The parents keep on hoping that their children will come to visit them, but in vain. So old people feeling worried, lonely, and sick should be given love and attention.

The great lady, in her speech, laments that young people in the western world get easily addicted to drugs because they suffer from isolation and loneliness. She also expresses her abhorrence for abortion as it is an act of direct killing with the consent of the mother. God has created us, and we have no right to destroy life. So abortion is worse than poverty and malnutrition because a mother deliberately kills her child in the process. Mother Teresa makes an earnest request in this regard not to destroy the embryonic life. She also vows to make homes for every such unwanted child. Besides, Mother Teresa also informs how she and her institution take care of beggars, lepers and slum dwellers, and teach them the art of natural family planning.

Mother gives data about the decrease in the number of unwanted children in Calcutta in the recent years and says how self-control and love for each other have been instrumental behind this success. She also hopes that if poor people can exercise such control, the educated people can easily abstain from destroying lives.

Mother Teresa eulogises the poor for being sincere. She says how they have gradually started family planning out of love for each other. She also shares with all, her experiences of a woman in a miserable plight. She admires the woman who thanked Mother gratefully before her death.

Mother Teresa is overwhelmed at the sincere gratitude and love shown to her by poor men and women. She finds a kind of greatness in those poor people living like animals but dying like angels, after being loved and cared for. The words of Jesus have a poignant pertinence for her because Jesus undertook all kinds of suffering to redeem the human soul.

The great lady says that she and her team are not social workers. Rather they are contemplatives in the world, working for Christ. She says she will be happy if peace is brought back in the family because that is the only way to combat all evils. Peace can be brought through love for others.

Love begins at home and she says that the best way to serve God is to love others or put love in every action.

Sharing love is equally important. Mother Teresa adores that little four-year-old child who gave up eating sugar for three days and gave that to the children of Mother Teresa’s home because at that time, Calcutta (Kolkata) was facing a sugar crisis. The child wanted to share his love with them.

Mother Teresa thanks people for offering her such love and hospitality. She also says that love helps people to overcome the barriers of boundaries. That is why she feels very much at home while delivering this speech at Oslo, Norway.

Mother Teresa advises all to know and understand the near ones first. She shares her extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who, though starving, shared the rice with a Muslim family. According to Mother Teresa, they enjoyed the joy of sharing, and love comes out from such experiences.

The aid to Mother Teresa's institution does not come from abundance but from the urge to give. But the children need love and care the most. In the process of loving, Mother Teresa has come close to the children all over the world. She also vows to make a home for the homeless with the prize money because love begins at home, and creation of such homes will spread love, peace, and good news to the poor.

Mother Teresa advocates that the passion of Christ should be relived all over again. Poverty, both in the East as well as in the West, must be removed. A person who is unloved and unwanted feels more terrified and isolated than a hungry person from the street. The sisters of the organisation are trying their best to remove this emotional poverty. Even then, Mother Teresa seeks the help of all. One must take care of his or her home first and smile at each other because love comes out of smile.

Smile is the beginning of love. All her Brothers, Sisters and Co-workers have devoted themselves to the service of God. She asks all to pray for her and all her companions. She seeks the help of all the people of the world and asks all to share their prayers. She also seeks that financial aid from people which hurts them.

 Mother Teresa tells how she gets contributions from people making great sacrifices. She talks of a disabled man who gave his fifteen dollars to her. But such sacrifices and help give joy — both the giver and the recipient are happy. Love for others is the best way of loving God and Christ. We can feel the joy of oneness with Christ if we sincerely love others, smile at others, even during difficult times.

Fourteen professors from the US came to visit 'the home for the dying' at Calcutta. Old people who have no home to live, lead a beautiful life there before death. Mother Teresa gives these professors a simple message. She asks them to smile and make time for each other in the family. She also thanks God for the opportunity he has given her to serve the people. She also hopes that Norway becomes a centre of love, and joy emerges even from the life of every unborn child by the blessing of God.

