Rome, Italy, Sep 5, 2018 / 09:03 am
For Sr. Mary Prema Pierick, Mother Teresa's impact did not come from her outward appearance, but from a personal encounter with the woman's unconditional and mother-like love and acceptance.
According to the Missionary of Charity, Mother Teresa's greatness defied her short stature, residing "inside" her. Upon meeting Mother Teresa for the first time, Sr. Prema told CNA / EWTN, "It was not appearance, but it was the way she related to me," that was most striking. "That was an experience of a person who loves, and who accepts me, and who wants me, and is a mother to me."
When "I saw her the first time she was already 70 years old, so she was already a little bent, but her eyes were full of life," Sr. Prema said.
Sr. Prema was in her late 20s when she first met Mother Teresa in Berlin, Germany in 1980. She said she was inspired to meet the foundress of the Missionaries of Charity after reading the biography of her life, Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. "I was impressed by the simplicity of life the sisters were having in Calcutta and I could not forget about it," Sr. Prema said.