How I was inspired by the Sisters at Shantinagar

By Novice Manu Tomy

Shantinagar is a huge leprosy hospital where I stayed for a month for my hospital experiment.  It is not just a hospital but a loving home for the lepers and for the people who live around there.  It was also a loving home for me because I learned there the true meaning of love.  After spending one month in Shantinagar I can say that I have a heart that understands the suffering of the people.

In Shantinagar, I learned and experienced many things but what inspired me most was the work of the MC Sisters there.  I was really taken up by the way they live their lives.  They are really living Christs because they resemble Jesus in many ways.  They are simple, humble, loving, patient and full of compassion.  They call themselves the spouses of Christ and I think this expression is really very meaningful because like a spouse they always give their whole life and time to Jesus and his people.  They say that their source of energy is prayer and I found that it was true.  The fruits of their prayer can always be seen in their action.  They inspired me not only through words but also through their action.  In the one month I spent in Shantinagar I could never see a person who came for help going back with a dejected face. The sisters are ever ready to give away all that they have because they believe that everything is given to them freely.  All through my life I will thank the Lord for giving me this beautiful opportunity to be with these inspiring MC Sisters.