Blessed Mother Theresa

                                      

                                                                                                                                         

     This window is centered on Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta.    In this window Mother Theresa is praying her favorite prayer of contemplation and petition, the rosary of Mary. It was her relationship to Jesus and Mary in prayer that inspired and graced her apostolate among the poorest of the poor. As her transformation unto Christ deepened she was raised to a worldwide icon of charity and justice not only for the poorest of the poor but also for the unborn, the victim children of war, poor aids patients, homeless street people and poor women in prison. She pricked the conscience of the world and admonished the wealthy and powerful to respond to the crying needs of the poor throughout the world. Through her life of prayer and service she became a living icon of Jesus the world over. Her witness of agape love and justice continues today in the thousands of her sisters who pray and serve in dozens of countries all over the world.

    

     On top of her portrait is a flaming dove that   represents the Holy Spirit that set Mother Theresa on fire with love for Jesus and him in the distressing disguise of the poor. Cascading downward from the Holy Spirit are twenty light blue beads representing the twenty mysteries of the rosary, which Theresa contemplated everyday and were an important facet of her transformation unto Jesus. On both sides of her portrait is red diamond like   shapes each containing a circle. Within each circle are eight circles that represent the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The circles on the right represent the spiritual works of mercy: instructing the ignorant, admonishing the sinner. Counseling the doubtful, consoling the sorrowful, forgiving offenses, bearing wrongs patiently, and praying for the conversion of sinners. The circles on the left represent the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned, burying the dead, and giving alms to those in need. On the lower left and right of her portrait are two crosses. One cross represents her self-denial in her religious vocation of poverty, chastity and obedience. The other cross represents her pouring out of herself in service to her Lord and the poorest of his brothers and sisters. On each side of the window are two large circles each containing the six pointed star of the Old Testament and the eight pointed star of the New Testament both of which speak of and point to the one Word of God - Jesus, who fed Mother Theresa everyday in word and sacrament. On the bottom right of the window is an oval containing the Eucharist and Chalice- the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus, which Mother Theresa received everyday as her spiritual nourishment in the holy sacrifice of the Mass. On the bottom right of the window is a circle containing nine small yellow circles that represents the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, peace, joy, generosity, goodness, faith, mildness and temperance which Mother Theresa received and practiced to an exemplary degree.