a book will be released soon – a compilation of letters from Teresa to her spiritual confidante – the book was put together by the man leading the way for Teresa’s approval as “Saint”.
this book reveals a life of faith QUITE different from the reputation the world has given this modern saint.
the revealed letters are so unexpected that TIME mag has an article on the book, with excerpts. here’s one of her prayers:
So many unanswered questions live within me afraid to uncover them — because of the blasphemy — If there be God — please forgive me — When I try to raise my thoughts to Heaven — there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like sharp knives & hurt my very soul. — I am told God loves me — and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. Did I make a mistake in surrendering blindly to the Call of the Sacred Heart?
i am saddened, amazed, and relieved to know that she too (of all people) lived a life of tumultuous faith.
makes me feel more human… AND more faithful.
have you ever had a crisis of faith?
ht: eugene cho – where you can also find constant updates on the korean hostages in Afghanistan.
Tags: mother teresa, faith, confession, prayer, grace, crisis, god, church
Oh you are up early siesta.
Crisis of faith…wow, what a question.
Yes, I have had plenty,
I think there is a certain number of em’ you
have to go through in order to actually grow.
Sept 8th, will be a year since I lost the baby,
so a year ago, I did have a crisis of faith,
I was so angry with God.
year later. God saved my life from something
not healthy, to me or the baby; he saved
me from an unhealthy relationship,
and I have a second chance at my life,
and know my baby is in heaven with Jesus.
Safe and sound.
Wow, haven’t we all questioned our “faith”. The mere notion of faith is that you’re believeing without seeing. How hard is that? I feel it in my heart, I know it in the deepest part of me, but it’s not tangible. You can’t touch it or take out your faith and look at it. I think we all wonder if we have enough faith and at times, do we have any faith at all? I have no doubt that Mother Teresa had periods of doubt in her life. She was human. And to assume that she was not human is not Biblical. And if she was human (which I established earlier) then we can assume she had periods of doubt. We trust in a God we can not see with our eyes. But, when He moves in our lives or when He’s speaking to our hearts, we know He’s real! He is as real to me as the nose on my face, but I often doubt my faith or my ability to believe and trust in Him. To me, it’s just part of the journey. Usually when I go through a period of doubt, He’ll show up and I come out the other side with a stronger faith. Trusting in Him more! Interesting topic!
Blessing,
Georgia Mom
i am loving on that crisis right now.
in all the craziness I am stressing hard staying close…it is not easy. my feelings cannot be trusted so to know truth I have to go to the word.
My pastor just posted about this book.
danslagle.blogspot.com, this woman was amazing!! for her to question her faith amazes me and makes feel so humble.:)
when I saw that on the news the other day…i just thought about how important it is to follow Christ and not idolize anyone. Esp Mother Teresa…we all struggle in many ways and if our faith is built on that persons walk with the Lord we are on some sinking sand. Anyway, those are just some random thoughts.
That is so authentic and touching to hear.
Authentic, yes.
If you haven’t gone through a time where you felt your prayers returned to hit your soul like knives, and everything felt confusing and upsetting and hurtful…and you had to rely on truth and not what your mind and thoughts and feelings tell you…I pray for you.
It is a difficult season to endure and sort and, ultimately, surrender.
That is when I discovered that praying in unintelligible words was most helpful, whether it was tongues or not, I do not know, but to suspend thought and words and just utter groans of surrender and trust and pain was the most helpful exercise for me. That, and a period of silence with God that lasted for weeks, nearly a month, it seems. It was the most uncomfortable time in my walk. But, I learned to shut up and not even listen…but to just be still and surrender to the silence. To Sovereignty. To thought. Surrender. Quiet.
Very disconcerting. But, He was there, and so was I.
Christians do go through a season where they question their faith, but that is not permanent. Mother Teresa went through it for almost half a century, now that is questionable. Where was the comforter,the Holy Spirit in her life?
Michelle, Some go through whole life times that are seemingly bereft of the Spirit and still believe. We here in our culture forget that much of the world lives a day-to-day existence with none of our securities of money and health care service. They lose much and continue in faith.