Mother Teresa: Victim

While sitting in Starbucks on Thursday July 8 (during my 3rd visit that day--it was day 3 or 4 of the heatwave in Lake Placid), I wrote the following while reading Mother Teresa: Come be my light edited and with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C.

On page 73, Mother Teresa wrote "Our Lord wants Indian Nuns, victims of his love."
"Victims" seemed to be a peculiar word choice. Upon reflection, I realized that His love is SO powerful that we are rendered powerless. It cannot be overcome. We are victims in this sense. There is no escaping His love. :)

On page 77, Mother Teresa quotes what she heard from God, "How it hurts to see these poor children soiled with sin...they don't know Me - so they don't want me...how I long to enter their holes - their dark unhappy homes. Come be their victim - In your immolation - in your love for Me - they will see Me - know Me - want Me..."

Again, the word "victim" is used. Be the victim of the people of India? Suffer through sacrificing your life - choosing to live as them in poverty and adopting their culture. In serving others we become a victim to the ones we serve? Perhaps 'victim' is an appropriate term so one does not expect anything in return when serving others: serving others for the sake of that person not the sake of the one serving.

Then, the light bulb illuminated, or my iced chai from trip Starbucks#2 jump-started my brain

Jesus was my victim. Through his sacrifice, because of His love for His Father, I came to see God, want God, and know God.

Serving others is a sacrifice. It is for the sole benefit of the one receiving the service. Jesus called Mother Teresa to suffer as he had suffered--to be a victim for others in order to share God's love.

Then I began to ponder how being someone's victim could apply to my trip to Haiti.

Will I be a victim of the Haitian people? What would that look like? I think many of the people in Haiti know you, God. What difference can I make? How can I be their victim? Sleeping in a tent during hurricane season is a sacrifice on my part, but I don't see how that would demonstrate my love for you. It's a sacrifice of a comfort. How can I be a victim of the Haitian people? How can they see you, know you, want you through my love for you? I trust you will answer this question in Haiti.