Journey of faith
This refers to the AP piece you ran on Sunday August 26, 2007 regarding the upcoming publication of "Come Be My Light: the Private Writings of the ‘Saint of Calcutta.” The piece raises doubt about Mother Teresa’s faith, her belief in the existence of God and even questioned the veracity of her smile.
The reality of the journey of faith is that with it comes many challenges, even spiritually dry times of deep doubt. This occurs even in the lives of people of notable holiness like Teresa of Calcutta; along with many other of the named and unnamed saints as well as those who journey in faith at present.
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But as in all relationships, when people work through struggles faithfully and in earnest they emerge from those struggles with stronger relationships and as better people. This occurs whether that relationship exists with another person or with God.
In Mother Teresa’s case we know she had a deep interior life, one that few of us might ever experience or comprehend. She believed in God and in Jesus and she remained steadfast in her prayer (her ongoing conversation with God), and that brought her through her dark times. The result was that she gave us the ability to see Christ in even the most desperate, marginalized souls on earth. Perhaps, more importantly, this diminutive woman from Albania showed us that we might be able to reflect a sparkle of that same Christ to others, by the love we put into the things we do in our daily lives.
Andre F. Lijoi
Spring Garden Township
Nice sentiments Andre, but in reading Mother Teresa's letters, it's quite clear that her crisis of faith was never resolved. through her last 40 years, she no longer believed in God or Jesus, and she never got through "those dark times."
None of this diminishes the great good works that she did or the inspiration that she provided to others. That she did all that without "the guiding hand of God" is immaterial.