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The Rhodesia Herald,
19 October 1979
THE award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Mother Teresa should win universal acclaim.

The little nun from Albania who has devoted her life to working for the desperately poor in the slums of Calcutta has, by example, inspired thousands of other people not only to care about the suffering, but to do something to help.

There is seemingly no solution to the problem of the millions of wretched people destined to be born and die on the streets of the vast urban slums in places like Calcutta.

But for Mother Teresa and her helpers it is the individual man, woman or child in need of care that counts.

There is no global answer, but simply a response to a cry for help.

We hear an awful lot these days about human rights and what governments should or should not do about them. But political expediency and self-interest all too often finally dictate what action is taken.

This is not the way of Mother Teresa.

The Nobel committee which awarded her the Peace Prize hopes that constructive efforts to help mankind live a better life, will be inspired by her spirit and respect for the worth of the individual.

In our own country we have many thousands of people who have lost their homes, their possessions and their loved ones because of the war.

Many are being helped, but there is much more to be done. What better inspiration could we find today than in the example set for us by Mother Teresa?

LESSONS FOR TODAY

Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poorest of the poor, the helpless and hopeless in society. The Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded was “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.”

Many inspirational speeches and books have been written about Mother Teresa and the humanitarian work she performed.

The tiny Catholic nun who was a colossal figure in the latter part of the 20th Century remains relevant in the 21st Century.

Mother Teresa was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, according to Roman Catholic tradition.

Pope Francis canonised her in 2016 and she is now Saint Teresa of Calcutta.