As a theology major, I earned my degree turning thousands of pages of spiritual reading—saints’ reflections, papal documents and biblical analysis. I remember highlighting lines that pierced my heart; whole paragraphs of intricate wording that went right to my soul. There is no end in the Faith to the number of buoys for our souls. But truly, the best theology I’ve studied and meditated with is in simple declarations, like Christ’s “Whatever you did to the least of my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40). This powerful statement was often quoted by St. Teresa of Calcutta when compelling the world to pour themselves out in service to others.

Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Charity subjected themselves to the most grotesque of experiences in their ministry, including bathing maggots off the homeless in the streets and feeding those gaunt with starvation. Though there is certainly no denying the greatness of her love, if we examine the fundamental nature of Mother Teresa’s work, we find endeavors we are equally capable of doing—and maybe already are.

The same heroic love the Sisters of Charity freely offered to the poorest of the poor have been shown to me throughout my life. As a mother of six wonderful children, I constantly re-learn that the small services I gave and received in my childhood also required self-sacrifice. I wonder how many times my parents denied themselves so they could buy clothes and groceries for their growing kids? My siblings and I couldn’t do it ourselves (or drive to school or make dinner very well), so Mom and Dad proceeded thanklessly and consistently. Now that I’m 16 years into motherhood and married life, I know that every bit of loving support they gave me, they did so while carrying their own burdens and stresses.

No doubt all of us parents are familiar with being awakened in the middle of the night. At our house recently, it was, “Mom, I need a bucket…” My tired eyes flew open to see my very pale 14-year old. Too sick and weak to do much for himself, my husband and I took turns a few nights in a row until the stomach bug passed. We didn’t give it a second thought; it’s just what you do when your children have needs they can’t handle on their own.

What do you do for your family? The bread-winner, the laundry folder, the lunch maker, the money manager, the entrepreneur, the listener? We often think that extraordinary service calls for extraordinary circumstances, but sainthood is found in the love of our personal callings. It may not be extraordinary to interact with the people in your home (nor as dramatic as service in Calcutta’s slums); but consider that the Savior Himself dwells within each of our households, and that to serve them is to serve Him. You did it to me. Mother Teresa’s heroic nature does not call for a setting as far away as India. It’s found where there is common care among the family.

It’s important to note that Mother Teresa herself said that “love begins at home,” which beautifully complements Pope St. John Paul II’s words, “As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”

The feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta is September fifth. Let’s bear in mind that she’s ready to walk with us in the mundane and off-putting tasks that the Lord calls us to do. For whatever we do for another, He says, “You did it to me.”

Katie Sciba is a national speaker and Catholic Press Award- winning columnist. Katie has been married for 15 years and is blessed with six children>

This article appeared in the September 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.