 

Prayer song: Lord is worshipped for making a channel through which love and forgiveness may come and replace hatred and discord. By this, harmony will replace discord, doubt will give birth to faith, despair may be turned into hope, shadows may gleam light, and sadness will be replaced by joy. By God’s grace, the devotee will try to comfort others instead of being comforted, love rather than to be loved, understand than to be understood, and forgive others. One has to forget one’s self yet find oneself in forgiving others. This is the way that will open up the gates of eternal life even after mortal death.

 

Additional Analysis and Key Points

 Unwanted Children: Mother gives data about the decrease in the number of unwanted children in Calcutta in the recent years and says how self-control and love for each other have been instrumental behind this success. She also hopes that if poor people can exercise such control, the educated people can easily abstain from destroying lives.

 The Sincerity of the Poor: Mother Teresa eulogies the poor for being sincere. She says how they have gradually started family planning out of love for each other. She also shares with all, her experiences of a woman in a miserable plight. She admires the woman who thanked Mother gratefully before her death.

 Greatness in Poverty: Mother Teresa is overwhelmed at the sincere gratitude and love shown to her by poor men and women. She finds a kind of greatness in those poor people living like animals but dying like angels, after being loved and cared for.

 Not Social Workers: The great lady says that she and her team are not social workers. Rather they are contemplatives in the world, working for Christ. She says she will be happy if peace is brought back in the family because that is the only way to combat all evils.

 The Sugar Crisis Story: Sharing love is equally important. Mother Teresa adores that little four-year-old child who gave up eating sugar for three days and gave that to the children of Mother Teresa's home because at that time, Calcutta was facing a sugar crisis.

 The Hindu and Muslim Families: She shares her extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who, though starving, shared the rice with a Muslim family. According to Mother Teresa, they enjoyed the joy of sharing.

 Prayer Song Summary: Lord is worshipped for making a channel through which love and forgiveness may come and replace hatred and discord. By God's grace, the devotee will try to comfort others instead of being comforted, love rather than to be loved, understand than to be understood, and forgive others.

"Short Answer Type Questions" section of the study guide for "Nobel Lecture" by Mother Teresa.

 

Short Answer Type Questions

1) Which prayer did Mother Teresa wish to offer at the beginning of her Nobel Lecture? Why does the prayer always surprise Mother Teresa?

 Ans: Mother Teresa wished to offer the prayer composed by St. Francis of Assisi at the beginning of her Nobel Lecture.

The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi always surprises Mother Teresa because even 400-500 years ago people had the same difficulties that we have today.

2) Who was St. Francis?

Ans: St. Francis was a 13th century Italian Catholic friar and preacher who was born at Assisi and dedicated himself to the service of humanity and nature.

3)  What is Holy Communion?

    Ans: Holy Communion is the religious rite observed by the Christians commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ where he gave his disciples bread and wine.

4) Who is referred to as the son of God in 'Nobel Lecture'? Why did God give His son to the world?

Ans: Jesus Christ is referred to as the son of God.

God gave His son because He loved the world very much.

5)  "As we have gathered here"—Who had gathered there and why?

    Ans: On December 11, 1979, Norwegian people gathered at the Oslo City Hall to listen to Mother Teresa's acceptance speech as she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

6)   "Jesus became man". But he was different from us in one respect. In which respect was Jesus different from us? What good news did Jesus bring to Earth?

    Ans: Jesus became man in all things like us except sin.

    Jesus brought the good news of universal love and peace to earth.

 7) "As soon as he came in her life"—Who came in whose life?

    Ans: Jesus Christ came in the life of Virgin Mary.

8)  Who was the first messenger of peace? Who was the Prince of Peace?

    Ans: The unborn child who leapt with joy in the womb of Elizabeth to learn the good news of Jesus coming to Earth was the first messenger of peace.

Jesus Christ was the Prince of Peace.

9)  What does St. John say? Whom should we love to love God as advised by St. John?

    Ans: St. John says you are a liar if you say you love God but you don't love your neighbour.

    As advised by St. John, we should love our neighbours to love God.

