Thursday, 26 August 2010
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, MR. TRAJKO VELJANOSKI ON THE CEREMONIAL SESSION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA COMMEMORATING THE 100TH CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF MOTHER TERESA
Distinguished President of the Republic of Macedonia,
Distinguished Former President of the Republic of Macedonia
Members of the Family Bojaxhiu
Ladies and gentlemen,
Your Excellences,
Distinguished Representatives of the religious communities,
Dear friends
We are here today to mark the 100th anniversary from the birth of our co-citizen, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu known to the world as the Saint of the poor - Mother Teresa. “She is the United Nations. She is peace in this world” said the Secretary General of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
The house of the Albanian family Bojaxhiu was located only 100 meters from here, in the former Vlach district. Also 100 meters from here, on the location of the present Memorial House of Mother Teresa, was the Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus, in which Mother Teresa was baptized only one day after she was born. I mentioned these locations because they are associated with the life of the Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu from Skopje a global humanitarian.
She showed her character from early childhood. Certainly the love of God was most distinctive. In that period she shared this love with her closest relatives and friends, and later through her missionary work with the people who needed love most - the poorest in India and the whole world. Her other characteristic is the persistence in the accomplishment of her determination - to serve God and to spread God’s love.
As she said in an interview, she started thinking of the missionary call when she was 12 years old. This determination grew in the following 6 years and the young Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu left for Dublin when she was 18 years old, where she joined the Sisters of Loreto. In the same year she departed by ship to India, to Calcutta, and established her missionary and humanitarian mission.
Guided by the love of mankind, Mother Teresa in 1948 received permission to leave the monastery where she was lecturing and to started working alone among the poorest people of the city of Calcutta, to be among the people who lived on the streets and who needed love most. Her unquestioned faith in God and her perseverance made her famous not only in Calcutta and India but in the whole world. In 1950, after receiving the blessing of the Pope, she established the Order of Sisters of Charity, also known as Sisters of Love, in their distinctive white and blue sari.
Ladies and gentlemen,
She left Skopje when she was 18years old, but she never forgot her home town. In 1970, for the first time after 42 years, she arrived in Skopje, and by the end of her life she visited Skopje three more times. In 1980 she was awarded honorary citizenship of Skopje. According to the words of Mother Teresa, this recognition was one of her dearest because, as she said, she wouldn’t have been what she was if it had not been for Skopje.
When she was asked what is her nationality Mother Teresa said that she is from Skopje but that she belongs to the world. These words truly reflect that we are all human, children of God, regardless of which nation or religion we belong to. The fundamental characteristic of every human, as God created us, is humanity and love of the nearest. How good you have done something is less important than the fact that you are doing something every day, and you are doing it with great love.
During her entire life Mother Teresa gave and shared her love with the ones who needed it most, mostly with the poor and with those, as she said, who are missing it most. This shows her profound humanity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Poverty, hunger, drugs, alienation, unfortunately exist today and their victims sadly are the young people. Mother Teresa is not with us any more, but her Order, through their activities, continues the work against these social deviations and injustice. An interesting fact is that in 1979, when Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Price, she said “I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given into drugs. And I tried to find out why. Why is it like that? And the answer was: "Because there is no one in the family to receive them." Father and mother are so busy they have no time. Young parents are in some institution and the child goes back to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking of peace. These are things that break peace.” In the same speech Mother Teresa guides us, in a very simple but honest way, how to surpass these temptations saying: “I think that we in our family we don't need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace - just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. Love begins at home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.”
Today there is still a lot of suffering and hatred in the world, but the love Mother Teresa spoke of and dedicated her life to, is missing. And again, we are seeking the answer how we can overcome this in ourselves. Regardless of our social and economic position, regardless of our political function or if you prefer power, in our behavior we should always include love and respect of every human being. This is the only way how as individuals, as family, as a state, or as a world we can create more harmonic and equitable living conditions.
Namely, you can have ideal laws, highly developed social services and institutions, but that is not enough for a harmonic life. For example, why are the economically highly developed states facing higher degree of social pathology such as alcoholism or suicides. I would like to underline the fact that the world, whether it's the Developed Europe or Africa, Calcutta or Hollywood, lacks the values that were unselfishly provided by Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. That is love of the nearest and solidarity with one’s misfortune or pain. This is why, referring to her work and the work of her Order, she said: We are not social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of some people, Beside care, we are trying to give love to everyone and to bring back the love of God and your fellow man.
Dear friends,
Mother Teresa remains an example of a selfless humanitarian. Her lifelong devotion and care for the poorest, ill and underprivileged, makes her one of the greatest humanitarians in the history of mankind and certainly the greatest humanitarian of the 20th century. Upon the news that Mother Teresa past away the French President Jacques Chirac said “This evening, there is less love, less compassion, less light in the world”.
The light of Mother Teresa still shines, and I believe that it will keep on shining until we and the world need the work done by the citizen of Skopje - Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today when we are commemorating the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa, Nobel Peace Price winner and who, in 2002 was beatified by Pope John Paul II, I believe that we are all joyful that her life path begun here, in Skopje.
I am convinced that, for all of us, regardless of our religious or national belonging, Mother Teresa and her humanity and devotion will be the true light that will guide us through our lives.
At the same time, we are joyful that Mother Teresa and her work are celebrated and respected by the world, as we share the work of Ss. Cyril and Methodius who brought literacy and the word of God to many European nations.
In the end, I would like to remind you to one of the many messages of Mother Teresa, which in a manner is most appropriate to be mentioned today:
“Do not seek fame in their success, leave that to God with the profound gratitude.”
On the other hand, failure should not be attributed to others until they have given everything they can. God sees our love, since nothing is too small for God.
Our obligation is to implement and uphold all these spiritual values left to us by Mother Teresa and the other great men and women in our everyday lives. I believe that the citizens of Skopje, the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia have the will and capacity, together with all the good people in this world, to preserve and cherish the light of Mother Teresa and to pass on that light to the ones that need it most - the ill, the poor, the rejected.
Thank you.