Mother Teresa: Saint or Ain't

[Webers_Home]

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As a Christian missionary, abroad representing Christ, Rome's poster child,
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (a.k.a. Mother Teresa) is a terrible disappointment.
It turns out Teresa was a remarkable actor. Her public image bore no
resemblance whatsoever to the secret life of her inner being.

Below are some quotes taken from her own private letters; and excerpts of
her statements from other sources. You be the judge: role model or role
player, believer or make-believer?

"Only pray that I keep up this joy exteriorly. I deceive people with this
weapon-- even my Sisters."

"When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven, there is such convicting
emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives and hurt my
very soul. How painful is this unknown pain-- I have no faith."

"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness &
emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

"Now Father-- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss-- this untold
darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which gives me
pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not see
neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul is
blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I just
long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me-- He is
not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart
cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't
explain"

"My smile is a great cloak that hides a multitude of pains."

"The damned of Hell suffer eternal punishment because they experiment
with the loss of God. In my own soul, I feel the terrible pain of this loss. I
feel that God does not want me, that God is not God; and that He does not
really exist."

"If there be God . . please forgive me."

"Of course I convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu or a better Muslim
or a better Protestant. Once you've found God, it's up to you to decide how
to worship him" (Mother Teresa Touched Other Faiths, Associated Press,
9/7/97).

"We never try to convert those who receive [aid from Missionaries of
Charity] to Christianity but in our work we bear witness to the love of God's
presence and if Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists, or agnostics become for
this better men-- simply better --we will be satisfied. It matters to the
individual what church he belongs to. If that individual thinks and believes
that this is the only way to God for her or him, this is the way God comes
into their life-- his life. If he does not know any other way and if he has no
doubt so that he does not need to search then this is his way to salvation."

The April 7-13, 1990, issue of Radio Times tells the story of Mother Teresa
sheltering an old Hindu priest. "She nursed him with her own hands and
helped him to die reconciled with his own gods."

FYI: Christian missionaries are not supposed to be helping pagans die
reconciled to their own gods. They're supposed to be helping pagans die
reconciled to the one true God by means of Christ's crucifixion (John 3:14
18). Nor are they supposed to be converting pagans to become better
Hindus or better Muslims. They're supposed to be converting pagans to
become better Christians. (Matt 28:18-20)

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[Webers_Home]

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In order to discuss Mother Teresa intelligently, it's necessary to bring her
religion into the picture because Teresa was a Christian missionary whose
duty it was to represent the beliefs and practices of Roman Catholicism;
which is a religion that holds the Holy Bible in very high regard.

"The Scriptures are sacred and canonical because: Having been written by
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and as such
have been handed down to the Church" (Vatican Council; Sess. III, c. ii)

"In its pages we recognize His voice, we hear a message of deep significance
for every one of us. Through the spiritual dynamism and prophetic force of
the Bible, the Holy Spirit spreads His light and His warmth over all men, in
whatever historical or sociological situation they find themselves." (Paulus PP
VI, from the Vatican, September 18, 1970)

So then; according to that Vatican Council and to Paulus PP VI; when I listen
to the Bible; I'm listening to the voice of God, and I'm also listening to that
which the Holy Spirit utilizes to spread His light and His warmth over all
men.

So then, if conscientious Christians are to truly understand Teresa's spiritual
problems, they have to utilize the Holy Bible to analyze them or otherwise
they'll just end up making excuses for her like so many others.

Now the tragedy is: Teresa's spiritual counselors didn't turn to the Holy Bible
to analyze her spiritual problems; as a result, they were just as mystified as
she was and no help at all. It's awful to think that the very people that the
poor woman depended upon so heavily might just as well been oil field
roughnecks and shipyard welders because they were utterly incompetent as
shepherds.

You know; when your ship is sinking and another sinking ship is sent to your
rescue; you're in really big, big trouble because at that point, no amount of
prayer and sympathy will keep you from going to Davy Jones.

