Throughout the centuries, countless women of faith have made great sacrifices to bring comfort and solace to others. The selfless contributions of many of these women have long been lost in the mists of history.
Some of them whom we do remember today toiled in anonymity in their time. Not that they would have had it any other way. For these women, it was all about the work they did daily—work that was guided by their deep faiths. They bravely placed the welfare of others above their own safety, comfort, and acclaim.
This article honors five women from different religious backgrounds who demonstrated spiritually enlightened ideals in their everyday lives.
Some of these women you may have heard of, others not. Each of them, in their own way, raised up those around them. They all had one superpower in common: they relied on their deep faith and spiritual beliefs to serve and serve again.
1. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680)
Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk woman known as the “Lily of the Mohawks,” has become an enduring symbol of faith, resilience, and devotion.
Her title has symbolic associations with the lily flower in both Catholic and Mohawk traditions. In Catholicism, the lily is often linked to the Virgin Mary and represents purity, innocence, and spiritual beauty. She was called “Lily” by her Jesuit mentors as a testament to her purity of heart.
Kateri was viewed by her people as resilient and deeply rooted in her spiritual path—like a lily flower that blooms against all adversity. Her “Lily of the Mohawks” title became a bridge between her cultural heritage and her adopted faith.
Scarred and partially blinded from a smallpox epidemic that took her family, Kateri embraced Catholicism as a young woman and devoted her life to prayer and service. Her conversion was met with resistance, even hostility, from within her community. Yet she remained steadfast in her desire to live a life of spiritual devotion.
Kateri’s bed of thorns
One story illustrates her unshakable faith. At the Jesuit mission in Kahnawake, a Mohawk community on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River near Montreal, Kateri would lay thorns on her sleeping mat as an act of self-inflicted penance.
Among the Mohawk people and other Iroquois tribes, endurance, strength, and self-discipline were highly esteemed virtues, often intertwined with the community’s spiritual practices.
Therefore, for Kateri, self-inflicted penance wasn’t merely an aspect of the Catholic asceticism she embraced. It was also a demonstration of traditional Mohawk customs that placed great value on physical trials as a pathway to spiritual growth and personal resilience.
Quiet acts of piety
Her life was marked by small, quiet acts of piety, which spoke of her inner strength and love for those around her.
Kateri would often rise before dawn to pray. She believed that the silence of the early morning brought her closer to God. She also practiced fasting, sometimes beyond what was required by the Church. She saw it as a way to purify her spirit and offer her sacrifices for the souls in purgatory.
She would make small crosses from twigs and leaves and place them around her living area as constant reminders of her faith. Kateri also would teach children simple prayers and songs, spreading her faith in gentle, loving ways.
Kateri passed away in 1680 at the young age of 25. She was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church on October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI. Her canonization marked her as the first Native American saint in the Catholic Church.
Kateri’s legacy reaches beyond her short life. She reminds us of the power of faith to bring healing and purpose even amid adversity. Centuries after she walked the earth, she still inspires many from different races and traditions to find strength in the divine.
2. Anandamayi Ma (1896–1982)
Born in the village of Kheora, Bangladesh, Anandamayi Ma is one of India’s most beloved spiritual teachers. During her long life, she drew thousands of followers from near and far who sought her wisdom and blessings.
Though lacking a formal education, Anandamayi Ma taught by personal example the transformative power of divine love. She encouraged seekers to experience God within themselves and stressed the importance of selflessness and inner peace. Followers affectionately called her “Ma.”
Traveling widely throughout India, Anandamayi Ma offered spiritual guidance and counsel. She radiated compassion, as illustrated by a story shared by her devotees.
Once, during a gathering, a man skeptical of spiritual leaders challenged her in front of others. Rather than reacting to what could have been perceived as an insult or attack, Anandamayi Ma responded with a gentle smile and invited him to sit beside her.
She spent hours simply sitting in silence with him, emanating peace and love. By the end of the day, his doubts had melted and he left with a sense of inner calm. This encounter, like many others, revealed her ability to touch hearts without words.
Teachings of Anandamayi Ma
Anandamayi Ma’s teachings offer insights into divine love, selflessness, compassion, inner peace, and unity with all beings. She taught that love for God and love for the world are not two different things but the same thing, and that when we perceive this unity, love flows spontaneously.
Not unlike Jesus’s famous statement in the Book of Luke, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” Anandamayi Ma taught that the divine universe is within us. She explained that it is our destiny to become God, which means to realize the divinity within us.
Here are a few more samples of Anandamayi Ma’s teachings:
- “It is incumbent on man to consider everything that happens to be for the best,” with ‘for the best’ referring to ‘what is most helpful towards the realization of the Divine.’”
- “God’s mercy pours down everywhere and at all times. One becomes aware of this by making oneself receptive to it. To pray constantly for His grace is man’s duty.”
- “The mind is its own friend or foe; the mind itself has to destroy its own ignorance…The easiest and most effective means for purging the mind is to associate with saints and seekers after Truth and to ceaselessly invoke the Name of God.”
