Prayer and charity in St. Teresa of Calcutta

Abstract

The purpose of this tesis is to study the relationship between prayer and charity in St. Teresa of Calcutta. Our investigation begins with a consideration of the historical context of the contemporary world in which Teresa of Calcutta has exercised her charitable activity. It is brought to light how prayer and charity have each experienced its own crisis. At the same time, we examine the response of theology and the magisterium to the problem. We carry on the study, presenting the life and charism of St. Teresa of Calcutta in relationship with the topic of our study. Finally, starting from the saint’s mystical encounter with the mystery of divine thirst, which reveals the depths of God and the depths of man, we theologically analyse the interconnection between prayer and charity in her spiritual thought. The central thesis of this study is that for St. Teresa of Calcutta, there cannot be charity without prayer, nor can there be authentic prayer without charity.