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[Webers_Home]

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Teresa complained in her private letters of feeling abandoned by Christ--
referring to him as "the absent one" --and in point of fact was unsure that a
God actually exists out there.

"I feel that God is not God; and that He does not really exist."

"If there be God . . please forgive me."

I'm not talking about a temporary dark night of the soul here, no, Teresa's
problem persisted for virtually five decades; 50 years.

Well; according to the Holy Bible-- which Roman Catholicism holds in very
high regard --God has a supernatural way of assuring His own that He does
in fact exist and that they are not abandoned.

†. Rom 8:16 . .The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God,

The Greek word for "bears witness" means to corroborate; which Webster's
defines as: to support with evidence.

It is possible to short circuit the Spirit's witness.

†. 1Ths 5:19 . . Do not quench the Spirit.

How does one quench the Spirit? Well . . the better question is: How did the
most dedicated Catholic nun the twentieth century every produced manage
to quench Him? If the most pious role model in the modern Catholic world
could quench God's Spirit for virtually five decades, then where does that
leave John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer?

Here's an item of interest that isn't talked about much.

†. Rom 8:15 . . For you have not received a spirit of slavery again to fear;
but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba,
Father!

Abba is an Aramaic word. It refers to one's male parent but not as an
ordinary noun. It's a filial vocative.

For example: When my son points me out to one of his friends and says
"That's my dad over there." he's not using dad as a vocative. But when he
shouts "Hey dad, I'm over here!" then he's using dad to get my attention.
That's a vocative.

Rom 8:15 is saying that the spirit of adoption compels "we" to call out to a
father rather than a mother. So then, people who feel compelled to call out
to Jesus' mom instead of his Father, are not the Father's children because
the spirit of adoption would never compel them to do that.

The spirit of adoption, as it turns out, is the spirit of God's son.

†. Gal 4:6 . . As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of His son
into our hearts, crying out: Abba, Father!

The spirit of His son compels the children to pray to Jesus' Father, never to
his mother because Jesus never prayed to his mother. So then, people
compelled by the spirit of His son will address their prayers to Jesus' Father
same as he did.

What does that tell us about Mother Teresa and her devotion to Jesus'
mother? Well obviously the reason she was comfortable addressing prayers
to Mary was because didn't have the spirit of His son in her heart; and she
knew it too.

"The place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me-- He is not
there-- God does not want me"

People lacking the spirit of His son are not His son's sheep.

†. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ.

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[Webers_Home]

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Teresa referred to Jesus as her husband; viz: her spouse. So her association
with Christ was on a very different level than that of John Q and Jane Doe
pew warmer.

†. Gen 2:18 . .The Lord God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I
will make a suitable partner for him.

The Hebrew word for "partner" indicates something much more than a
buddy. It indicates standing together shoulder to shoulder as a unified team
in a common cause.

Married women have a duty to look after their husband's best interests.

†. Gen 3:16 . . he shall be your master.

In other words: wives are not supposed to be independent agents. What this
means is: Teresa had no God-given right to forge ahead in India by herself
sans Christ's oversight. As soon as she came to the realization that he and
she had parted ways; the smart thing would have been for her to stop what
she was doing and go back to where they left off.

†. 1John 1:6 . . If we say we have fellowship with him while we continue to
walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.

Well; Teresa knew in her own heart that she and Christ were out of
fellowship. In point of fact, her husband was nowhere to be found; and she
was very disturbed by his absence.

The conclusion to draw from Christ's absence is very straightforward:
according to 1John 1:6 Teresa continued to walk in darkness and did not act
in truth. For example:

Whenever Jesus sent out his missionaries, it was with the understanding
that they not only practice medicine, but that they also proselytize (Luke
9:2) which is something Teresa shunned in order to avoid being evicted from
India. As a result, she utterly failed to look after her husband's primary
interest.

†. Matt 28:19-20 . . Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you

Proselytizing is in that mandate not once, but twice.

