Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vienna (Agenzia Fides) - The September 5th 2007 is the 10th anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 2003, only six years after her death. The only non member of the congregation founded by Mother Teresa, Fr. Leo Maasburg MA, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies Austria 'Missio', worked with the postulator for the cause of the beatification of the Mother, born in Albania. For many years in fact “Father Leo” accompanied Mother Teresa on her international journeys. He was also her confessor and at the request of Mother Teresa gave many retreats for her sisters working in various parts of the world often under difficult conditions. When the first communities of the Missionaries of Charity were opened in Moscow and Armenia in 1988, Father Leo was their spiritual father, the first Catholic priest to be recognised by the Russian authorities.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death Fr Maasburg prepared a series of daily reflections on her life which are being broadcast by Austria's Radio Ö 1 channel from 3-8 September. The programme can also be heard MP3 form at the Missio web site www.missio.at. “I have never seen anyone give such respect to every single person: to everyone she met she gave the same attention, care, respect and love” Father Leo says in one of his reflections. “She spoke as if her interlocutor were the only person in the world, and this made everyone feel they were her intimate friends. During the cause for her beatification we learned of at least 500 persons who felt they were close friends of Mother Teresa! Her manner made me certain that God loves each and every one of us with the very same love ”.
Fr. Maasburg also mentions the collection of Mother Teresa's private letters published as a book with the title “The secret of Mother Teresa”, in which the Mother writes of her interior doubts. Father Leo quotes her: “To help the poor to stand up we must bend and become poor ourselves”. “Mother Teresa went further as her letter show” says Father Leo. “She accepted also spiritual poverty, the mystic night of the soul … in order to kindle light for people in darkness, she too had to descend into the dark night of the absence of God”. (MS) (Agenzia Fides, 5/9/2007 - 36 righe, 471 parole)
