ECT Diagnosing Mother Teresa

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If anyone should have been on intimate terms with God and with His son Jesus Christ in the last century, surely it had to be Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (a.k.a. Mother Teresa) but curiously, that wasn't the case. 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 complaints she expressed in private letters to spiritual counselors recorded in:

Mother Teresa / Come Be My Light
The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta"

Edited with commentary by Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C.
ISBN 978-0-385-52037-9


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

"The place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me"

"I feel He does not want me, He is not there, God does not want me"

"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."

Teresa also complained of feeling abandoned by Christ-- referring to him as "the absent one"

Teresa was never really convinced there's a God out there.

"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."

At one point Teresa actually prayed thus:

"If there be God; please forgive me."

A prayer that begins with "If there be God" is the prayer of an agnostic; which Webster's defines as one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god. According to Jas 1:5-8, agnostic prayers are pings.

To her credit, Teresa wanted a God to be out there, but her utter failure to feel even the slightest glimmer of the Lord's presence prevented her from being sure about it.
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Re: Diagnosing Mother Teresa

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I should probably clarify right at the get-go that this thread's purpose isn't to ruin Mother Teresa's reputation. It's simply an attempt to figure out what went so south in her spiritual life that she came to the end wondering if a God really existed. And if one did exist, why she was so afraid He might actually be inclined to condemn her.

Also there was scarcely a day went by during her five decades in India when Teresa wasn't sure God wanted her there in the first place. Plus during practically that whole time she was in that country, Teresa felt not even the slightest glimmer of the Lord's presence, and referred to Jesus as "the absent one".

Teresa became so stressed over these problems that at the urging of Henry D'Souza, the Archbishop of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata), she agreed to an exorcism in the final weeks of her life if perhaps demons were somehow clouding her mind. The ritual was performed by Father Rosario Stroscio.

John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer probably won't benefit much from this thread. However, for Christians seriously considering becoming missionaries, the Bible study that I'm in process of conducting will prove invaluable.

All others can at least take comfort in knowing they're not a captive audience, nor wasted good money for a ticket to sit thru a dull movie.
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Some of Teresa's concepts were questionable and I should think that they surely had something to do with her deplorable spiritual condition. For example:

In an interview, Teresa is quoted as saying:

"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)

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."

I think it goes without saying that 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. Nor are they supposed to be converting pagans to become better Hindus or better Muslims.

In her book, "Life in the Spirit: Reflections, Meditations and Prayers", Teresa says:

"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. (Pages 81-82)

The above is no less than a manifesto repudiating the great commission wherein Christ commanded his disciples:

"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matt 28:18-20)

Teresa said "in our work we bear witness to the love of God's presence" while in her private letters Teresa complained:

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

"The place of God in my soul is blank-- There is no God in me"

"I feel He does not want me, He is not there, God does not want me"

Well of course God was "not there". He couldn't possibly take part in a ministry that strayed from His son's agenda.

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.
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Bradley D

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We all have our moments of seperation from God. That is when I need to pray and keep putting one foot in front of the other. I admire Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
 

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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 fail the test.

The reason I brought that up is because Teresa complained that the place of God in her soul was blank; there was no God in her and she felt that He did not want her. On top of that, she referred to Christ as "the absent one".

There is a solid biblical explanation for Teresa's disconnect.

John 14:21-23 . .Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.

. . . Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him: Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?

. . . Jesus answered and said to him: Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Difficult to comprehend isn't it? -- that the most pious nun the twentieth century produced actually failed to keep Jesus' word and comply with his commandments?

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

Duh.

Another thing: Teresa's complaint "I feel God does not want me" was due to the lack of a special communication.

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. Well; not once did the Spirit prove to Teresa, beyond a shadow of sensible doubt, that God wanted her; that she was a beloved member of heavens family.

NOTE: Rom 8:16 is at least one of the reasons why so many Christians are unsure of their afterlife destiny. The Spirit has yet to confirm it for them one way or the other.
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"I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God; and that He does not really exist." (Teresa)

"If there be God . . . please forgive me" (Teresa)

Confidence in the existence of God is essential to one's association with Jesus' Father.

Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists.

Webster's defines "impossible" as: incapable of being, or of occurring.

Webster's defines "must" as an indispensable item; viz: essential.

Ironically, a demon's level of faith is actually superior to Teresa's. At least they're confident that God exists.

Jas 2:19-20 . . You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-- and tremble!

