# Life is an opportunity, benefit from it: Reflections on Mother Teresa
*2016-09-24*

> Bill Young reflects on the feast of St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão and discusses the importance of the female voice in the Church, drawing inspiration from the wisdom of Mother Teresa.

## The Feast of St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão

Today is Tuesday, October 25th, and we celebrate the feast day of St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão from Brazil. He lived from 1739 to 1822 and served as a confessor to many sisters of St. Teresa before founding his own order. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and canonized in 2007. He is one of our newer saints, known for supporting women entering religious life and for his dedication to the poor and needy.

## The Importance of the Female Voice in the Church

I have been thinking about the role of women in the Church and the discussions surrounding whether women could serve as deacons. To me, the answer is yes. Our sisters already perform many of the functions that deacons do—visiting the sick and distributing Communion. I believe we would benefit greatly from a female perspective in the homily, similar to the strength we see in saints like St. Clare, St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

This female voice is rooted in our Blessed Mother, Mary. We need the guidance of our religious mothers and the women in our parishes. In my own parish, we have wonderful women like Susan, who I believe listens closely to God. Just as Father Jeff is the father of our parish, these women can serve as mothers to the flock. I pray that Pope Francis, guided by the Holy Spirit and the intercession of the Blessed Mother, may one day see the possibility of female deacons so that we may experience that motherly love in the liturgy.

## Lessons from Mother Teresa

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the canonization Mass for Mother Teresa in Rome, where I met several of her sisters. Mother Teresa is often remembered for her humility and her work with the poor, but she also possessed an extremely powerful voice. She reminds us that God's plan has always involved women, from the humble Mary to the great female saints.

One of her most beautiful reflections on life describes it as a series of opportunities: Life is beauty, admire it; a dream, realize it; a challenge, meet it; a duty, complete it; a promise, fulfill it; a song, sing it; and a struggle, accept it. She reminds us that life is too precious to destroy and that we must fight for it.

## Humility and Peace

Mother Teresa also taught that humility is the mother of all virtues, including purity, charity, and obedience. She taught that if you are humble, nothing can touch you—neither praise nor disgrace—because you know who you are. If you are blamed, you will not be discouraged, and if you are called a saint, you will not put yourself on a pedestal.

She also spoke powerfully about the destroyer of peace, stating that abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace because if a mother can kill her own child, there is nothing left to stop people from killing one another.

## A Work in Progress

Finally, Mother Teresa gave practical advice on how to carry oneself: keep the corners of your mouth turned up, speak in a low, measured tone, listen, be teachable, and laugh. Looking at these words, I realize I am a work in progress. I sometimes speak too loudly and need to work on my listening skills, and I often miss the punchline when telling stories. I pray that I can continue to grow in these virtues.

*By embracing humility and listening to the guidance of the female saints and the Blessed Mother, we can better realize the opportunities and beauty of the life God has given us.*