Now get this; and don't block it out. There is cause and effect in that
passage: action and reaction. If Jesus' missionaries would obey him, and
teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them, then
what would result?

†. Matt 28:20 . . and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
age.

Was Jesus with Teresa always? No; and his absence caused her five decades
of darkness and anguish. Had she complied with her avowed husband's
wishes, Teresa's association with him would have been greatly improved.

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[Angelina]

I don't really care what people think of Mother Teresa. I think she was an awesome woman of God. If the Catholic Church want to give her some kind of sainthood, well that's their business. It doesn't mean anything in heaven. What counts is that we are saved by grace through faith and that our names have been written in the lambs book of life. Blessings and Peace!

 

[michaelvpardo]

It's never been our place to determine if someone is a saint or not, only to judge their actions and treat them accordingly. I know that our works don't earn us salvation or merit, but I wonder if an unbeliever would be driven to serve God. In any event Jesus is her judge (to salvation or condemnation) and not us. The OPs seem to me just another way to antagonize Roman Catholics and hardly an act of love.

 

[Webers_Home]

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To her credit, Teresa sensed that her spiritual condition was abnormal. But
for the life of her; she couldn't figure out what was wrong in her association
with a God whom she was led to believe cared for her.

"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness &
emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."

"Now Father-- since 49 or 50 this terrible sense of loss-- this untold
darkness-- this loneliness, this continual longing for God-- which gives me
pain deep down in my heart-- Darkness is such that I really do not see
neither with my mind nor with my reason-- the place of God in my soul is
blank-- There is no God in me-- when the pain of longing is so great-- I just
long & long for God-- and then it is that I feel-- He does not want me-- He is
not there-- God does not want me-- Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart
cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't
explain"

She couldn't "explain" and apparently none of her spiritual counselors could
explain either. Instead they dismissed her situation as preparation for
sainthood. Oh?

In one of his letters to folk called to be saints; everything Paul said to them
was upbeat. There was no talk of dark nights of the soul; and those folk
surely deserved dark nights seeing as how they were as worldly as can be
(1Cor 3:1-3). If dark nights of the soul are a requirement for folk called to be
saints, Paul would have spoken of dark nights of the soul, but didn't, rather
he said:

"Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord
Jesus Christ.

. . . I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is
given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all
utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye
may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by
whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1
Cor 1:3-9)

What happened to Teresa's share of confidence, and grace, and peace, and
fellowship with His son? If those worldly Corinthians got some, then why
didn't the most dedicated Catholic nun the twentieth century every produced
get some? Surely she deserved just as much confidence, and grace, and
peace, and fellowship with His son as they did. How come they got gifts
while all she got was a lump of coal?

I admire Teresa's desire for God, but I suspect that the average pew warmer
isn't like her; no, they would just as soon prefer that God keep His distance.

†. 2Cor 13:5 . . Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in faith.
Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless, of
course, you be rejected.

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[michaelvpardo]

Just a precautionary bit of advice from our LORD:
38. Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.''
39. But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.
40. "For he who is not against us is on our side.
41. "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
42. "And whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. Mark 9:38-42
Just because someone doesn't have a grip on sound doctrine, doesn't mean the person isn't a believer, and if you're taught that there is no way to know if you're saved or not, who is more guilty of causing doubt, the teacher or the accuser?

 

[tom55]

My vote for Mother Teresa is SAINT!!


Saint defined: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she live; a person who is very good, kind, or patient

 

[Lady Daffodil]

Michael, in my opinion the answer to your question, "...if you're taught that there is no way to know if you're saved or not, who is more guilty of causing doubt, the teacher or the accuser?" would be the so-called "teacher". Teaching people that there's no way to know if you're saved or not certainly WOULD cause doubt in people's minds. If we have accepted Christ as our savior and trust in Him for salvation, we know we are saved.

 

[mjrhealth]

My vote for Mother Teresa is SAINT!!


Saint defined: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she live; a person who is very good, kind, or patient

No we are saints becuase of what Christ did, not by anything we do. I guess you missed this bit.

