Mother Teresa's speech upon receiving the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize

Since we have gathered here to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize, I think it
would be beautiful if we all prayed the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi that always
surprises me a lot – we pray this prayer every day after Holy Communion, because
it fits so well for each of us, and I always wonder if 4,500 years ago when Saint
Francis of Assisi composed this prayer, they had the same difficulties that we have
today, since this prayer fits so well for us too. I think some of you have already
understood it, so we will pray together.

Let us allow ourselves to thank God for the opportunity that we all have today
together, for this gift of peace that reminds us that we have been created to live in
that peace, and that Jesus became man to bring that good news to the poor. He,
being God, became man in every way like us except sin, and proclaimed very
clearly that he had come to give good news. The news was peace to all good will
and this is something that we all want - peace of heart - and God loved the world
so much that he gave his son - because he was given - it is as much as saying that
it pained God to give him, because he loved the world so much that he gave it his
son and gave him to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with him?

As soon as he came into her life, he immediately rushed to deliver that good news,
and when he entered his cousin's house, the child – the unborn child – the child in
Elizabeth's womb jumped with joy. That little unborn child was the first messenger
of peace. He recognized the Prince of Peace, he recognized that Christ had come
to give good news for you and me. And it was as if that wasn't enough – as if it
wasn't enough to become a man – He died on the cross to demonstrate a higher
love, and he died for you and for me and for that leper and for that starving man
and that person. lying naked in the street, not only in Calcutta, but in Africa, New
York, London and Oslo – and insisted that we love each other as he loves each of
us. And we read that very clearly in the gospel – love as I have loved you – as I
love you – as the Father has loved me, I love you – and the more the Father loved
him, he gave him to us, and when The more we love each other, we too must give
until it hurts. It is not enough for us to say: I love God, but I do not love my
neighbor. Saint John says that we are liars if you say you love God but you don't
love your neighbor. How can you love a God that you do not see, if you do not love
your neighbor that you do see, that you touch and with whom you live? And this is
very important for us, to realize that love, to be true, must hurt. It hurt Jesus to love
us. And to make sure we remembered his great love, he made himself the bread of
life to satisfy our hunger for his love. Our hunger for God, because we have been
created for that love. We have been created in his image. We have been created to
love and be loved, and then he has to become a man to make it possible for us to
love each other as he loved us. He becomes the hungry, the naked, the homeless,
the sick, the prisoner, the lonely, the unwanted, and says: You did it to me. Hungry
for our love, and this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you
and I must find, it can be in our own home.

I never forget an opportunity I had visiting a home where they had all these old
fathers and mothers of sons and daughters who had just been put in an institution
and perhaps forgotten. And I went there, and I saw that in that home they had
everything, beautiful things, but everyone looked towards the door. And I didn't see
a single smile on their faces. And I turned to the sister and asked her, how can it
be? How can it be that the people who have everything here look towards the
door? Why don't they smile? I'm so used to seeing a smile on our people, even the
dying smile, and she said: This is almost every day, they are waiting, they are
waiting for a son or daughter to come visit them. They are hurt because they are
forgotten, and look- this is where love comes. That poverty comes right here to our
own home, even the neglect of love. Maybe in our family we have someone who is
feeling lonely, sick or worried, and those are daily difficulties for everyone. Are we
there to receive them, just as the mother is there to receive the child?

I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls giving in to drugs,
and I tried to find out why- why it is like that, and the answer was: because there is
no one in the family to receive them. The father and mother are so worried that
they don't have time. The young parents are in some institution and the son returns
to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking about peace. These
are things that break peace, but I feel that the biggest destroyer of peace today is
abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct murder by the mother herself. And we
read in the Scriptures, for God clearly says: Even if a mother may forget her son, I
will not forget you, I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the
palm of His hand, so close to Him that an unswim child has been carved in the
palm of God's hand. And that is what impacts me the most, the beginning of that
sentence, that even if a mother can forget something impossible - but even if she
could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest
destroyer of peace is abortion. And those of us who are standing here – our
parents loved us. We wouldn't be here if our parents had done that to us. Our
children, we love them, we love them, but there are millions of them. Many people
are very concerned about the children in India, about the children in Africa, where
many die, perhaps from malnutrition, hunger and so on, but millions are dying
deliberately at the will of the mother. And that is the biggest destroyer of peace
today. Because if a mother can kill her own child - what is missing for me to kill you
and you to kill me - there is nothing in between. And I apply this in India, I apply it
everywhere: Let the child return, and let this year be the year of the child. What
have we done for the child? At the beginning of the year I said, I spoke everywhere
and said: Let us this year make every born and unborn child dear. And today is the
end of the year, have we really loved the children? I'll give you something scary.
We are fighting abortion with adoption, we have saved thousands of lives, we have
sent messages to all the clinics, all the hospitals, police stations – please do not
destroy the child, we will take the child. So every hour of the day and night there is
always someone, we have a large number of unmarried mothers - tell them to
come, we will take care of you, we will take your children for you and get you a
home. And we have a huge demand from families who do not have children, that is
God's blessing for us. And also, we are doing something else that is very beautiful
– we are teaching our beggars, our leprosy patients, the slum dwellers, the street
people, natural family planning.

