tsujigiri

The editorial comments of Chris and James, covering the news, science, religion, politics and culture.

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Saturday, November 30, 2002

I think this article, titled "Does God really exist? The agony of Teresa", is really interesting. Apparently Mother Teresa chronically doubted her faith for about 50 years.

Mother Teresa said in another letter: "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."
   Rome's daily newspaper Il Messeggero said: "The real Mother Teresa was one who for one year had visions and who for the next 50 had doubts - until her death."

A Catholic Church official was quoted as saying "Doubt is part of the growth of holiness," adding that it is also a part of sainthood. This reminds me of a story I once heard (rumor mill alert!) about a guy who became a faculty member in the philosophy department of a Catholic University. He eventually felt that he had to come clean to his department chair and admit that he was Atheist. The chair replied, "But you're a Catholic Atheist, right?"

Does the Mother Teresa story have a similar moral? Only Catholics can be saints. No matter how many "miracles" they perform, or how "faithful" they are, or even how Christian they are, no one can be sainted (as I understand it) who wasn't on the roll books of the Roman Catholic Church. Although the title of "Saint" is supposed to indicate closeness to God, we don't have to dig far to discover its true meaning: closeness to the Church, and service to the Church. Mother Teresa had her doubts, but by God she stayed Catholic! If Benny Hin converted to Catholicism, perhaps he would be eligible for sainthood... I think he's performed more miracles than anyone.

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