Mother Theresa's Crisis of Faith

[Manji2012]

(Please share your thoughts regarding the following.)

In life, Mother Teresa was an icon, for believers, of God's work on Earth. Her ministry to the poor of Calcutta was a world-renowned symbol of religious compassion. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a rare interview in 1986, Mother Teresa told CBS News she had a calling, based on unquestioned faith. "They are all children of God, loved and created by the same heart of God," she said.

But now, it has emerged that Mother Teresa was so doubtful of her own faith that she feared being a hypocrite, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. In a new book that compiles letters she wrote to friends, superiors and confessors, her doubts are obvious. Shortly after beginning work in Calcutta's slums, the spirit left Mother Teresa.

"Where is my faith?" she wrote. "Even deep down… there is nothing but emptiness and darkness... If there be God, please forgive me." Eight years later, she was still looking to reclaim her lost faith. "Such deep longing for God… Repulsed, empty, no faith, no love, no zeal," she said.

As her fame increased, her faith refused to return. Her smile, she said, was a mask. "What do I labor for?" she asked in one letter. "If there be no God, there can be no soul. If there be no soul then, Jesus, You also are not true."

"These are letters that were kept in the archbishop's house," the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk told Phillips. The letters were gathered by Rev. Kolodiejchuk, the priest who's making the case to the Vatican for Mother Teresa's proposed sainthood. He said her obvious spiritual torment actually helps her case.

"Now we have this new understanding, this new window into her interior life, and for me this seems to be the most heroic," said Rev. Kolodiejchuk.

According to her letters, Mother Teresa died with her doubts. She had even stopped praying, she once said. The church decided to keep her letters, even though one of her dying wishes was that they be destroyed. Perhaps now we know why.

[Thomas]

Such events are not uncommon in Christianity, and she stands in the company of those considered as our greatest saints and mystics.

Why?

Think of the question in different terms:
Are people into religion just for the reward?
The 'feelgood factor'?
Is the measure of any religion the degree to which it personally benefits us?
If God did not constantly feed us titbits to keep us happy, would we think 'why bother?' and give up?

Are we in it for God, or are we in it for ourselves?

+++

The experience of Mother Theresa is a burden only the strong in spirit are called to shoulder ... the capacity for faith to stand on its own ground, without rewards or consolations.

The happiness of saints is that they are content with what little they have, for it is 'sufficient unto the day thereof' ...

In the West we are conditioned by the industrial/material/consumer culture which produces us, to measure the worth of things according to self-gain, self-benefit ... and if there is no benefit, then what's the point?

+++

Christianity means to take up the cross, to offer up all that we are to the Father, and to 'do the right thing' – not for any reward, for no other reason than, simply, it is the right thing to do.

Not simply to give up everything we have ... but to give up everything we are ...

People seek affirmation, in spiritual warmth, mystical visions, celestial voices, psychic experiences, astral travels ... all the material and consumer 'benefits' that validate the effort. (Something which Buddhism, and Christianity are in agreement on ... such phenomena is ephemeral, transitory, and should be ignored as a digression, too often the subtle ego at work.)

What if there was none of that ... what if it was all just plain hard graft ... would the pursuit of truth be as attractive then?

+++

I'm not sure wht a question about a Christian is in the Buddhist forum, but as it is the Buddhist forum, let me offer an old Buddhist saw:

Before enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water.
After enligfhtenment: Chop wood, carry water.

Mother Theresa, in a Christian context, is the living embodiment of that dictum.

Thomas

[seattlegal]

On taking nothing for granted:

see St John of the Cross--Dark Night of the Soul
and Buddhism's The Great Doubt

[wil]

I think anyone who truly studies and takes on a belief has struggles with it.

I could be terribly wrong but if you simply believe and have no issues seems you are just skimming the surface...

[cavalier]

I also thought about the dark night of the soul. I also remember being taught as a child, that God tests us by different degrees depending on our ability to withstand the test. If this was her test then it seems she passed. Doubt, even a strong, consuming doubt has a presupposition of belief.

