This Week in History

 August 26, 1910: Mother Teresa, who became a Catholic nun and missionary known for her humanitarian work, particularly in India, was born in Skopje, Macedonia.

Mother Teresa, born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, was the youngest of three children. At 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India, and took the name Teresa in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. She moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1929, where she would later experience a profound "call within a call" in 1946. This spiritual awakening led her to leave the convent and dedicate her life to serving the poorest of the poor. In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation that eventually grew to include thousands of members. They operated schools, hospices, and leper colonies worldwide, with a focus on caring for the destitute, the dying, and the sick, particularly those suffering from leprosy and AIDS. Her tireless work earned her global recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Despite facing health issues in her later years, she continued her mission until her death on September 5, 1997. Mother Teresa was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003 and canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016. Her life remains a powerful symbol of compassion, humility, and unwavering dedication to helping those in need. A quote from her opns my most recent book: “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean.But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”

       With all due respect to Mother Teresa, the amount that is given charitably in the United States each year (around $485 billion from all sources) is larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of ENTIRE COUNTRIES  like Tonga and the Marshall Islands. Though those countries are literal drops in the ocean size-wise, where I come from, that is still a lot of money. I’ll let you in on a secret: Americans are wealthy and generous. But what good is our generosity doing? Are the charities to which we give fulfilling our personal mission? Are they reflecting our personal values? Are they making any difference in the real world or are they merely drops in the ocean? The truth is that most of us have absolutely no idea. A more strategic approach to philanthropy may sound daunting or only for “rich people.” In reality, it is the practice of philanthropy where donors use thoughtful approaches to maximize the impact of their giving. Not so hard, right? It is just a planned and purposeful approach to generosity that seeks to achieve measurable results. And you don’t need to be Mother Teresa to have an impact in this world. Of course, there are no guarantees on the next world, even for Saints. 

If you would like a complimentary copy of my new book, The Gifts That Keep on Giving, CLICK HERE or email me requesting a copy.