God's Silence

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I’m not sure if this is already discussed in another thread but I read an article about the newest book on Mother Theresa of Calcutta: “Come By My Light” , (Doubleday). In this book, Mother Theresa’s private writings showed that she indeed came to the point of doubting God’s existence. Having seen so much suffering and pain among the people she took care in India and elsewhere, her agony was compounded by the fact that she did not see any divine answer to her prayers and was left in what she described as ‘darkness’. On the verge of being canonized, how will these thoughts fit with her journey to sainthood? If Mother Theresa can succumb to such low level of spiritual darkness, how can we ordinary mortals hope to do better, much less survive our own spiritual desolation?
 
God gives each one of us different cross to carry and He certainly knows our limit. Unlike the Blessed Mother Teresa, I might have lost hope in God if the same cross she carried had been applied to me.

Her doubt, in my opinion, does not affect the process of canonizing her. She had held on to Jesus til the day she died - that proved us she had much faith in Him.
 
At some stage of her life she probably asked God to allow her to suffer her Purgatory here on Earth. It is quite likely that this was it for her, in order to apply it also to those who don’t believe in God. Her fidelity more than makes her a saint in my opinion.
 
Blessed Mother Teresa shows us through prayer and faith we can do God’s will even when experiencing desolation and darkness.
God was with her during this darkness, or she never would have been able to do all that she did for the poor. She suffered much, and I see that by her example of obedience to God , we too can be strong for God no matter what comes or stands in our way of doing God’s will. He never said it would be easy.

I have the book, and it tells of a vow she made to God to do anything that He asked of her. She wanted to suffer like He did. Her cross reminds me of what Jesus went through in the Agony and the Garden before He was arrested. Jesus felt alone and desolate, but God the Father was there for him to help him do what he needed to do out of love and faith.

I believe the letters she has left will add, not take away from the deep faith she has for God.

Blessings
 
Chancellare said:
If Mother Theresa can succumb to such low level of spiritual darkness, how can we ordinary mortals hope to do better, much less survive our own spiritual desolation?
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I don’t think God is ever silent. We just need to learn to listen in different ways.
 
Chancellare said:
I’m not sure if this is already discussed in another thread but I read an article about the newest book on Mother Theresa of Calcutta: “Come By My Light” , (Doubleday). In this book, Mother Theresa’s private writings showed that she indeed came to the point of doubting God’s existence. Having seen so much suffering and pain among the people she took care in India and elsewhere, her agony was compounded by the fact that she did not see any divine answer to her prayers and was left in what she described as ‘darkness’. On the verge of being canonized, how will these thoughts fit with her journey to sainthood? If Mother Theresa can succumb to such low level of spiritual darkness, how can we ordinary mortals hope to do better, much less survive our own spiritual desolation?
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The Dark Night of the soul, is very common among the Saints and in fact, anyone who goes deeper into the spiritual life of contemplation.

I remember years ago, the TV station in Boston, MA. was allowed to go into the Trappist Monastery, at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, MA. The reporter knew that the monks would be honest with her, but she was surprised at how open they were to her.

Anyway, one monk told her, that every morning for the past 35 years of his life as a monk, he wakes up doubting the existence of God. Can you imagine? Anyway, he went on to say, that by the time the day is over, he has no doubt about His existence.

We all struggle through periods of darkness, but Mother Teresa, showed heroic virtue, but going through what she went through, yet never giving up.

Jim
 
It is yet another mark of how cultural Catholicism (as opposed to Catholic teaching) has affected the majority of Catholics today that we find the idea of a SAINT ‘suffering’ throws us into doubt about her sanctity, or causes us to question how God could ‘do this’ to someone holy.

Whereas, back in the ‘old’ days, when every day we would be told by our good teaching sisters to ‘offer it up’, the idea of a person suffering doubts, feeling a ‘loss’, the ‘dark night of the soul’ etc. were commonly taught, and many examples of saints were given to us. We were pretty much told that, if WE wanted to be saints, WE were going to suffer too (Scriptural references given, especially from Matthew), and should establish ourselves in good prayer habits while young because when (and it was WHEN) we did start to experience the suffering, having good "prayer habits’ would help us to get through those arid periods.
 
A quick answer - these writings were in her case for canonization sent to Rome. None of this is any news to them, and has no negative implications for the cause.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
It is yet another mark of how cultural Catholicism (as opposed to Catholic teaching) has affected the majority of Catholics today that we find the idea of a SAINT ‘suffering’ throws us into doubt about her sanctity, or causes us to question how God could ‘do this’ to someone holy.

Whereas, back in the ‘old’ days, when every day we would be told by our good teaching sisters to ‘offer it up’, the idea of a person suffering doubts, feeling a ‘loss’, the ‘dark night of the soul’ etc. were commonly taught, and many examples of saints were given to us. We were pretty much told that, if WE wanted to be saints, WE were going to suffer too (Scriptural references given, especially from Matthew), and should establish ourselves in good prayer habits while young because when (and it was WHEN) we did start to experience the suffering, having good "prayer habits’ would help us to get through those arid periods.
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This bears repeating. 👍
 
Just emphasizes to me how close to God she truly was., How many souls she must have saved and how many more she must be saving in Heaven, Just like The Little Flower!
 
Tantum_ergo said:
It is yet another mark of how cultural Catholicism (as opposed to Catholic teaching) has affected the majority of Catholics today that we find the idea of a SAINT ‘suffering’ throws us into doubt about her sanctity, or causes us to question how God could ‘do this’ to someone holy.

Whereas, back in the ‘old’ days, when every day we would be told by our good teaching sisters to ‘offer it up’, the idea of a person suffering doubts, feeling a ‘loss’, the ‘dark night of the soul’ etc. were commonly taught, and many examples of saints were given to us. We were pretty much told that, if WE wanted to be saints, WE were going to suffer too (Scriptural references given, especially from Matthew), and should establish ourselves in good prayer habits while young because when (and it was WHEN) we did start to experience the suffering, having good "prayer habits’ would help us to get through those arid periods.
Click to expand...
Maybe I did not properly explain the antecedents of my question.
I was not commenting on Mother Theresa’s doubts per se. I was reacting to the article that made that comment. Hence my question was more on “how” we mortal men can cope in the midst of secular media that tend to shape the world’s understanding on ‘suffering’.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The Dark Night of the soul, is very common among the Saints and in fact, anyone who goes deeper into the spiritual life of contemplation.

I remember years ago, the TV station in Boston, MA. was allowed to go into the Trappist Monastery, at St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, MA. The reporter knew that the monks would be honest with her, but she was surprised at how open they were to her.

Anyway, one monk told her, that every morning for the past 35 years of his life as a monk, he wakes up doubting the existence of God. Can you imagine? Anyway, he went on to say, that by the time the day is over, he has no doubt about His existence.

We all struggle through periods of darkness, but Mother Teresa, showed heroic virtue, but going through what she went through, yet never giving up.

Jim
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Thanks for this insight. Sometimes we are too afraid to look at our fears right in the eyes. So when we see someone who is overcome with doubt, our tendency is to doubt our ability to deal with that of our own. I guess that was my impression from the article I read.
 
I think it is a testiment to how great her faith really was as well as her profound humility! Imagine having serious doubts and still pushing forward and doing the will of God. Being obedient to His church. Her actions speak louder than her words.
 
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