2007年VOA标准英语-Catholic Missionaries in India Inspired by Moth

By Anya Ardayeva
Kolkata, India
07 September 2007
 

The publication this week of a book containing the personal letters of Mother Teresa has sparked renewed interest in the late Nobel Peace prizewinner who died 10 years ago Wednesday, September 5th. The letters in Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the 'Saint of Calcutta show that the revered¹ Roman Catholic nun² suffered a crisis of faith for nearly half of her life. That revelation surprises, but also inspires, members of the Missionaries³ of Charity in Kolkata, India where Mother Teresa began her efforts to help the poor. Anya Ardayeva reports from Kolkata.

Mother Teresa

What used to be known as Mother Teresa's first love, Kalighat, is a home for the dying and destitute⁴. She established it in 1952 to provide the poorest people in Kolkata a home where they could die -- or get well -- in peace.

The nuns⁵ say their work will not be affected⁶ by the publication of the letters, just like Mother Teresa's work was not affected by her inner search for God.

Sister Glenda knew Mother Teresa for many years. "We saw that in the newspaper. But in everyone's life, there will be some crisis. And Mother also had that crisis,” she recalls. “But we did not experience her crisis, because always it was hidden. She always encouraged us that God is helping⁷ us, God is with us."

In the ten years since Mother Teresa's death, Missionaries of Charity has continued to expand, adding 66 new homes in more than a dozen countries, including Israel, Algeria, Bosnia, Azerbaijan and Afghanistan. Today there are a total of 757 missions in 134 countries with more than 4800 nuns from all over the world.

And the Vatican is moving to formally recognize Mother Teresa as a saint, but that is proving to be a tricky⁸ and lengthy⁹ process. Although the Vatican has recognized the healing of a tumor¹⁰ in an Indian woman as one miracle, a second miracle must be recognized before Mother Teresa can be canonized.

Sister Nirmala took the lead of the Missionaries of Charity six months before Mother Teresa died. "For the whole church, this is official recognition, once she becomes a saint, this official declaration that mother is a saint who can intercept¹¹ for all of us, and we can pray to her and also she is a model, you know, we can follow her example in becoming better people and saints."

Mother Teresa's critics say she might have been more effective had she tackled the issues surrounding the root causes of poverty. But people who knew Mother Teresa say her mission of caring and love was felt throughout the world.

Ashis Chakraborty is the editor-in-chief of "The Telegraph" newspaper in Kolkata.  "She made people identify with poverty, do something about poverty."

Chakraborty also says Mother Teresa's work exceeded the borders of a religious mission. "Ten years down the line that I think is her greatest legacy¹². Ask any people on the Kolkata streets whether they are rich or poor or just happen to know about her, they'll know about Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity."

And 10 years after her death, her mission continues, and people of different religions continue coming to the homes that she established. Many of them still have no other place to go.

1 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

2 nun   

n.修女，尼姑

参考例句：

• I can't believe that the famous singer has become a nun.我无法相信那个著名的歌星已做了修女。
• She shaved her head and became a nun.她削发为尼。

3 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。

5 nuns   

n.（通常指基督教的）修女， （佛教的）尼姑( nun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ah Q had always had the greatest contempt for such people as little nuns. 小尼姑之流是阿Q本来视如草芥的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Nuns are under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. 修女须立誓保持清贫、贞洁、顺从。 来自辞典例句

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

9 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

10 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

11 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

12 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。