And in Calcutta alone, in six years – everything is Calcutta – we have had 61,273
fewer babies from families that would have had, but because they practiced this
natural method of abstinence, of self-control, of love for one another. We teach
them the temperature meter which is very beautiful, very simple, and our poor
people understand it. And do you know what they told me? Our family is healthy,
our family is close, and we can have a baby whenever we want. So clear - those
people on the street, those beggars - and I believe that if our people can do that,
how much more so can you and all the others who can know the means without
destroying the life that God has created in us.

Poor people are great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. The
other day one of them came to give thanks and said: You who have taken a vow of
chastity are the best to teach family planning. Because it is nothing more than self-
control and love for each other. And I think they said a very beautiful phrase. And
these are the people who have nothing to eat, maybe they don't have a home to
live in, but they are great people. The poor are wonderful people. One night we
went out and picked up four people off the street. And one of them was in terrible
condition, and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I will take care of
this one who looks worse. So I did for her everything my love can do. I put her on
the bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took my hand while
she said a single word: Thank you – and she died.

I couldn't help but examine my conscience before her, and I wondered what I
would say if I were in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have
tried to draw some attention to myself, I would have said I'm hungry, I'm dying, I'm
cold, I'm in pain or something, but she gave me so much more – she gave me her
grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. Just like that man we picked
up from the drain, half eaten by worms, and brought home. I have lived like an
animal in the streets, but I will die like an angel, loved and cared for. And it was so
wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could
die without blaming anyone, without cursing anyone, without comparing anything.
Like an angel – this is the greatness of our people. And this is what we believe
Jesus said: I was hungry – I was naked – I was homeless – I was unwanted –
unloved – uncared for – and you did it to me.
I think we are not real social workers. Maybe we are doing social work in people's
eyes, but what we really are is contemplative at the heart of the world. Since we
are touching the Body of Christ 24 hours a day. We are in his presence 24 hours a
day, just like you and I. You also try to bring that presence of God in your family,
because the family that prays together, stays together. And I believe that in our
family we do not need bombs and weapons, to destroy, to bring peace – just to
come together, to love each other, to bring that peace, that joy, that strength of
each other's presence in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil
that is in the world.

There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and with our prayers,
with our sacrifice it begins at home. Love begins at home, and it is not that we do
so much, but that we put so much love into the actions we do. It is to God almighty
– how much we do does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we
put into that action. How much do we do for Him in the person we are serving?

Some time ago in Calcutta, we had great difficulty in getting sugar, and I don't
know how the children knew about it, and a little boy of 4 years old, a Hindu boy,
went home and said to his parents: I won't eat sugar for three days. , I will give my
sugar to Mother Teresa for her children. After three days his father and mother
brought him to our home. I had never seen them before, and this little guy could
barely pronounce my name, but he knew exactly what I had come to do. He knew
he wanted to share his love.

And this is why I have received so much love from all of you. In the time I've been
here, I've just been surrounded by love, and real love and understanding. You
could feel that everyone in India, everyone in Africa is important to you. I feel quite
at home, I commented to Sister today. I feel in the convent with the Sisters, as if I
were in Calcutta with my own sisters. So completely at home, right here.

And here I am talking to you – I want you to find the poor here, in their own homes
first. And start love there. Be that good news for your own people. And find out
about your next door neighbor - do you know who they are? I had the most
extraordinary experience with a Hindu family that had eight children. A gentleman
came to our house and said: Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children,
they haven't eaten in a long time - do something. So I took some rice and went
there immediately. And I saw the children – their eyes bright with hunger – I don't
know if they've ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And she took the
rice, divided the rice and went out. When he came back, I asked him - where did
you go? What did you do? And she gave me a very simple answer; They are
hungry too. What struck me the most was that she knew – and who they are, a
Muslim family – and she knew it. I didn't bring any more rice that night because I
wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing. But there were those children, radiating
joy, sharing the joy with their mother because she had the love to give. And see,
this is where love begins – at home. And I want you – and I am very grateful for
what I have received. It has been a tremendous experience and I am returning to
India – I will return next week, the 15th I hope – and I will be able to bring your
love.

