TERESA OF CALCUTTA: "NO GREATER LOVE"
Monday night, the Pontifical North American College was the site of the Rome premiere of the film, "Mother Teresa, No Greater Love," on the life and heroic times of a diminutive woman who was a giant when it came to loving, St. Teresa of Calcutta.
Present at the premiere were a number of Missionaries of Charity, those wonderful sisters who follow in this saint's footsteps, doing the same loving. heroic work that she did, day in and day out.
Cardinals Timothy Dolan and Edwin O'Brien, former rectors of the North American College were also present, as were numerous seminarians, Jonathan Roumie who portrays Jesus in the series, "The Chosen," Patrick Kelly, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and David Naglieri, writer and director of "No Greater Love."
Teresa of Calcutta's love was a no-holds-barred love that embraced all of God's children but absolutely above all, "the least of God's children," the heart-wrenchingly poor and destitute, the forgotten and rejected ones such as the disabled, victims of leprosy, the starving, those who were left to die in the hovels they called home or on the streets of their villages or towns, on the peripheries of large, well-to-do urban centers where people truly did not care about the "people they could not see."
One of the most powerful films I have ever seen, "No Greater Love" was produced by the Knights of Columbus to mark the 25th anniversary of her death on September 5, 1997.
As the official website says: "Twenty-five years have passed since the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, sparking a renewed interest in this spiritual giant of the 20th century. Filmed on 5 continents and featuring unprecedented access to both institutional archives and the apostles of the missionaries of charity, this film reveals not just who a Mother Teresa was, but how her singular vision to serve Christ in the poor continues to be realized through the missionaries of charity today This is far more than a documentary film it is at once a soaring tribute To a spiritual icon, a powerful witness of authentic Christian charity command charity, and a guidepost for all who seek hope in our turbulent times."
There are so many heart-stopping moments in this brilliantly and tastefully done documentary. Moments that make you understand what heroic virtues and sainthood really mean. Moments that make you seriously reflect on what it means to love, without question, without hesitation, without limits. Moments that make you ask yourself: Could I ever do that?
You start to realize that it is was an abundance of God's grace that enabled this humble woman to hug a victim of leprosy, embrace a person whose body is wracked by sores and disease or simply to hold the emaciated hand of a dying man. After all, more than once Mother Teresa said what she did was not about her – it was about those she loved and helped.
In one scene, as Mother Teresa was entering a room of a place in New York soon to be one of her centers, a woman who had benefited from Teresa's love and care, remarked how a room changed with Teresa walked in.
What came to my mind in that moment was the Transfiguration, a powerful encounter, a pivotal man-meets-God meeting that transformed the apostles. And, while not going into the deep theological significance of the Transfiguration, I couldn't help but think that a powerful encounter, a pivotal moment, was what happened when Mother Teresa walked into a room.
The movie will be shown in 940 theaters in the United States for two days only, Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4. Go here for tickets: Mother Teresa: No Greater Love | Fathom Events
The official website (where you can watch a trailer): Mother Teresa: No Greater Love Film - HOME (motherteresamovie.com)
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