I simply cannot, in all good conscience, approve a missionary whose iffy belief in the existence of God doesn't even measure up to the quality of a demon's belief.
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Re: Diagnosing Mother Teresa

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Rome didn't recruit Teresa to run an operation in India. No, it was wholly her own idea; which was based entirely upon some Interior Imaginative Locutions she claims to have received from Christ himself beginning in Sept of 1946 and ending some time in 1947.

An I.I.L. is neither an apparition nor a vision: it's an imagination, i.e. a mental fantasy. It's neither visual nor audio. Teresa never actually heard anything with her own ears nor saw an appearance with her own eyes.

Curiously (or maybe it's far more accurate to say coincidently) when Teresa's superiors finally caved to her incessant letter-writing campaign and gave her permission to proceed, the I.I.L.s stopped and she never heard from "Jesus" again for virtually the next five decades-- which ultimately caused her an unbearable amount of inner anguish that finally led the poor woman to doubt not only the validity of her mission, but also to seriously question the very existence of God.

Well; had I been Teresa's designated spiritual counselor I would've urged her to never, ever, trust your imaginations are messages from God because they could very easily be nothing more than an intense daydream, or maybe something even much worse; for example like schizophrenia.

Anyway, Teresa's locutions didn't pan out. In no time, all I.I.L. contact with Jesus ceased and she began referring to him as the absent one. Plus she reported that the place of God in her soul was blank and there was no God in her.

Well; again, had I been Teresa's designated spiritual counselor I would've reminded her that the bodies of Christ's followers are God's habitation. He's supposed to be in every believer; even the lowly ones who don't count for much in the grand scheme of things.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1Cor 6:19)

Now just because Christ's followers cannot sense God's presence in their body, doesn't indicate He's not there. This is one of the supernatural elements of Christianity that have to be taken on faith. Had Teresa's counselors told her so they could've spared that poor woman literally decades of anguish.

She also reported being instructed that God loved her; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness was so great that nothing touched her soul. Well; again, as her designated spiritual counselor, I would've pointed to Jesus' statement, which reads:

"The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God." (John 16:27)

Is Jesus' statement true? Well of course it is. So regardless of whether Teresa felt anything touching her soul, she should've taken it on faith that the Father loved her: and let it go at that.

Teresa's labeling Jesus as the absent one was horribly unjustified because he promised:

"I will not abandon you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

"Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matt 28:20)

Now, that brings me back to an earlier reference:

"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 fail the test." (2Cor 13:5)

Teresa let her feelings override her knowledge; i.e. Teresa's feelings became her faith rather than confidence in what the Bible says in print. That, in a nutshell, is precisely where the poor woman ran aground and made shipwreck of her spiritual condition.
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Re: Diagnosing Mother Teresa

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"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)

According to that Vatican Council and to Paulus PP VI; when people listen to the Bible; they are listening to the voice of God, and also listening to that which the Holy Spirit utilizes to spread His light and His warmth over all men in whatever historical or sociological situation they find themselves.

Now the tragedy is: Teresa's 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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Matt 27:46 . . And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus resided in the land of Israel for roughly 33 years. Other than six hours on the cross, he was connected to God the whole time.

John 8:29 . . He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

Jesus was deserted for a special purpose; which he fully understood.

John 11:27 . . I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.

Whereas Teresa could not see any discernable purpose in her own situation.

"Sometimes-- I just hear my own heart cry out-- "My God" and nothing else comes-- the torture and pain I can't explain"

Jesus' abandonment didn't last even one whole day; whereas Teresa's lasted nigh to five decades, i.e. 18,250 days; viz: their respective abandonments are not even close to a reasonable comparison.

In addition: Jesus' prayers are always heard, even the ones he prayed on the cross.

John 11:41 . . Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me

Teresa's prayers were pings.

"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."

Jesus eventually went to heaven. In point of fact, Jesus knew his afterlife destination before it came to pass.

John 17:11 . . And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to You.

Teresa wasn't even confident that a God exists, let alone confident about her afterlife destination.

"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."

Jesus was confident that God loved him.

John 17:24 . . Father, you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Teresa was not so sure about it.

"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul."
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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. So then genuine children of God know so because the Spirit has gone to the trouble of proving it to them beyond a shadow of sensible doubt. In other words: the real children of God are confident that their names are written in heaven.

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 in the habit of calling 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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