10)   "...this is the hunger of our poor people." Which hunger felt by whom is referred to here?

    Ans: The hunger for love felt by poor people is referred to here.

11)   How did Jesus show his greater love to man?

    Ans: Jesus showed his greater love to man by the supreme sacrifice of his own life on the cross.

12)    Why was everybody in the old age home looking towards the door? Or, Why do people eagerly look towards the door in 'Nobel Lecture'?

    Ans: Everybody in the old age home was looking towards the door with the expectation that a son or daughter would come to visit him or her.

13)   Among whom can we find Jesus?

    Ans: We can find Jesus among the hungry and the naked, the homeless and the sick, the lonely and the unwanted.

14)       "I never forget an opportunity"—Which opportunity does Mother Teresa speak of?

    Ans: Mother Teresa speaks of the opportunity she had of visiting an old age home.

15)     What struck Mother Teresa most in the old age home? Why are the old parents at the old age home hurt?

    Ans: The thing that struck Mother Teresa most in the old age home was that the borders did not have any smile on their faces.

The old parents at the old age home feel hurt because they have been forgotten by their children.

 16)   "...are we there to receive them...?"—In what context does Mother Teresa put this question before us?

    Ans: Mother Teresa puts question before us in the context of whether we are ready to receive with love someone in our families who is lonely, sick or worried.

 17)  Why was Mother Teresa surprised in the West?

    Ans: Mother Teresa was surprised to see many young boys and girls given to drugs in the West.

 18) What, according to Mother Teresa, is the greatest destroyer of peace? How do Mother Teresa and her associates fight against it?

    Ans: The greatest destroyer of peace, according to Mother Teresa, is abortion.

    Mother Teresa and her associates fight against abortion by adoption.

 19) How did Mother Teresa want to fight abortion?

    Ans: Mother Teresa considered abortion to be the greatest destroyer of peace. She wanted to fight against abortion by adoption. She requested people to give the unwanted babies to her because childless couples were willing to adopt them. She also put emphasis on natural family planning as a measure against abortion.

20)  "...that is the blessing of God for us."—What is the blessing?

    Ans: The blessing is that the demand for adoption of children by childless couples is increasing.

 21)What is Mother Teresa's point of view about drug addiction among young people? Or, Why, according to Mother Teresa, are the young boys and girls in the West giving into drugs?

    Ans: According to Mother Teresa, many young boys and girls in the West are giving into drugs because there is no one in the family, not even their parents, to receive them and they are lonely.

 22) What does God say very clearly in the Scripture? Or, What is the opinion of the Scripture?

    Ans: In the Scripture, God says clearly that even if a mother could forget her child, He would not forget us because he had carved us in the palm of His hand.

 23) Why does Mother Teresa consider abortion as the greatest destroyer of peace?

    Ans: Mother Teresa considers abortion as the greatest destroyer of peace because it is a direct killing of an unborn child by the mother herself.

 24) What words did Mother Teresa send to the clinics, hospitals and police stations?

    Ans: Mother Teresa sent word to all the clinics, hospitals and police stations not to destroy the child and she and her organisation would take the child.

 25) "...we are doing another thing which is very beautiful..." —What beautiful thing was being done by Mother Teresa and her sisters?

    Ans: Another beautiful thing that was being done by Mother Teresa and her sisters was teaching the beggars, the leprosy patients, the slum dwellers and the people of the street the natural ways of family planning.

 26) Who are the persons receiving lessons in family planning from Mother Teresa and her Sisters?

    Ans: Beggars, leprosy patients, slum dwellers and people living on the streets are receiving lessons in family planning from Mother Teresa and her Sisters.

 27) According to Mother Teresa, who are very great people? Why are they great?

    Ans: The poor people are very great people according to Mother Teresa.

    They are great because they teach us many beautiful things.

 28) How do the poor people follow family planning measures? What is the result of family planning in Calcutta in six years?

    Ans: The poor people follow family planning measures by practising natural way of abstaining and of self-control, out of love for each other.

