Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
-
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."
Teresa was virtually 100% estranged from both God and Christ during the whole five decades of her work in India. She experienced a darkness of the soul unparalleled among Catholic mystics. Some say this was in preparation for her eventual sainthood. But Paul the apostle was a "saint" and he never once experienced Teresa's depth of abandonment. In point of fact, he never experienced any abandonment whatsoever; nor should any other of Christ's followers.
†. John 14:15-18 . .If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
†. John 14:23 . .If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
†. John 15:10 . .If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.
†. Phlp 4:5-7 . .The Lord is nearby. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your concerns to God. And the peace of God, which is beyond the intellect, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
†. Rom 8:15-16 . .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! The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
The Spirit's silence in Teresa's heart, and her utter lack of peace, were indicative of something very gone-wrong in her association with Christ.
Father Neuner, one of Teresa's spiritual advisors commented: "Why had God abandoned her totally? She had to lead the Sisters, initiate them into the love of God and into a life of prayer, which had been wiped out in her own life as she lived in total emptiness. Had she become a shameful hypocrite who spoke to others about the divine mysteries which had totally vanished from her own heart?"
All evidence points to the obvious conclusion that Teresa was the most convincing Christian pretense the twentieth century ever produced; and if she was a charlatan, who else is playing church inside the Church?
†. Matt 7:22-23 . .Many will say to me in that day; Lord, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them; I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
Christ's statement doesn't target Atheists, nor Buddhists, nor Hindus, nor Muslims. No, it targets people professing to have prophesied in "thy name", and to have exorcised demons in "thy name", and to have done may wonderful works in "thy name"; viz: it targets Christians-- and not just your average rank and file pew warmers either, no, but rather, it targets the cream of the crop; the celebrities of the Christian world; renowned for their accomplishments, their piety, their perseverance, their love, and their dedication.
It is to many of those very kinds of Christians that Christ will say: I never knew you. Why? Because though those luminaries glistered, they were never in league with Christ though they certainly appeared to be; and that is really scary because it make one wonder who to trust.
Recommended Reading:
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
NOTE: The book is a collection of Teresa's letters written privately to spiritual counselors; published with hierarchy approval by her long-time friend Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk M.C.; director of the Mother Teresa Center, and a Postulator in favor of her canonization.
Though I critiqued Teresa in post #1, it's not because I don't like her. In point of fact I quite admire the degree of Teresa's anxiety about her emptiness. I have yet to meet another Catholic in my 72 years who takes nearly as much thought about their association with God as she did; and yet all are commanded to do the same.
†. 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.
No; I'm not disgusted with Teresa, I'm disgusted with her spiritual counselors for their gross incompetence. She looked to them for answers but all they had to offer was rhetoric and pious platitudes.
That poor woman went to her death unsure there even is a God, and if so, she was afraid He didn't particularly like her, and maybe even quite disposed to condemn her. That's an awful state of mind to find one's self in at life's end.
At the urging of Henry D'Souza, the Archbishop of Calcutta (a.k.a. Kolkata), Teresa agreed to an exorcism in the final weeks of her life-- performed by Father Rosario Stroscio --if perchance her acute anxiety was being caused by demons clouding her mind.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Last edited by NyawehNyoh; 03-19-2016 at 01:22 PM..
No; I'm not disgusted with Teresa, I'm disgusted with her spiritual counselors for their gross incompetence. She looked to them for answers but all they had to offer was rhetoric and pious platitudes.
She will soon be canonized. Saints have many doubts but still preserver. That is what makes them different from us. The holier they get the more they feel they are not worthy of heaven.
She devoted her whole life to the poor, she could have had an easy life to the one she chose. 4 sisters of her convent were slaughtered recently for helping the poor and elderly.
-
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?
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."
Teresa was virtually 100% estranged from both God and Christ during the whole five decades of her work in India. She experienced a darkness of the soul unparalleled among Catholic mystics. Some say this was in preparation for her eventual sainthood. But Paul the apostle was a "saint" and he never once experienced Teresa's depth of abandonment. In point of fact, he never experienced any abandonment whatsoever; nor should any other of Christ's followers.
The Spirit's silence in Teresa's heart, and her utter lack of peace, were indicative of something very gone-wrong in her association with Christ.
Father Neuner, one of Teresa's spiritual advisors commented: "Why had God abandoned her totally? She had to lead the Sisters, initiate them into the love of God and into a life of prayer, which had been wiped out in her own life as she lived in total emptiness. Had she become a shameful hypocrite who spoke to others about the divine mysteries which had totally vanished from her own heart?"
All evidence points to the obvious conclusion that Teresa was the most convincing Christian pretense the twentieth century ever produced; and if she was a charlatan, who else is playing church inside the Church?
†. Matt 7:22-23 . .Many will say to me in that day; Lord, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them; I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.
