I'm sure many of you are wondering how I came to be motivated to serve alongside the Missionaries of Charity in India, Kolkata. So here's the story...

As many of you may know, I'm a prideful person. I love competition and feed off of a winning victory, either way, I was struggling with my pride and virtue of humility. And it distanced me from growing closer in relations with my family, friends, and my relationship with God. I started praying the litany of humility and for months nothing came to me. But it didn't stop me from trusting in the powers of prayer. One specific day after praying the Litany along with the rosary and a special prayer intention in front of the Blessed Sacrament, to understand how I can obtain this virtue of humility, I went downstairs and feel asleep on one of the couch in the Newman Center. Half an hour later, I awoke from my nap and the words that rolled out of my mouth were, "I need to go to Kolkata". Someone that overheard me from the other room stuck there head into the room I was in and asked "what?" But even then I had no clue what I was talking about. A couple days pasted but the zeal didn't fade but rather I grew more and more passionate about this urgency to travel to India and to serve those of the poor. Researching the possibility of working with the Missionaries of Charity fueled this desire even more.I was constantly on the internet searching for plane tickets, contacts, hotels, and researching about the history of how India became how it is. Later on that week I prayed the Litany of Humility again and then everything came together and made sense to me; God was challenging me to grow in humility by humbling myself to serve those of the poorest of the poor. He was going to help me grow closer to him, taking on Jesus in the most distressing disguise of the poor in the slums of Kolkata. What can be more humbling then being a servant among those that are weak and lowly, rejected, destitute, orphans, and that society lack to acknowledge. This was my mission God’s given me; to be a servant to those he loves so much, the poor. To become a prophet of God’s love to them and all others I come in contact with. This zeal and passion to serve and love has ignited a fire within me that I couldn't turn away from and so I started planning, fundraising, serving those around my community, in Mexico during Spring Break and now, here I am! I'm still at the very beginning of my journey and will spend a life time working towards humility but what I've come to learn is that the moment you think you've obtained the virtue of humility, you've already lost it. So let us all humble ourselves to become a blessing to others, for our greatest example of Love has humbled himself and came down from being praised and glorified in the Heavens to be among those of the poorest of the poor. Humbling himself to be ridicule, mocked, spit on, condemned, scourged, humiliated, and crucified by the same world he came to show ultimate selfless love. May we only strive to become an imitation of Christ to others. Blessed Virgin Mary, help and guide us to your only beloved Son.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Kolakta (formerly known as Calcutta), the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal located in Eastern India, is home to 13-14 million people. The city was founded by the British in 1690, and as the capital city of the British East India Company, grew to become the largest city in Asia, and a primary political, commercial, and intellectual center.

Independence from Britain in 1947, and the partition of the subcontinent into "Hindu" IndiaPakistan (including modern-day Bangladesh) resulted in large-scale communal rioting and bloodshed. Kolkata was flooded with millions of immigrants in 1947, 1951, and 1971. These huge waves of immigrants, combined with communal violence, political turmoil, and corruption, have contributed to the enormous economic depression in Kolkata that has brought the city to an advanced state of decay and poverty today. Operation World describes Kolkata as the city with the lowest urban standard of living in the world, with 5.5 million residents living in squatter conditions. and "Muslim"

Kolkata is named for Kali, the Hindu goddess of death and destruction. More than 2,000 altars and shrines devoted to Kali are found throughout the city today. Approximately 76% of Kolkata's residents are Hindus, and 23% are Muslims. Less than one-tenth of 1% of Kolkatans are Evangelical Christians.

In a few days I’ll be leaving Washington, with Kolkata as my destination. I’m nervous, scared, and excited. I’m trying not to let these emotions hinder the purpose of my trip. I must not let my own desires or anxiety cloud my will to humble myself to serve and love. I can’t stop thinking about my beloved ones here in Washington that I’ll be leaving behind, the preparation for my sister’s wedding I’ll miss and the comfort of my living standard here in America. At the same time, my mind races through thoughts of excitement and joy for this experience God’s permitted. This journey I have before me is my doorway to the virtue I long for; patience, charity, humility, and selfless love. Next Thursday I leave to Kolkata but today the journey has already begun; my love for the poor has already started, and my understanding and model of humility is before me on the cross as an example of selfless love.

Prayer: My God, I’m but a lowly servant and can not do anything without you. May you take a hold of my life, as sad and useless it may be, and turn it into a channel and vessel of your love and peace to those I come in contact with. Use me as an instrument to proclaim your love through service and actions. May you prepare my heart so I can grow to be more united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary through the poorest of the poor.