    In Calcutta, in six years, the families adopting family planning measures had 61,273 less babies.

 29) What did the people following family planning measures tell Mother Teresa? Why did the poor people consider Mother Teresa and her sisters as the best people to teach them family planning?

    Ans: They told Mother Teresa that their families were healthy and united and they could have a baby whenever they wanted.

    The poor regarded Mother Teresa and her sisters the best people to teach them the way of natural family planning because they had vowed chastity and kept it.

 30) "...she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face."—Who is referred to here as 'she'?

    Ans: Here, Mother Teresa refers to a dying woman who was picked up from the street in a terrible condition by Mother Teresa and her Sisters.

 31) What did the man who was picked up from the drain in a wretched condition say at the time of his death? What was the greatness of the man?

    Ans: The wretched man said he had lived like an animal in the street but he was going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.

    The greatness of the man was that at the time of his death he did not blame anybody, did not curse anybody and did not compare his fate with anything.

 32) What was Mother Teresa's observation about poor people?

    Ans: According to Mother Teresa, poor people, who are beautiful, great and wonderful, are able to teach us many beautiful things.

33) How did Mother Teresa examine her conscience in the context of the dying woman accepting death with a smiling face?

    Ans: Mother Teresa made a frank confession that had she been in the place of that dying woman she would have tried to draw a little attention to herself by complaining about her physical discomforts.

34) According to Mother Teresa who can 'teach us so many beautiful things'?

    Ans: According to Mother Teresa, the poor people can teach us so many beautiful things.

 35) What did Mother Teresa want to suggest when she comments that poor people are very great people?

    Ans: Mother Teresa believed that to be poor is to be blessed. Poor people can teach us a lot. They love each other and share what they have. They suffer but do not complain. She appreciates the sense of love, affection and gratitude among the poor.

36) How can we, as suggested by Mother Teresa, overcome all the evil that is in the world?

    Ans: As suggested by Mother Teresa, we can overcome all the evil that is in the world by just coming together, loving each other and bringing peace, joy and the strength of our mutual presence in our homes.

 37) What was the age of the boy who wanted to give his sugar to Mother Teresa? Why did he want to do so?

    Ans: The boy who wanted to give his sugar to Mother Teresa was only four years old.

    He wanted to do so because he intended to give it to the children in Mother Teresa's home.

38) "I will not eat sugar for three days"—Who said this and to whom?

    Ans: A Hindu boy of four years said this to his parents.

 39) What did the Hindu boy want to do?

    Ans: The Hindu boy of four years wanted to share his love with the children at Mother's home by giving them his share of sugar.

 40) What does Mother Teresa request her audience to do in their home country?

    Ans: Mother Teresa requests her audience to find the poor right in their home first and to begin by loving them there.

 41) What did the mother in the Hindu family do with the rice?

    Ans: The mother in the Hindu family divided the rice and took a portion of it for the starving children of a Muslim family who were her neighbours.

42) Who informed Mother Teresa of a hungry family of eight children? Why did Mother Teresa meet the family?

    Ans: A gentleman informed Mother Teresa of a hungry family of eight children.

    Mother Teresa went to meet the Hindu family of eight children to give some rice to the children who had been starving for a long time.

43)  "And she gave me a very simple answer"—Who gave Mother Teresa the simple answer? What was the simple answer?

    Ans: The mother of the eight starving children of a Hindu family gave Mother Teresa the very simple answer.

    The simple answer of the mother of the Hindu family was that she took the portion of the rice for the children of her Muslim neighbour because they were hungry too.

 44) Why didn't Mother Teresa take more rice that evening?

    Ans: Mother Teresa did not take more rice that evening because she wanted the children to enjoy the joy of sharing.

 45) What was Mother's plans for prize money?

    Ans: Mother Teresa planned to make a home for many homeless people with the prize money.

 46) Why does Mother Teresa want to thank God after her arrival in Norway?

    Ans: Mother Teresa proposes to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize and the opportunity she has received to meet her audience in Norway which has helped them to know and come close to each other.

