Being a person who loves to travel and has been all around the world, one city seems to continue to call me back time and time again. That city is not Rome, Paris, or even Rio de Janiero, but interestingly enough Calcutta, India, known to the locals as the City of Joy.
Children in Calcutta, India.
I recently returned home from my third journey to Calcutta to serve the poor alongside the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s nuns). Each time I go to Calcutta, the trip has something different to teach me. At the heart of it, that “something” is what continues to call me back.
Mother Teresa said that material poverty is easier to eradicate then spiritual poverty. She would go on to say that material poverty is met by giving out bread but the solution to spiritual poverty runs much deeper. Before I expand on this concept, I first would like to pose a simple question. How many people do you know that are satisfied with what they have? Be honest.
Here in the United States, many of us do not suffer from material poverty. We have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. We eat well, exercise, drive nice cars and benefit from good educations. With all that being said, why are so many unsatisfied?
On this particular trip to Calcutta, a key incident made me think long and hard about that question. One evening, I was assisting the sisters in transporting handicapped children on a bus ride home from the annual Christmas play they perform at the various centers the Missionaries of Charity run. The traffic was in grid lock and our bus was at a stand still. Directly next to us, was a commuter bus filled with working men and women traveling home from a hard day’s work. The children and sisters on our bus were all singing, clapping, and laughing. Directly across from us, the other bus was filled with blank stares, no one was smiling, nor were they speaking to each other. They all seemed to be looking in at our bus with a sort of curiosity. This interesting juxtaposition seemed to hit me between the eyes.
Fulfillment, joy, love and happiness come in many forms, but I think the question remains, are we looking for them in the right place here in the good old U S of A? Mother Teresa,who traveled all over the world in her mission to serve the poorest of the poor would say, “Calcutta is everywhere, find it first in your homes, then in your neighbor, your workplace, your community and most importantly in yourself.”
This Christmas season, tables across the United States will be filled with delicacies. Families and friends will gather, wine will be poured, and gifts will be exchanged. While all of these things are good, maybe there is something better, something that is missing, something that will satisfy the heart and soul in a deeper and lasting way?
It is my wish for you this Christmas that you receive that “something”, the “gift” that keeps giving well beyond the “Holiday Season”, the gift that leads to eternal life!
Merry Christmas!
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Joe Reciniello is a Wall Street executive that spends his free time helping the poor in New York City and beyond. Learn more about his work and travels at immaculateheartmission.org.Joe Reciniello article archive.