Rom_15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

otr this bit

Rom_15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

you give your church more glory than it deserves.

 

[tom55]

No we are saints becuase of what Christ did, not by anything we do. I guess you missed this bit.

Rom_15:25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.

otr this bit

Rom_15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

you give your church more glory than it deserves.

I guess you missed this bit: Saint defined: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she live; a person who is very good, kind, or patient

She fit that definition!!

 

[mjrhealth]

Shouting doesnt make you right, and it is not Gods defintion. we dont earn anything by our works, it makes people proud and boastful.. And sorry just because your church says she is a saint doesnt make it so.

 

[tom55]

Shouting doesnt make you right, and it is not Gods defintion. we dont earn anything by our works, it makes people proud and boastful.. And sorry just because your church says she is a saint doesnt make it so.

Shouting? Re-quoting what I wrote is shouting?

What I quoted is from Merriam-Webster's dictionary web-site; not from any church denominations web-site. What I quoted defines how we, as humans, use the word. You are human, aren't you? <_<

 

[mjrhealth]

Shouting? Re-quoting what I wrote is shouting?

What I quoted is from Merriam-Webster's dictionary web-site; not from any church denominations web-site. What I quoted defines how we, as humans, use the word. You are human, aren't you? <_<

SO than the Merriam websters dictionary is wrong.

1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

And that is how one becomes a saint.

Al those who are in Christ and have beng washed and cleansed by his blood, are saints, whether the church or Merriams dictionary agree not. Its not the churches decision to make.

 

[tom55]

SO than the Merriam websters dictionary is wrong.

1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

And that is how one becomes a saint.

Al those who are in Christ and have beng washed and cleansed by his blood, are saints, whether the church or Merriams dictionary agree not. Its not the churches decision to make.

So YOU have determined that Mother Teresa does not meet the biblical requirements to be a saint?

 

[mjrhealth]

You look at the outisde God looks at the inside, you only see what your eyes see, God sees all, only He can say who is and who isnt, it is not for us. There are many non chritsitans who do good works, good works alone prove nothing.

 

[tom55]

SO than the Merriam websters dictionary is wrong.

1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

And that is how one becomes a saint.

Al those who are in Christ and have beng washed and cleansed by his blood, are saints, whether the church or Merriams dictionary agree not. Its not the churches decision to make.

So YOU have decided that man can't define saint? Interesting!!

And then you misuse scripture to make your point. Here is 1Corinthians 6 in context: "Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

There are plenty of passages in scripture about saints. You could at least use one of those passages to support your position instead of a passage that has nothing to do with saints.

Unless you are suggesting that Mother Teresa was sexually immoral an idolater an adulterer or a thief or greedy or drunkard or slanderer or swindler? Are you suggesting she was one of those?

Do you think she is in heaven?

 

[mjrhealth]

So YOU have decided that man can't define saint? Interesting!!

No He cant, as I said before, one becomse a saint by what Christ did, not by any of there own works. But you dont get it do you. Saints dont do miracles. Jesus does. Anything that steals the Glory from Christ and God is from teh devil.If she isnt in heaven what can you do but pray for her, if she is that so be it, let all the glory be to God. Of course you can go argue with God if you be so determined.

 

[tom55]

No He cant, as I said before, one becomse a saint by what Christ did, not by any of there own works. But you dont get it do you. Saints dont do miracles. Jesus does. Anything that steals the Glory from Christ and God is from teh devil.If she isnt in heaven what can you do but pray for her, if she is that so be it, let all the glory be to God. Of course you can go argue with God if you be so determined.

YOU have decided that man can't define what a saint is HOWEVER man has defined saint. It is in the dictionary <_<

And then YOU go on to define what a saint is: "one becomse a saint by what Christ did, not by any of there own works" How is it YOU can define saint but no one else can?

If "one becomes a saint by what Christ did" then I guess everyone in the world are saints....even the atheist?

I never said saints do miracles and I don't believe saints do miracles.