 47)  "To be able to do this..." —What does 'this' refer to?

    Ans: Here, 'this' refers to making a home for the homeless and to bring peace by spreading love throughout the world.

 48) Why was the poverty of the West more difficult to remove?

    Ans: The poverty of the West was more difficult to remove because people there remained unloved, unwanted, terrified and thrown out of the society and this was worse than lack of food or clothes.

49) What according to Mother Teresa, is the beginning of love?

    Ans: According to Mother Teresa, smile is the beginning of love.

 50) What, according to Mother Teresa, is the importance of a smile?

    Ans: According to Mother Teresa, smile is important because it indicates the beginning of love that forms the basis of philanthropy and mutual cooperation.

 51) How much money did Mother Teresa receive from the man who was lying on his back for the last twenty years? Or, How much did Mother Teresa receive from the man with a paralysed body?

    Ans: Mother Teresa received 15 dollars from the disabled man who was lying on his back for the last twenty years.

 52)  "... let us give now—that Christmas is coming so close."—What does Mother Teresa want us to give during the festival of Christmas?

    Ans: Mother Teresa wants that during Christmas we should love God and share God's love with each other.

  53) Who came to visit Mother Teresa and from where?

    Ans: Fourteen professors from different universities of the United States came to visit Mother Teresa.

 54) Why did Mother Teresa establish a home?

    Ans: Mother Teresa established a home to provide shelter to the poor, unfed, uncared and dying people.

 55) How many dying persons were picked up by Mother Teresa and her associates from the streets of Calcutta?

    Ans: More than 36,000 dying persons were picked up by Mother Teresa and her associates from the streets of Calcutta.

  56) Why did Mother Teresa sometimes find it very difficult to smile at Jesus? Or, Why is it difficult for Mother Teresa to smile at Jesus?

    Ans: Mother Teresa found it difficult to smile at Jesus because sometimes Jesus became very demanding.

 57) How does Mother Teresa feel about all the publicity she has received?

   Ans: Mother Teresa feels that the publicity she has received has purified and sacrificed her and thus has made her ready to go to Heaven.

 

Descriptive Type Questions

1. Why did Mother Teresa begin her Nobel Lecture with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi?

Ans. Mother Teresa started off her Nobel Lecture with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. The prayer of St. Francis was composed 400-500 years ago, but it fits very nicely for us even today. It is very beautiful and deeply inspiring. It always surprised her and she and her companions prayed it daily after Holy Communion. The prayer reminds us that people had the same difficulties that we have today. It talks about peace, love, forgiveness, hope and joy. It emphasises the need of love instead of hatred, forgiveness instead of wrong, harmony instead of discord, truth instead of error, faith instead of doubt, hope instead of despair, light instead of shadows and joy instead of sadness. Mother Teresa wanted to spread the message of peace and love, so she started off her Nobel Lecture with this prayer of peace.

 

2. What does Mother Teresa say about the relationship of parents and their sons and daughters?

Ans. Mother Teresa regrets that sons and daughters do not observe their duties properly towards their parents. They put their parents in an institution like an old age home and forget all about them. They do not take the trouble of visiting them again. The parents go on hoping that their sons and daughters will come, but in vain. They feel lonely, sick and worried. The smile on their lips is lost forever because they feel extremely hurt at the insincerity of their children. Mother also observes that the parents are not always careful about their sons and daughters. In western countries, both the father and the mother remain busy and have no time to spend with their children. The uncared child gets addicted to drugs. Such strained relationships destroy the much needed peace in a family.

 

3. “St. John says you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbour.”—Who is St. John? Is his observation correct?

Ans. St. John is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

St. John makes a correct observation. One must love his neighbour first. A person, who claims to love God without loving his neighbour, is a liar. The gospel urges us to love one another as God loves each of us. Our neighbour is a real person whom we can touch and see while God is abstract. So Mother rightly questions our love for God when we fail to love someone whose presence is tangible. She proves that St. John's assertion is true.

 

4. “That poverty comes right there in our own home.”—What is suggested by ‘that poverty’? What happens when such poverty comes?

