Mother Teresa

"Every decision is an ethical decision," so says my good friend Eric. 

Last week, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was officially recognized as a saint. 

She spent her life caring for the poorest of the poor. 

She practiced what Jesus spoke about in his sermon on the mount.....

Feed the poor

Care for the sick

Comfort those in need. 

She showed us how to live. 

On Thursday I attended a DUE Justice Event at which Rev William Barber spoke. He said America has a "heart problem."

America's heart is in the wrong place. 

Instead of love for our sister and brother, there is hatred for anyone different from ourselves. 

Instead of sharing our extra coat with our neighbor, it's I've got mine and too bad for you. 

America's moral compass is off. 

What Rev Barber so eloquently preaches, Mother Teresa lived. 

What Eric knows, Mother Teresa knew. 

America can fix its heart problem, but it will take us living in love as Mother Teresa did. 

But how can we, with our imperfections, be expected to live such a moral life, making loving ethical decisions?

How can we find love in our hearts when the world is filled with the kind of hatred that led to September 11?

Here may be Mother Terrsa's greatest gift to us. 

From studying her personal letters, we know that Mother Teresa, the woman who felt called by Jesus to serve the poorest of the poor, struggled with her spirituality at times. 

But her struggles did not change her decisions, did not change her life's work. 

Mother Teresa was not perfect, she experienced doubts as we all do. But she lived her life in loving service. 

May we all strive to make ethical decisions, all strive to live moral lives, all reach out in love to our sisters and brothers, and if we do so, America's heart problem will be cured.