Pope Francis finished his homily in his first mass in Cuba using this phrase which has since been attributed to Mother Teresa. I was glued to the television set since 8 o'clock in the morning. I started watching in English but then I switched to one of the Spanish speaking channels. I wanted to listen to the mass in the Pope's native language which is also mine. I wanted to make sure that nothing would get lost in the translation.
This morning, I searched for the translated text of his homily because I wanted to see how the above phrase that sounds so beautiful and rhymes so well in Spanish had been translated to English. The translated phrase is: “Whoever does not live to serve, does not ‘serve’ to live”. Definitely, something got lost in this literal translation.
I did some research to confirm that this phrase had truly been said originally by Mother Teresa and this is what I found:
"In 1990, after over 40 years of almost constant activity, Mother Teresa began to have trouble with her heart. After she had a heart attack in 1989, a pacemaker was inserted. She offered to resign as head of the Missionaries, but no replacement was available. She agreed to remain on the job. Regardless of the fact she was still recovering from a serious illness the previous year, she insisted on keeping up her frantic pace. Traveling through the countries of eastern Europe took two months. She also spent many days at Calcutta’s Home for the Destitute and Dying. Doctors told her she should "slow down." Her reply: "I have all eternity to rest, and there is still much to do ... Life is not worth living unless it is lived for others." http://www.workersforjesus.com/teresa.htm
I like this translation better than the literal translation offered by the media. It's almost as if they were saying that a person that does not live to serve doesn't "deserve" to live and I don't think this is what the Pope meant to say. But definitely, unless we live our lives for others, our lives are empty and therefore, they are worthless.
A big theme of Pope Francis' message in this trip to Cuba and the United States is going to be power versus humility. Yesterday's readings were perfect to get this message across: “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Mk 9:35 "Whoever wishes to be great must serve others, not be served by others," reiterated Pope Francis. "Life is lived authentically in a concrete commitment to our neighbor... Christians are constantly called to set aside their own wishes and desires, their pursuit of power, and to look instead to those who are most vulnerable... Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people."
It was very emotional to see Pope Francis giving mass in my birth country, a country I left 46 years ago but that still remains vividly imprinted in my heart. As I saw images of the Cathedral in Old Havana, where the Pope would be giving mass in the afternoon to the youth, I remembered attending mass in that same cathedral with my mom and grandmother. I was only seven when I left Cuba and I am yet to return, but there are memories that are like flashbacks to a past that forever ties me to that land.
Only 90 miles separate us from Cuba but the emotional division cannot be measured. Only time will tell if this visit from Pope Francis to two countries that are so close and yet still so far, will bridge our differences. But one thing is certain, the message was meant for people on both sides of the water. Those of us that think we are better and more powerful, must come down from our thrones of power and contempt. Those of us that think we deserve to be served because we were dealt the wrong card, must rise up, stop judging and start making a difference in the life of someone else. No matter where we fall in the spectrum, there is always someone more vulnerable that we can help out.
As Pope Francis pointed out: "We need to be careful not to be tempted by a 'service' which is 'self-serving'. This service gives rise to a process of exclusion. All of us are asked, indeed urged, by Jesus to care for one another out of love. Without looking to one side or the other to see what our neighbor is doing or not doing. We have to be careful to avoid judgmental looks and renew our belief in the transforming look to which Jesus invites us." And we have to put aside all those divisions that we have created over the course of more than half a century to truly be able to extend a hand and embrace our neighbors on the other side of the strait because after all, "life is not worth living unless it is lived for others."
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