Ans. ‘That poverty’ does not suggest a want of material comforts but a lack of love. It suggests the agony of feeling lonely, worried, sick and isolated. It is poverty of the spirit rather than that of the body.

It is observed that sons and daughters put their parents in an institution like an old age home and forget them. The aged parents eagerly wait in vain for a visit from their children. They are hurt because they are forgotten. They stop smiling. This neglect to love brings poverty into our own homes.

 

5. Why does Mother Teresa believe that it is not enough for us to say—'I love God, but I do not love my neighbour'?

Ans. St. John makes a correct observation. One must love his neighbour first. A person, who claims to love God without loving his neighbour, is a liar. The gospel urges us to love one another as God loves each of us. Our neighbour is a real person whom we can touch and see while God is abstract. So Mother rightly questions our love for God when we fail to love someone whose presence is tangible. She proves that St. John's assertion is true.

 

6. Sum up in a short paragraph Mother Teresa's experience at the old-age home where she found the inmates unhappy despite being well-provided for.

Or, Narrate in your own words the experience of Mother Teresa in an old age home.

Or, What was Mother Teresa’s experience of visiting the old age home?

Ans. Mother Teresa describes her experience and feelings of visiting an old-age home where the inmates were provided with many beautiful things. But she felt that the inmates were not happy. Everybody was looking towards the door. She did not see a single one with a smile on one's face. Mother was curious to know the reason. She asked the Sister-in-charge there, and learnt that all those old parents had been left there by their sons and daughters and forgotten. None of the children cared to meet their parents. Almost everyday the old people sat staring at the door expecting their children’s visit. They felt hurt because they had been forgotten by their children. This unfulfilled expectation made them unhappy.

 

7. “And that is what strikes me most”—What strikes Mother the most? What remedy does she suggest?

Ans. It is almost impossible for a mother to forget her child. However, it happens in case of abortion. The mother becomes a direct killer of her child there. It strikes Mother the most.

Mother wants an abolition of the phrase 'unwanted child'. According to her, every single child, born and unborn till now, is wanted. She has requested the hospitals, police stations and all unwed mothers to take all such children to her organization. Thus, Mother wants to combat abortion by adoption. She has also been teaching people, family planning by the natural way of abstinence, self-control, and love for each other.

 

8. What does Mother Teresa say about the greatest destroyer of peace? What success has the organisation of Mother Teresa achieved to stop this menace?

Ans. Mother Teresa considers abortion as the greatest destroyer of peace. As a true Christian she believes that man has been created by God in his own image. Death of children due to hunger, malnutrition and diseases is unfortunate but through abortion, millions are killed deliberately by the mother’s will. It is a direct killing or murder. So the act of abortion is called the greatest destroyer of peace.

Mother urges people throughout the world not to indulge in the heinous crime of aborting babies. She requests people to take the unwanted babies to her. There are childless couples willing to adopt such children. In fact, she and her associates are fighting abortion by adoption. Moreover, they are giving poor people, beggars, street dwellers and lepers, lessons on natural family planning. Mother Teresa and her associates have been greatly successful in this project, bringing down the total number of abortions.

 

9. Why does Mother Teresa say that poor people are great people?

Or, “The poor people are very great people.”—Comment on the quoted line with reference to the text, 'Nobel Lecture'.

Or, Why does Mother Teresa compare the poor people with angels?

Ans. Mother Teresa agrees with the Biblical dictum—to be poor is to be blessed. Poor people who may have nothing to eat or a home to live in, can teach us many beautiful things. Though neglected, these people seldom blame anybody or curse anybody or compare anything. They are happy to share what they get, and they understand the significance of love. This makes Mother Teresa say that poor people are great people. Through her real-life experience of the poor men’s life she came to learn of and appreciate the sense of love, affection and gratitude among the poor. They suffer but do not complain. They do not bear any ill-feeling against anybody. They have the capacity to give and accept love.

