Disturbing article on Mother Teresa

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Another thread already here:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=178739

This is not actually all that disturbing, although it is certainly surprising, given her public demeanor. Many past saints have experienced a crisis of faith. This book was authorized by the commission investigating her cause for sainthood, so its perfectly legitimate scholarship. The process for investigating saints is very rigorous. They are required to play “devil’s advocate” in order to make sure that her cause is worthy to advance.
 
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Mk 15:34

The servant is not greater than the Master. The feeling of the absence of God is not uncommon–our experience and many spiritual writers attest to this. There are always tests of our faith, just as most people fear death, even devout persons.

Reporters (I believe Anderson Cooper also did a segment on this story on 360) love shock and awe to bring in ratings, but revelations about any faith tests Mother Teresa may have faced should not surprise us.

Mother Teresa was human like the rest of us. If she had crises of faith, of course atheists will rejoice, thinking that she came to feel that God does not exist. If Mother Teresa had never doubted, atheists would have said that she had lived a delusion.

Belief and disbelief are both influenced by mind and emotion, but in the last analysis, belief is a matter of Faith. However, I believe as Norman Geisler and Frank Turek explore in their book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, that it takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a theist.
 
I have heard that she suffered from depression and after reading that link, it seems as though she did.

Personally I am not suprised in the slightest by what she wrote or the claims of depression, considering the work that she did and where she did it. It shows a HUGE ammount of character on her behalf to be able to do what she did feeling the way that she did, and she is an example that everyone on the planet should look up to.
 
It is comforting to know that she had the same doubts and fears that we all wrestle with at one time or another.

Now, she is up there praying for US. What a mighty intercessor.
 
Elric said:
Personally I am not surprised in the slightest by what she wrote or the claims of depression, considering the work that she did and where she did it. It shows a HUGE amount of character on her behalf to be able to do what she did feeling the way that she did, and she is an example that everyone on the planet should look up to.
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Excellent point and post. And welcome to the forum. I look forward to more of your posts.
 
I guess Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens can like her now… 😉
 
seeker44 said:
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Mk 15:34

The servant is not greater than the Master. The feeling of the absence of God is not uncommon–QUOTE]

Except…God DID leave Him, did He not? Him being (at that time) the personafication of all sin, and therefore, not with God entirely?
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kage_ar said:
It is comforting to know that she had the same doubts and fears that we all wrestle with at one time or another.

Now, she is up there praying for US. What a mighty intercessor.
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Although I can understand this I see it differently. If Mother Teresa along with some of our most beloved saints can have doubt in the existance of God; this concept just aids in reinforcing my doubts.

If Mother Teresa doubts God, I feel all the more the fool for believing.

Does anybody share in this?
 
Clonereject1138 said:
seeker44;2623967 said:
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Mk 15:34

The servant is not greater than the Master. The feeling of the absence of God is not uncommon–QUOTE]

Except…God DID leave Him, did He not? Him being (at that time) the personafication of all sin, and therefore, not with God entirely?
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Don’t forget that Jesus was quoting scripture when he said that - Psalm 22 - if you read it, it is a psalm of rejoicing.
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Mijoy2 said:
Although I can understand this I see it differently. If Mother Teresa along with some of our most beloved saints can have doubt in the existance of God; this concept just aids in reinforcing my doubts.

If Mother Teresa doubts God, I feel all the more the fool for believing.

Does anybody share in this?
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I don’t. I think she was being very honest about her feelings and it is said that she suffered from depression. What a testimony to her faith to continue on despite those feelings!
 
“I want to love Jesus as he has never been loved before.” Remarks the priest: “That’s a kind of daring thing to say.”

She wrote in 1951 that the Passion was the only aspect of Jesus’ life that she was interested in sharing: “I want to … drink ONLY [her emphasis] from His chalice of pain.” And so she did, although by all indications not in a way she had expected.

Be careful of what you ask for. :eek:
 
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