And I know well that you have not given of your abundance, but you have given
until it hurts you. Today, the little children they have – I was so surprised – there is
so much joy for children who are hungry. That children like themselves will need
love and care and tenderness, as they receive so much from parents. So let us
thank God that we have had this opportunity to get to know each other, and this
knowledge of each other has made us very close. And we will be able to help not
only children in India and Africa, but children around the world, because as you
know, our sisters are all over the world. And with this award that I have received as
a peace prize, I will try to make a home for many people who do not have one.
Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a house for the
poor, I believe that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through
this love and understanding to bring peace, to be good news for the poor. The poor
in their family first, in their country and in the world.

To be able to do this, our sisters, our lives have to be devoted to prayer. They have
to be devoted to Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because
today there is so much suffering – and I feel that the passion of Christ is being lived
again – are we there to share that passion, to share that suffering of the people?
Around the world, not just in poor countries, but I find Western poverty much
harder to remove. When I pick up a hungry person from the street, I give him a
plate of rice, a piece of bread, I am satisfied. I have removed the hunger. But a
person who is locked up, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who
has been expelled from society – that poverty is so hurtful and so much more so
that I find it very difficult. Our sisters are working among such people in the West.
So you must pray that we are able to be that good news, but we cannot do that
without you, you have to do that in your countries. You should get to know the
poor, maybe our people here have material things, everything, but I think that if we
look at our homes, how much difficulty we find in smiling at each other, and that
smile is the beginning of love.

So let us know each other with a smile, for smile is the beginning of love, and once
we start loving each other we naturally want to do something. So pray for our
sisters and for me, for our brothers, and for our colleagues around the world. May
we remain faithful to the gift of God, to love him and serve him in poor people with
you. What we have done would not have been possible if you did not share with
your prayers, with your gifts, this continuous giving. But if I want you to give me
your abundance, I want you to give me until it hurts.

The other day I received 15 dollars from a man who has been lying down for 20
years, and the only part he can move is his right hand. And the only company he
has is smoking. And he told me: I won't smoke for a week and I'll send you this
money. It must have been a terrible sacrifice for him, but look how beautiful, how
he shared, and with that money I bought bread and gave it to those who were
hungry with joy on both sides, he was giving and the poor receiving. This is
something that you and I – it is a gift from God that we are able to share our love
with others. And let it be as it was for Jesus. Let us love one another as He loved
us. Let us love him with indivisible love. And the joy of loving him as we love each
other – let us give it now – that Christmas is so close. Let us keep that joy of Jesus'
love in our hearts. And share that joy with everyone we come into contact with. And
that radiant joy is real, since we have no reason not to be happy if we have Christ
with us. Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor we know, Christ in the smile we give
and the one we receive. Let us make a point: that no child will be unwanted, and
that we will always be met with a smile, especially when it is difficult to smile.

I never forget a while ago, about 14 professors arrived from the United States from
different universities. And they came to Calcutta to our house. They talked about
how they had gone to the home of the dying. We have a home for the dying in
Calcutta, where we have collected more than 36 thousand people from the streets
of Calcutta alone, and of those people 18 thousand have had a beautiful death.
They have only gone home to God; and they came to our home and we talked
about love, compassion, and one of them asked me: are you married? And I said:
Yes, and sometimes I find it very difficult to smile at Jesus because he can be very
demanding at times. This is true and is where love comes from – when it is
demanding, and we can still give everything to Him with joy. Just as I have said
today, I have said that if I do not go to heaven for anything else, I will go to heaven
for the publicity that has purified me and sacrificed me and prepared me to go to
Paradise. I think that's something, that we should live life beautifully, we have
Jesus with us and He loves us. If we could only remember that God loves me, and
that I have the opportunity to love others as much as He loves me, not in big things
but in small things with great love, then Norway becomes a nest of love. And how
beautiful it would be if a center for peace were created from here. May the joy of
the life of the unborn child come from here. If you become an incandescent light in
a world of peace, then truly the Nobel Peace Prize is a gift from the Norwegian
people. God bless you!