This wise Bengali saint is still revered today by thousands of people throughout India and beyond.
3. Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983)
Few people may have heard of Corrie ten Boom, but this unsung hero of World War II set a powerful example of faith, forgiveness, and resilience. A Dutch Christian, she, along with her family, risked everything to hide Jews and other vulnerable people during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Her family’s home in Haarlem became a sanctuary for people fleeing persecution. However, the family’s courage ultimately led to their own betrayal, arrest, and internment in concentration camps.
Corrie and her sister Betsie were sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp in northeastern Germany.
Ravensbrück held approximately 130,000 prisoners during its operation. Tragically, around 50,000 people, mostly women, are estimated to have died at Ravensbrück due to forced labor, starvation, medical experiments, and executions.
Corrie’s father, Casper ten Boom, a deeply devout and compassionate man, was 84 years old when the family was arrested in 1944. After just ten days in prison, Casper died in the Scheveningen prison in The Hague. Corrie lost other family members to the camps, including her sister Betsie, who died in Ravensbrück.
Despite enduring horrific conditions and devastating personal losses, Corrie ten Boom emerged as a steadfast advocate for forgiveness.
Following her release from Ravensbrück concentration camp, she dedicated her life to spreading a message of forgiveness and reconciliation. She taught that even amidst the worst human suffering, forgiveness is possible.
One of her most poignant moments came when, after a talk she gave in Munich, Germany, in 1947, a former Nazi guard from Ravensbrück approached her and asked for forgiveness.
Though Corrie initially struggled with this request, she prayed and found the strength to shake his hand. Later she wrote: “For I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us.”
Corrie’s message reached countless people through her lectures and her book, The Hiding Place. She frequently reminded others that “forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred.”
4. Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) (1953–present)
Mata Amritanandamayi, lovingly known as Amma or the “Hugging Saint,” is a revered spiritual leader and humanitarian known for her compassion and tireless service to humanity.
Born in 1953 in a small fishing village in Kerala, India, Amma’s mission of love and healing has reached millions across the globe.
From an early age, she displayed extraordinary empathy for others and ministered to them with simple but spiritually profound acts of kindness.
When she was around nine years old, despite her own family’s limited means, she began gathering food from her home to give to those in need. She often gave away her own meals and secretly collected rice and vegetables to help feed hungry families in the neighborhood.
In another instance, Amma witnessed the suffering of a sick elderly woman in her village who had no one to care for her. The woman was bedridden, isolated, and in dire need of basic care. Moved by her suffering, Amma would visit her regularly to wash her, clean her small hut, and provide companionship.
Amma’s compassion extended to people of all castes and backgrounds, which was highly unusual in her community at the time. Despite her family’s disapproval, she would interact with people of lower castes or the untouchables, who were marginalized in traditional Indian society. Amma remained firm, driven by a belief in the dignity and divinity of all human beings.
Over the years, Amma’s “darshan,” or divine embrace, became a hallmark of her spiritual practice.
Through her Amma organization, Amma has led numerous humanitarian projects, including disaster relief, free medical care, educational scholarships, and housing for the disadvantaged. “Love is our true essence,” she often says. “It is the source of all peace and happiness.”
Amma’s teachings have inspired countless people to lead compassionate lives rooted in service and harmony. “If we have no peace,” she explains, “it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Through her hugs, Amma conveys far more than comfort. Her embraces are examples and transfers of that higher love that she has made the centerpiece of her life.
5. Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582)
Teresa of Ávila, a Spanish Carmelite nun and mystic, profoundly transformed the spiritual landscape of her time with her writings and reform work. Known for her mystical text, The Interior Castle, Teresa’s insights guided believers on an inner journey toward divine union.
Living in an era when women’s voices were often marginalized, she founded multiple convents and established rigorous spiritual practices that reinvigorated her order.
The teachings of Teresa of Avila
To fully appreciate the depth of Teresa’s spiritual wisdom, just read some excerpts fromThe Interior Castle. Here are a few:
“Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything.”
“It is love alone that gives worth to all things.”
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.”
“It is foolish to think that we will enter heaven without entering into ourselves.”
“The closer one approaches to God, the simpler one becomes.”
“You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.”
“The important thing is not to think much but to love much; and so do that which best stirs you to love.”
“For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.”
Teresa’s contemplative life, marked by visions and mystical experiences, demonstrated her belief that faith could transcend earthly limits. Her teachings continue to inspire those who are looking for a deeper relationship with God and a simple, practical spiritual path.
Faith as a lived experience
These five women, selected from very different backgrounds and spiritual traditions, remind us that faith is not just a belief but a lived experience that manifests as acts of forgiveness, service, resilience, and love. Their lives challenge us to look beyond our own struggles, to find strength in our beliefs, and to use that strength to uplift others.
Whether through a prayer, a teaching, or a simple act of kindness, these women of faith remind us that the true measure of faith is in its application to make the world a more loving place.
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