Nobel Lecture Question Answer Class 11 WBCHSE
“And we read that in the Gospel very clearly.”-What is the ‘Gospel? What does it contain?
The literal meaning of the word ‘Gospel is good news It is an account describing the life, death and resurrection (rising from the dead) of Jesus. There are four parts of the Gospel, which are found in Bible’s The New Testament.
The Gospel contains the preachings of Jesus Christ. It narrates Jesus’ attempt to promote peace, sacrifice andlove among mankind. The Gospel also says that Jesus came to the world to save man from his sin and distress: “For God so loves the world that he gave his one and only Son….”
“And to make sure we remember his great love he made himself the bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love. What is the Biblical allusion behind the above line? What is its significance in the context of Mother’s speech?
The above-mentioned line refers to the Biblical episode of the ‘Last Supper. Jesus invited his twelve disciples and gave them bread to eat and wine to drink. He told them that those taking his bread and wine would be infused with his spirit as he had turned his flesh into bread and his blood into wine. This is how Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the welfare of mankind and gave his new commandment, asking people to love each other as he had loved them.
Mother Teresa in her speech, cites this example because she wants people to love one another just as Jesus loved them-to sacrifice everything in love and love until it hurts.
That poverty comes right there in our own home,” Which poverty is Mother Teresa talking about? What happens when such poverty comes? What solution does she provide to remove that poverty?
Mother Teresa is talking about the ‘poverty which creeps in due to negligence of love. Sometimes people fail to take time out for their family members. They do not realise that someone in their family is feeling lonely, sick or worried. This creates mental poverty which is unbearable and agonising One forgets that love begins at home. While talking about mental poverty, Mother Teresa gives the example of people in old age homes whose sons and daughters have forgotten them, still the parents keep expecting a visit from them.
When such poverty comes, people stop smiling as all hope is lost and there remains nothing to look forward to.
Mother says that we should make every family member feel wanted’. We must spend time with one another. We must smile at each other as smile is the beginning of love We need to express our love and affection to our nearand dear ones. We should get together and feel the strength of the presence of each other. Only then we can overcome the evil called mental poverty.
feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion….”-Discuss.
According to Mother Teresa, abortion is a direct war, a direct murder of an innocent life by the mother. A bond develops between a mother and a child while she nurtures the unbom in her womb. But abortion means that the mother is willfully destroying that bond. It is a direct battle against God. God created human beings to love and be loved. A child is a valuable gift of God So, abortion is nothing but refusing that precious gift called birth.
Mother Teresa and the Sisters fight abortion by adoption. They want to make every child feel wanted. Mother appeals to hospitals, clinics, police stations and to the unwedded mothers not to destroy the child. She urges them to give the newborn to The Missionaries of Charity who would find a home for the child by giving it to those couples who are childless.
“And that is what strikes me most….”-What strikes Mother Teresa the most? What solution does she suggest?
The fact that a mother becomes the direct killer of her child strikes Mother Teresa the most. She feels that if a mother kills the child in her womb, there is nothing left for the world to destroy. To her, this destruction of life is terrifying.
The solution that Mother Teresa suggests to this problem is adoption. She and the Sisters have saved a huge number of innocent lives by taking unwanted children from unmarried mothers, clinics, hospitals and police stations and giving them to the care of couples who have no children. The nuns have also taught natural family planning to the beggars, the leprosy patients, the slum dwellers and the people who reside in the street.
“I will give you something terrifying.” What does the speaker refer to by ‘something tearifying’?
While fighting abortion by adoption, Mother Teresa gave us a terrifying picture of the society. There were thousands of unwedded mothers who were ready to kill their unborn child. To find a solution to this shocking scenario, Mother made an appeal to hospitals, clinics, police stations and to the unmarried mothers. She suggested them not to destroy the children but to bring them to The Missionaries of Charity. The response was tremendous.
Every day thousands of unwedded mothers came with their children. The Sisters took them and promised to find a home for them where they would be loved and cared for. This initiative taken by Mother Teresa and her association was a huge success and it helped in bringing down the total abortion count.
“I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family that had eight children.”-Which experience is Mother Teresa speaking of?
While talking about knowing and loving neighbour. Mother Teresa speaks of an extraordinary experience that she had. Once, a gentleman informed Mother that a Hindu family with eight children had not eaten for days. Mother Teresa immediately went to their house with some rice. The eyes of the little ones were shining with hunger. The mother of these children divided the rice and she went out. On coming back, when Mother Teresa asked her where she went, the woman replied that she had gone to give some rice to a Muslim family, their neighbour, who were also starving.
The poor lady knew the needs of her neighbour. Mother Teresa did not bring more rice that day because she wanted them to feel the joy of sharing Their love began at home. So, they could spread it among their neighbours. This incident is also a distinct example of communal harmony prevailing in India. This is the real life incident that Mother Teresa cited in her speech.
And she died with a smile on her face.”-How did she die with a smile on her face?
One evening Mother Teresa and the Sisters picked up four people from the street. Mother decided to take care of the woman whose condition was worst and entrusted the other three in the care of the Sisters. Mother Teresa showered her love and care on this wretched woman. She left no stone unturned to revive her. The lady grasped Mother’s hand and said Thank you’ as she breathed her last.
Neither did she complain about anything nor did she try to draw Mother Teresa’s attention towards her miserable condition. Rather she expressed gratitude for the love and care she received from Mother Teresa. She gave Mother her grateful love and died peacefully with a smile on her face which according to Mother Teresa, is the beginning of love. The greatness of the poor is revealed through this incident.
…Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. What is Mother’s observation about smile?
Mother Teresa asks everyone to always keep a smile on their faces. She used to believe that smile is the beginning of love. So, one should always greet others with a smile especially when it is difficult to smile. Smile will establish a beautiful bond among people. Then love will naturally grow and people would feel the urge to do something for others. Christ believed love is the ultimate message for peace. By smiling, one can spread peace. As God is in the heart, He is in the poor, He is in the smile that we give and in the smile that we receive. Hence, smiling is actually a way of serving God.
Why did Mother Teresa say that the poor people are great people?
The poor people in spite of being distressed, internalized God’s message of spreading love among others. They know how to live life without complaints and complexities.
Mother discussed about a poor dying woman whom she picked up from the street in this connection. The woman had no regrets or complaints but a beautiful smile on her face and uttered the word thank you’ to Mother. Similarly, the man who was picked up from the drain and was half- eaten with worms, showed his gratefulness for the love and care he received at the time of his death. These poor people are like angels, who know how to strengthen the bond among themselves through love, care and gratefulness. Therefore, Mother Teresa acknowledged their effort and called them very great people.
What is the essence of the prayer of St Francis of Assisi?
After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa begins her speech with the prayer of St Francis of Assisi. The prayer of St Francis of Assisi which was composed 4-500 years ago, is relevant even today. The prayer focuses on the fact that greed causes suffering for both the victim and the perpetrator. It reminds us that people used to have the same problems that we have today. We need to bring love in our lives in place of hatred.
The spirit of forgiveness should be inculcated, to do away with bitterness or malice. Hope should not lose to despair, harmony should prevail, faith should replace doubt and joy should substitute sadness. Mother Teresa conveys her message of spreading peace and love through this prayer as it talks about making this world a better place and life worth living. The prayer teaches us that by serving others we can get closer to our ultimate goal of coming close to God.
Briefly describe the Biblical episode in which Elizabeth and Mary meet each other.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God was sent in the form of an unbom child in Mother Mary’s womb. Mother Teresa tells us that God decided to send Jesus in the human world to spread peace. As soon as Mother Mary realised that she has conceived, she hurriedly went to give the good news to her cousin Elizabeth. Hearing this news, Elizabeth’s unbom child, leapt with joy in the womb of Elizabeth. That little unborn child was John the Baptist, who recognised that Jesus, son of Mother Mary, has come to bring the good news for mankind. So, this meeting was actually the first meeting between John the Baptist-the first messenger of peace and Jesus Christ-the Prince of Peace.
Why does Mother Teresa believe that it is not enough for us to say “I love God, but I do not love my neighbour”?
According to Mother Teresa, one can serve God only by serving mankind God wants people to love one another, share everything with one another and care for one another Jesus sacrificed his life for the welfare of mankind St John declares that a person who claims to love God but ignores his neighbour is a liar because God resides within each and every human being.
One cannot love God, whom one cannot see, if one does not love one’s neighbour whom one can see, touch and live with. Moreover, one’s neighbours stretch their helping hands in times of crisis and so, they deserve to be loved. Therefore, by serving one’s fellow human beings can one truly serve Godand one should begin to love from home. One should spread that love among others, only then would his service be accepted by God.
Narrate the experience and the feelings of Mother when she visited an old age home?
Mother Teresa once visitedan old age home. She saw that the inmates there had almost everything required to live comfortably. Yet their faces were gloomy. Mother was surprisedto see that they were all looking towards the door. The unhappiness in their lives was due to their false expectation that some day their children would come to meet them. They were hurt because they were forgotten. The children had washed their hands of their duties towards their parents by sending them to the old age home and by never coming to pay a visit to them.
Mother Teresa considered the behaviour of the inmatesas a sign of mental poverty the deficiency of love and care. This experience helped Mother understand that love and attention of near and dear ones are the two pillars which support human beings to live happily.
What according to Mother Teresa, is the cause of drug addiction among the younger generation?
Mother Teresa is disheartened to see how drug addiction is increasing at an alarming rate among the younger generation. This is posing a great threat to the future of the world at large. Mother tries to understand the reason behindthis frightening situation. She observes that children who feel neglected by their parents and family. turn tosuch harmful habits.
They have no one to look after themor guide them in their family because working parents do not get time to attend to their children. The loneliness at times leadsto depression. In the absence of the gentle touch of love, which the child desperately craves for, he or she resorts to drug addiction. Hence, Mother Teresa says that only love and care can prevent the children from getting addicted to drugs.
How did the dying woman and the sick man stir Mother Teresa’s heart?
One evening Mother Teresa and the Sisters picked up four alling persons from the street. Mother Teresa took the woman who was in the last stage of her life under her care. The Sisters looked after the other three. Mother nursed the woman with complete dedication yet could not cure her back to life. While dying, the woman neither complained about anything nor tried to gain Mother Teresa’s sympathy. She only had a warm and beautiful smile on her face and two words to say to Mother-thank you.
Mother had a similar experience with a poor man whom they picked up from the drain. He was half-eaten with worms. But he did not complain about anything, accuse or cursed anybody. He said that all his life he had received only negligence, lived like an animal in the street whereas, at his deathbed, he received care and love in The Missionaries of Charity and was going to die like an angel.
These two experiences stirred grateful love in Teresa’s heart. She got evidence that God resides in every human being and that the poor people are great people. To get closer to God we should bestow our love and care upon everyone and be thankful for whatever we receive.
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