Christ's statement doesn't target Atheists, nor Buddhists, nor Hindus, nor Muslims. No, it targets people professing to have prophesied in "thy name", and to have exorcised demons in "thy name", and to have done may wonderful works in "thy name"; viz: it targets Christians-- and not just your average rank and file pew warmers either, no, but rather, it targets the cream of the crop; the celebrities of the Christian world; renowned for their accomplishments, their piety, their perseverance, their love, and their dedication.
It is to many of those very kinds of Christians that Christ will say: I never knew you. Why? Because though those luminaries glistered, they were never in league with Christ though they certainly appeared to be; and that is really scary because it make one wonder who to trust.
The comments made by the OP were apparently done so after some considerable thought on their part. However, unless the OP wanted to engage their own imagination, their thoughts and conclusions were not able to exceed the limits of their own experiences.............. consequently they have missed the mark of the truth concerning Mother Teresa's work, and her testimony to the truth of Jesus Christ living within her.
Even Jesus Christ, Who was/is the Son of God sent to earth to become the Passover lamb for the sins of the world, shortly before His death that was the final result of many extremely painful and torturous acts committed against Him, cried out to his Father,"My God my God why have you forsaken me"?........................ Do you think the same of Him as you do of Mother Teresa for doing exactly what Jesus did?
Mother Theresa came to this point as others have when the realization hits you that God has left you on your own to determine for yourself which fork in the road do you take after you have received the unfortunate realization that the source of your faith has turned His back on you?
Despite what Jesus asked of his Father for why His Father had deserted Him, in the end Jesus Christ obviously still trusted in His Father God, because just before Jesus died on the Cross, He said" into your hands I commit my spirit"(my paraphrase) and then He gave up the ghost (died)
I reached this point in my own life only recently after two years of increasing pain despite having seen God intervene supernaturally in my life and in the lives of others numerous times with signs and wonders that cannot be duplicated by man. What you have failed to see about the ones whom Jesus rejected despite their claims to Him of how they had done many good works in His name, is because they have included themselves in a work that can only be done by God, and not by any man thinking the miracle that happened was done through anything being done by them
Unfortunately, because Mother Theresa's education about about the truth of God and Jesus Christ fell woefully short of the truth but only because of her being misled by the Catholic Church. She is not alone and in the same manner all persons who have been subjected to the teachings of organized religion for the last 2000 years have been misled from the truth of Jesus Christ.
Consequently, Mother Theresa who now lives in heaven worshiping the everlasting God and her Father Jesus Christ Who has adopted her for all of eternity , has been well rewarded for all the sufferings she undertook just to help her fellow man that were done in obedience to the commands of Jesus Christ to her.
Your completely wrongs assessments of Mother Teresa is because of your own lack of expierance and knowledge of the Scriptures.
BTW, I am not catholic and have no more patience with their clergy than I do of the leadership of any known organized religion
However, I respect and admire Mother Teresa and the sufferings she endured even after thinking her Father in Heaven had turned His back on her. Truth is life is a test and Father God was doing no more than waiting to see through her actions and devotion if she would deserve the title of a Saint?............ not because through foreknowledge He did not already know the outcome, but so those today such as you, myself, and others would admire her and seek to be worthy of the same praises due her
Do you think you are worthy of the praise due Mother Teresa, or are you like the Baptist teacher I heard say "despite all of Mother Teresa's good works, as we speak she is burning in hell".
One thing I can assure you of is, in the next life this unfortunate and misled Baptist teacher will spend more time in the fires of correction than anyone else will who never even heard of there name of Jesus, let alone those who have obeyed the commandments of Jesus Christ as well as Mother Teresa did
Last edited by Livelystone; 03-19-2016 at 02:45 PM..
"My God my God why have you forsaken me"? . . . Do you think the same of Him as you do of Mother Teresa for doing exactly what Jesus did?
At the very most, Christ felt abandoned by God for a mere six hours while he was on the cross. In contrast, Teresa's abandonment lasted virtually five decades. You're attempting to equate 438,000 hours with six.
Those six hours were the only time that Christ ever felt abandoned. All the rest of the hours of his life, he and God were in close association.
†. John 8:29 . . The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to Him.
What can we infer from the Lord's statement? Well, I'm pretty sure we can safely infer that seeing as how Teresa was abandoned for virtually five decades, then obviously God was not pleased with her work in India.
Now as to Christ's abandonment on the cross; surely you can guess why without me having to say. Well; just in case this is something that somehow escaped your notice: Christ was abandoned because while on the cross he wasn't just Christ; no, he was the sins of every person who ever lived, of every person alive now, and of every person yet to be born.
†. Isa 53:5-6 . . But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But the Lofrd laid upon him the guilt of us all.
†. 2Cor 5:21 . . For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
What can we infer from that information? Well, I think we can safely infer that Teresa was laden with unforgiven sins the whole five decades she was in India. Because had she not been laden, then she and God would have been in close association.
†. 1John 1:7 . . But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
She also complained that Jesus was absent. Well; no mystery there. Christ's absence was due to Teresa's failure to comply with his teachings.
†. John 14:23 . . 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.
†. John 14:18 . . I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Depression, lack of connection with God, but trying to do good
does not make a person deserving of such mean words from some here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
