Mother Teresa was invited to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994. All speakers at these bi-partisan events are instructed to avoid making any comments that might cause shall we say 'controversy.' Well, Mother Teresa did not get that memo. The following are some excerpts from her speech delivered on February 3rd, 1994. As you read, please keep in mind her audience which included all of the heavy hitters in Washington, including the Clinton family alongside Al Gore and his wife.
"I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more things than those in the East? And the answer was: "Because there is no one in the family to receive them." Our children depend on us for everything - their health, their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they look to us with trust, hope and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married or have given up on their marriage. So the children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things. We are talking of love of the child which is where love and peace must begin. These are the things that break peace…
But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself…
And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts…
By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems...
And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion...
Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion…
I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to the clinics, to the hospitals and police stations: "Please don't destroy the child; we will take the child." So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble: "Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child." And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child - but I never give a child to a couple who have done something not to have a child. Jesus said. "Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me." By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus…
It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish…
Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child…
From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy…
From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!"
How did Bill Clinton respond to Mother Teresa's speech? When asked by a reporter how he felt about what Mother Teresa had to say on abortion, Bill Clinton said the following: "How can anyone argue with a life so well-lived?"
There you have it! Bill Clinton's most memorable words. How true they are. Might that be said of all who have read thus far. Might we live our lives in such a way, that people regardless of differing backgrounds (social, economic, political, ethnic and spiritual) would be able to speak those words over our lives as well. Let us love Jesus and humanity in such a way (i.e. Mother Teresa), that people would be challenged and encouraged to follow suit – to live 'A Life Well Lived.'
"I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given to drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that, when those in the West have so many more things than those in the East? And the answer was: "Because there is no one in the family to receive them." Our children depend on us for everything - their health, their nutrition, their security, their coming to know and love God. For all of this, they look to us with trust, hope and expectation. But often father and mother are so busy they have no time for their children, or perhaps they are not even married or have given up on their marriage. So the children go to the streets and get involved in drugs or other things. We are talking of love of the child which is where love and peace must begin. These are the things that break peace…
But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself…
And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts…
By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems...
And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion...
Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion…
I will tell you something beautiful. We are fighting abortion by adoption - by care of the mother and adoption for her baby. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent word to the clinics, to the hospitals and police stations: "Please don't destroy the child; we will take the child." So we always have someone tell the mothers in trouble: "Come, we will take care of you, we will get a home for your child." And we have a tremendous demand from couples who cannot have a child - but I never give a child to a couple who have done something not to have a child. Jesus said. "Anyone who receives a child in my name, receives me." By adopting a child, these couples receive Jesus but, by aborting a child, a couple refuses to receive Jesus…
It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish…
Please don't kill the child. I want the child. Please give me the child. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child…
From our children's home in Calcutta alone, we have saved over 3000 children from abortion. These children have brought such love and joy to their adopting parents and have grown up so full of love and joy…
From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!"
How did Bill Clinton respond to Mother Teresa's speech? When asked by a reporter how he felt about what Mother Teresa had to say on abortion, Bill Clinton said the following: "How can anyone argue with a life so well-lived?"
There you have it! Bill Clinton's most memorable words. How true they are. Might that be said of all who have read thus far. Might we live our lives in such a way, that people regardless of differing backgrounds (social, economic, political, ethnic and spiritual) would be able to speak those words over our lives as well. Let us love Jesus and humanity in such a way (i.e. Mother Teresa), that people would be challenged and encouraged to follow suit – to live 'A Life Well Lived.'
We hope this post was useful for you, please visit MERCY HEALS regularly for more interesting posts. You may also subscribe to our blogs feed to receive latest posts as soon as they are posted online.
Like & Share!
Daily Prayers
Search this blog for more interesting posts.
Comments
Post a Comment