 

10. Give some instances cited by Mother Teresa that speak of the greatness of the poor people.

Ans. Mother Teresa says that poor people are great people. She cites quite a few instances of such greatness. The dying lady whom they picked up from the street expressed her gratitude by holding Mother’s hand to offer her a smile and a sweet ‘thank you’. The starving Hindu family of eight children shared their rice brought by Mother with a Muslim family. They relished the joy of sharing. Or that man who, rescued while lying in a drain, half eaten with worms, did not blame or curse anybody. He only spoke of his blessed fate to die peacefully like an angel after living like an animal. All these are unique instances of the greatness of the poor.

 

11. What does Mother Teresa say about the home she has established for the dying people?

Ans. Mother Teresa has established a home in which the poor, unfed, uncared, and dying people come and die peacefully. These poor people are picked up from the streets by the co-workers of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa feels happy that such poor people have a strong sense of dignity and thank her sincerely for her efforts. She talks of an old lady who, before dying peacefully, had smiled and thanked Mother for her kindness. She also speaks of a man who was rescued while lying half eaten by worms in a drain. That man did not blame or curse anybody but expressed satisfaction that he was going to die like an angel. Mother Teresa is gratified that she could help such people. In serving them, she had served Jesus.

 

12. What, according to mother, is needed to overcome the evils of the world?

Ans. Hatred, misery, loneliness, homelessness and hunger are some of the evils of the world. Mother Teresa strongly advocates the necessity of love to overcome these evils. Love at home will erase hatred, misery and loneliness. Peace brings joy, and the strength of presence of each other in the home. As a contemplative in the heart of the world, Mother Teresa feels that prayer brings peace and keeps the family together in love. We have to put love into action, and by serving the needy in person we actually serve God. Such mutual feelings of love and compassion kill hatred, reduce misery and help to overcome the evils of the world.

 

13. Narrate the experience Mother Teresa had when there was a great difficulty in getting sugar.

Or, Write in brief the story of the four-year-old boy wanting to share his love with the children looked after by Mother Teresa’s organisation.

Ans. Once Mother Teresa had a wonderful experience in Calcutta. There was great difficulty in getting sugar. The word got around to the children. A little Hindu boy of four years heard this. He told his parents that he would not eat sugar for three days and give the sugar to the children at Missionaries of Charity. After three days, his parents brought him to Mother’s home to offer the sugar. She never met them before. She was surprised to see that the little boy could hardly pronounce Mother’s name, but he knew why he had come. He had come to share his love. This extraordinary experience moved Mother Teresa. So she could not but share this story with the audience.

 

14. “I had the most extraordinary experience with the Hindu family that had eight children.”—Which experience is Mother Teresa speaking of?

Or, What kind of experience did Mother have with a Hindu family?

Or, Which real-life incident did Mother Teresa cite when she wanted people to know and love their neighbours?

Ans. Once Mother Teresa learnt from a gentleman that a Hindu family with eight children had been starving for quite a few days. Mother went to help that family with some rice. She could see the hunger written on their faces. She gave the rice to the mother. The mother divided some rice among her eight starving children. Then she went out. When Mother Teresa asked where she had been, she simply told Mother that they had a Muslim family as their neighbour. The children of that family were starving too. So she had taken some rice for them. Mother Teresa was deeply moved at the extraordinary gesture of that poor Hindu mother. Inspired by the spirit of neighbourly love, she along with her children, relished the joy of sharing

 

15. What will Mother Teresa do with the prize money of the Nobel Peace Prize? What does Mother think of the poor children?

Ans. With the prize money, Mother Teresa wants to build a home for the homeless people. She believes that the building of homes for the poor would mean that love will spread gradually in the society.

Mother Teresa wants to provide the children with that kind of love, care, and tenderness which they get from their parents. The children whom she wants to help are not merely from India or Africa, but from the entire world. Mother Teresa, along with her Sisters, wants to give them homes to live in, food to eat and love to cleanse their hearts. For this she seeks financial help from only those who would lovingly donate till the donation hurts them.

