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How Come People Bash Blessed Mother Theresa Of Calcutta?


Gabriela

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I once read that Mother Teresa responded to a critic about how she and her order worked to fight poverty.  His complaint was that she didn't sit down and make a long term comprehensive plan to reduce or end poverty on a larger scale.  She said that her order worked to ease the suffering of the poor on a day to day basis and that it was up to others to make longer-term plans.  That the suffering people would need reprieve in the interim while those bigger plans were being made.

 

There is no doubt (and I believe that she herself would be the first to say it) that she had sins and flaws like any other human being.  For anyone to pretend otherwise is a sin in itself.  I also read a story of a woman entering the chapel while the Sisters were praying and the woman began to kiss the feet of Mother Teresa.  Mother tapped the woman on the shoulder, looking stern, and pointed to the crucifix implying that the woman should be at the feet of Christ instead.

 

She was a woman of great virtue and love, and like St. Therese she persevered despite the heavy spiritual turmoil she was in for all those years.  I think that discussing her faults and accomplishments are essential to those examining the cause for her canonization but otherwise I don't see the point in it.  We need only recognize that she was a sinner like the rest of us and strove to live out the love of Jesus, even if sometimes she made mistakes.  Whether she becomes a saint or not, we can all learn something from her example.

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There is no doubt (and I believe that she herself would be the first to say it) that she had sins and flaws like any other human being.  For anyone to pretend otherwise is a sin in itself. 

From what I read of her private thoughts in Come Be My Light, she would have been absolutely horrified at people treating her as sinless. There is frankly nobody harder on her than she was on herself.

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P.S. I think it's evident that I have a great admiration for Mother Teresa as evidenced by the little signature quote that I put at the bottom of my posts.   :hehe2:

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Good point. Although I've been reading St. Francis de Sales lately, and it seems everyone loved him...

 

 

St. Dominic Savio seems to have been universally loved by those who knew him.

 

Somehow I'm not certain the love would be quite so universal had they lived on this earth in the 21st century.

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Somehow I'm not certain the love would be quite so universal had they lived on this earth in the 21st century.

 

:bounce: Perhaps. Or perhaps not. But the point stands.

Edited by Nihil Obstat
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She likely would be the first to remind us that she was never perfect. If we went back in time we would likely be shocked and almost disillusioned by the humanness and flaws of our saints.
 

 

This is what you said.

 

You are twisting, or at least have misunderstood what I wrote -- as if I'm insinuating that we shouldn't be motivated to be perfect. I'm not saying this at all. My overall point is that people have this preconceived idea of who the saints were, basically I think people regard them in a very 2-dimensional manner and forget that they were human beings, and they faced life's complexities like the rest of us and likely had to make decisions that did not please everyone for whatever reason. Good examples of this are not just Mother Teresa but also Pope John Paul II and the criticisms people level at them. But at the same time, yes they both strived for perfection and are models to be inspired by and we have been fortunate to know of two saints in our lifetime.

 

I'm not twisting or misunderstanding anything.  I'm not implying that you insinuated anything.  You said we would be shocked by the humanness and flaws of the saints.  I disagree.  Or rather, I agree, but the opposite way from how you mean it.  I think we would be shocked by how close to perfect they really were.  That's why the Church canonizes people - they achieved a level of perfection high enough that it only makes sense they would be in heaven.

 

There is no doubt (and I believe that she herself would be the first to say it) that she had sins and flaws like any other human being.  For anyone to pretend otherwise is a sin in itself.

 

Yes, she had sins and flaws - but not like any other human being.  Rather, they were smaller and less frequent.  That's why she's been declared a blessed.  Others before her have been canonized for the same reason. 

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I think people also dislike Mother Teresa because, unfortunately, she's an anomolie in the Catholic Church.  Yes, she has many good and dedicated nuns, but not enough.  Do you know who the greatest supports to her missions are?  Young mormons on their manditory mission trip.  Evangilists who help fund orphanages.  Other humanitarian organizations that donate funds.  It's not Catholics.

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