March 31

Before God we are all poor. We are all handicapped in one way or another. Sometimes it can be seen on the outside, sometimes it is in the inside. The healthy person may be closer to dying or even more dead than the person who is dying. They might be spiritually dead, only it does not show.

March 30

There is not limit, because God is love and love is God. And so you are really in love with God, and God's love is infinite. And that's why it's not how much you do, but how much love you put into the action.

March 29

Self-knowledge puts us on our knees, and it is very necessary for love. For knowledge of God gives love, and knowledge of self gives humility.

March 28

I am not the centerpiece on a prize-giving day. It is Christ using me as his instrument to unite all the people present. That is what I see happening: people coming to meet each other because of their need for God. The wonderful thing about it is that there is a religious atmosphere; they all speak about God. This is a great experience for me. I feel that to bring all these people together to talk about God is really wonderful. A new hope for the world.

March 27

If we really want to pray, we must first learn to listen: for in the silence of the heart God speaks. And to be able to see that silence. to be able to hear God, we need a clean heart. Let us listen to God, to what He has to say. We cannot speak unless we have listened, unless we have made our connection with God. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth will speak, the mind will think.

March 26

In Calcutta, we cope with 9,000 people every day and the day we don't cook, they don't eat. One day, a Sister came and told me: "Mother, there is no more rice for Friday and Saturday; we will have to tell the people that we don't have it." On Friday morning at about 9 o'clock, a truck full of bread arrived. The Government had closed the schools for some reason. All the bread was brought to us and for two days our people ate bread, and bread and bread! I knew why God had closed the schools. Those thousands of people had to know that God loved them, that He cared for them.

March 25

In his passion Jesus taught us how to forgive out of love, how to forget out of humility. So let us at the beginning of the Passion of Christ examine our hearts fully and see if there is any unforgiven hurt, any unforgiven bitterness.

March 24

I remember that at the beginning of my work I had a very high fever and in that delirious fever I went before St.Peter. He said to me: "Go back. There are not slums in heaven!" So I got very angry with him and I said: "Very well! Then I will fill heaven with slum people and you will have slums there. Then you will be forced to let me in. We will all have to go home in God."

March 23

I don't want the work to become a business but to remain a work of love. I want you to have that complete confidence that God won't let us down. Take Him at His word and seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and all else will be added on. Joy, peace, and unity are more important than money. If God wants me to do something, He gives me the means.

March 22

We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, of killings, of wars, of hatred. If a mother can kill her own child, what is left for us to kill each other.

March 21

God has His own ways and means to work in the hearts of men, and we do not know how close they are to Him. By their actions we will always know whether they are at God's disposal or not.

March 20

A gentleman once asked me what we should do to remove poverty from India. I said; "If you want to love the poor you must share with them. If you want to remove poverty, share with the poor."

March 19

If you are humble, nothing will touch you. If you are a saint, thank God. If you are a sinner, do not remain so.

March 18

The fruit of prayer is the deepening of love, deepening of faith. If we believe, we will be able to pray, and the fruit of love is service. Therefore works of love are always works of peace, and to be able to put our hearts and hands into loving service we must know God, we must know God is love, that He loves us and that He has created us - each one of us - for greater things.

March 17

I will never forget the experience I had in visiting a hoe where they kept all the old parents of sons and daughters who had put them into an institution and perhaps forgotten them. These old people had everything - good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking towards the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and asked: "Why are they not smiling?" I am so used to seeing the smile on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said; "This is the way it is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them." It is this neglect to love that brings spiritual poverty.

March 16

Let us remember that Jesus has said: "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do it to me." Just think - that little smile that you give to a lonely person, that hand you give a blind person to cross the road, that little bit of food you sacrifice for someone who is hungry, you do it for Him.

March 15

Is my heart so clean that I can see the face of God in my brother, my sister who is that black one, that white one, that naked one that one suffering from leprosy, that dying one? And this is what we must pray for. Because God lives in us and makes us godly, we are one another's brothers and sisters - one big family of God's children.

March 14

We get so many visitors every day at Mother House in Calcutta. When I meet them I give each one my "business card." On it is written: "The fruit of silence is prayer; The fruit of prayer is faith; The fruit of faith is love; The fruit of love is service; The fruit of service is peace. This is very good "business!" And it makes people think. Sometimes, they ask me to explain it. But you see, everything begins with prayer that is born in the silence of our hearts. Among yourselves you can share your own experience of your need to pray, and how you found prayer, and what the fruit of prayer has been in your own lives."

March 13

Someone once asked me, if suddenly the need for your work among the poorest of the poor ceased to exist, what would you do with the rest of your life? I answered: "We would be unemployed like so many people who have lost their jobs. But Jesus said: "You will always have the poor with you."

March 12

When he was dying on the Cross, Jesus said: "I thirst." Jesus is thirsting for our love, and this is the thirst of everyone, poor and rich alike. We all thirst for the love of others, that they go out of their way to avoid harming us and do good to us. This is the meaning of true love, to give until it hurts.

March 11

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, for money one can get. I would like more people to give their hands to serve and their hearts to love - to recognize the poor in their own homes, towns and countries and to reach out to them in love and compassion, giving where it is most needed, and share the joy of loving with everyone.

March 10

I will never forget the day I was walking down a street in London and saw a man sitting all alone, looking so terribly lonely. I walked up to him and I took his hand and shook it. And he exclaimed: "Oh, after so long, this is the first time I've felt the warmth of a human hand." And then his face brightened up. He was a different being. He felt that there was somebody who really wanted him, somebody who really cared. I never realized before that such a small action could bring so much joy.

March 9

"Open your eyes and see." There is not just hunger for a piece of bread, there is hunger for understanding love, for the word of God. Nakedness is not only for a piece of cloth, nakedness is the loss of human dignity, the loss of that beautiful virtue of purity which is so misused nowadays.

March 8

How do we learn to pray? By praying. It is hard to pray if one does not know how. We must help ourselves to learn. Pray with absolute trust in God's loving care for you and let Him fill you with joy that you may preach without peaching.

March 7

Prayer is a joy. Prayer is the sunshine of God's love, prayer is hope of eternal happiness, prayer is the burning flame of God's love for you and for me. Let us pray for each other, for this is the best way to love one another.

March 6

It is a wonderful feeling to know the presence of God and how He takes care of us. Share that joy with others and by sharing it, give life back into the family. My prayer for you and your country is that we may realize the greatness of God's love for us and with that love protect the unborn child, the greatest gift of God for each of us and for the world.

March 5

Let anyone who comes to you go away feeling better and happier. Everyone should see goodness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile. Joy shows from the eyes, it appears when we speak and walk. It cannot be kept closed inside us. It reacts outside. Joy is very infectious.

March 4

We know that if we really want to love, we must learn to forgive. Forgive and ask to be forgiven; excuse rather than accuse. Reconciliation begins first, not with others but with ourselves. It starts with having a clean heart within. A clean heart is able to see God in others. We must radiate God's love.

March 3

What does God say to us? He says: "I have called you by your name, you are mine; water will not drown you, fire will not burn you, I will give up nations for you, you are precious to me, I love you. Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand." So also, the people who come in contact with you are precious to Him. Help them to grow in holiness because holiness is not a luxury reserved for a few. It is simple duty for you and for me and for all.

March 2

How do we begin that love, that peace and hope? The family that prays together stays together; and if we stay together, naturally we will love one another and want each other. I feel today we need to bring prayer back. Teach your children to pray and pray with them

March 1

God has created us to love and to be loved, and this is the beginning of prayer - to know that he loves me, to know that I have been created for greater things.