 

16. Why was Mother overwhelmed by the donation of a physically challenged person?

Ans. Mother Teresa was moved after getting fifteen dollars from a physically challenged man who had been bedridden for the last twenty years. This man could move only his right hand, and smoking was his only companion. Such a man had stopped smoking for a week and accumulated money for the organization run by Mother. This great sacrifice touched Mother’s heart. She related it to the story of Jesus’s sacrifice. Being the Son of God, Jesus had sacrificed His all to redeem the human soul. Similarly, the physically challenged man donating fifteen dollars served as an inspiration to others. Such an unselfish attitude also gives joy to both sides—the giver and the receiver. And it begets love.

 

17. What is the difference in need between the poor people of the East and the West?

Ans. People in the East suffer from want of food, malnutrition, lack of medical care, lack of homes and even die on streets uncared for due to economic poverty. But there is another kind of poverty that is more terrible because it leaves a person unwanted, unloved, terrified and outcast. This kind of poverty exists in both eastern and western countries. But it is more distinct in the West. In spite of their affluence, people in the West face such poverty of the spirit and get alienated from the mainstream. The poor in both the East and the West need love, a feeling of bonding, the peace of staying together.

 

18. What does Mother Teresa mean when she says that she does not want from abundance but wants others to give her till it hurts?

Ans. Mother Teresa’s magnanimity springs from her belief that helping poor people financially is not enough. If it comes from abundance, it means that the donor is pitying the poor. But if the help comes at the cost of hurting oneself, it may suggest the integrity and willingness of the donor to serve the cause of the poor and the wretched. Such an attitude is more welcome to Mother because no one has the right to hurt the honour of these poor people by a casual donation of a few rupees. The gift is valued only when there is an element of sacrifice involved in its giving.

 

19. How does Mother show that smiles on our faces do not come with material benefits?

Ans. Mother Teresa feels that smile on our faces is necessary because smile begets love. But she thinks that such smile does not always come with material benefits. She refers to a home which had a lot of beautiful things, but no member in the house had a smile on the face. Such a house, according to Mother, is stricken with spiritual poverty. In the affluent West, young people get quickly addicted to drugs because their parents have no time to spend with them. She says that when a person in a family feels lonely, sick, and worried and yet remains uncared for, then surely it must be said that the family members are spiritually impoverished. Difficulties arise in such families, though they may be financially well-off.

20. What are the activities of Mother Teresa and her co-workers?

Ans. Mother Teresa feels that they are not real social workers but contemplatives in the heart of this world. They try to make people understand the real value of love. They also try to fight against poverty, hatred, and misery. Mother herself has made arrangements so that the naked get clothes, the homeless get homes, and the uncared poor get care. She has made a home for dying destitutes. There, such people are able to die a peaceful death. Mother, alongwith her Sisters and Brothers, also fight against abortion. They adopt those children who are abandoned by their parents. The Missionaries of Charity also take care of unwedded, pregnant mothers to prevent abortion. Besides, the organization also looks after slum dwellers, beggars, and leprosy patients.

 

21. What is the importance of smile in our daily life? Why did one of the poor people say that Mother and the Sisters are the best people to teach them family planning?

Ans. Smile is of great importance in our daily life. Smile is the beginning of love, and only love can inspire us to do something for one another. That is why everyone should smile at each other when they meet. Besides, we also greet God when we smile at each other.

The poor man thought that Mother and the Sisters are the best people to teach them family planning because they have promised to be chaste in life. Their love comes out of self-control, and such love knows no boundaries. So they have the right to preach self-control as a product of mutual love.

 

22. 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?

Ans. Mother Teresa used various emotional appeals to inspire her audience. She shared her own personal experiences with the poor in Calcutta and motivated her audience to follow in their footsteps. Again and again, she called her audience to action and urged them to make the world a better place.

She shared many stories of her encounters with the poor in Calcutta. She told us the story of the dying woman whom she picked up from the street, and told how she died with a smile on her face and thanked her for her care. She shared the story of the bedridden man who donated her 15 dollars. She narrated the story of a starving Hindu family of eight children.