[earl]

Originally Posted by seattlegal

On taking nothing for granted:

see St John of the Cross--Dark Night of the Soul

and Buddhism's The Great Doubt

Yeah-the 3 pillars of Zen- "Geat Faith, Great Doubt, and Great Effort." Not being of Catholic persuasion can't say I've ever understood the Catholic need or process to officially name folks as "saints," but if I were going to nominate someone for the sainthood of the common person it would be her. What's more "saintly" than to have great doubt until the day you die yet not deter you from putting 1 foot in front of the other and practice unlimited compassion for your fellow humans. That is the greatest miracle of all I think, to act with no certainty whatsoever, be you Christian, Buddhist, etc. Many Buddhists I know get to the point where they have doubted their way to giving up any conception of what enlightenment might be and/or any certainty they themselves will ever find it and have found a natural rhythm and comfort in that act of simply focusing on the "1 foot at a time" process," allowing whatever reveals itself in the moment to reveal itself and in the process shedding out-moded beliefs about self & perhaps their ultimate goal. have a good one, earl

[JosephM]

The letters were from the 50's and 60's and perhaps what we are reading here is before her announcement of her unquestioned faith in a 1986 interview. Even Jesus is recorded as having struggles during his last days so it could be possible, however, perhaps the news media is playing on words that are irrelevant because the letters were prior to her announcement of unquestioned faith. Just something to consider.

Love and Peace,
JM

[Vajradhara]

Namaste all,

well... to give this some relevance to Buddhism...

there is a period of time where the Buddha experienced his moment of doubt, too. this was shortly after his Awakening and he doubted that he would be able to teach another what he had discovered. at this time several deities appeared and convinced him that there would, indeed, be beings that could understanding the teaching and begged him to Turn the Wheel of Dharma in this world system.

he did so at Varanasi and you can read it here:

SN 56.11: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

metta,

~v

[Caimanson]

And what is the problem if it was more than just doubts, that she did indeed loose her faith?

[Manji2012]

I think it is safe to say that doubt is part of the spiritual life. It is one of the five hindrances. No need to make a big deal. Practice over belief.

However, as I was looking up Mother Theresa on youtube I came across some guys, "Popular Mechanics", who seemed to say that she hardly ever helped people anyway. These guys also said things about Ghandi and the Dalai lama that were not positive by finding the dirt on them. What do you think?

I just want to say that, I disagree with popular mechanics on 9/11. 9/11 was an inside job. can't deny it.

[Vajradhara]

Namaste manji,

thank you for the post.

Originally Posted by Manji2012

I think it is safe to say that doubt is part of the spiritual life. It is one of the five hindrances. No need to make a big deal. Practice over belief.

if this is your view then i'm a bit unclear for the starting of the thread.

However, as I was looking up Mother Theresa on youtube I came across some guys, "Popular Mechanics", who seemed to say that she hardly ever helped people anyway.

if you have a real interest in knowing if she helped others and how much she did so, i would encourage you to access sources other than Youtube.

These guys also said things about Ghandi and the Dalai lama that were not positive by finding the dirt on them. What do you think?

about what?

I just want to say that, I disagree with popular mechanics on 9/11. 9/11 was an inside job. can't deny it.

if you'd like to discuss politics, we have a forum for that as well.

metta,

~v

[omner]

Doubt is part of how our understanding grows.

As children we look at the world and make our conclusions based on very limited knowledge. We may develop a complete picture of the world as revolving around us for example. I've read that's common to children but I'm no psychologist. Let me just assume for the moment that it's correct. Then the first time an adult scolds us or yells or spanks us or whatever we come to doubt our conclusion. We lie awake in the bed, our picture of reality shattered, crying, doubting everything we know. But then we sleep and repeat this cycle perhaps, and eventually come to a new understanding. We see that we will be adults someday too, or something like that, then we get a new picture of the world.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I think everyone has a picture of the world, we're probably all wrong, and how can we ever grow and mature to more and more accurate perception without doubting our old perceptions?

I've read in many places recently that the whole point of existence is to learn to doubt any particular picture of reality, and discover what is common to all of them.

[bodhi_mindisfree]

Why is this posted under the Buddhism section of this website? Yes, Mother Theresa was a wonderful Bodhissatta, but other than that, why???

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by bodhi_mindisfree

Why is this posted under the Buddhism section of this website? Yes, Mother Theresa was a wonderful Bodhissatta, but other than that, why???

Good question.