Letters Reveal Mother Teresa's Secret

(CBS)  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.

[mohammedalien]

Mother Theresa is not the first person to question her faith nor will she be the last. Living by faith is not easy when you are confronted with abject poverty. It will either break you or cement you in the knowledge of God. It is easy to believe when all is well and when things are bright and happy. The true test of faith is when you believe despite the ugliness, despite the challenges and despite your doubts. Mother Theresa doubted because her faith was not properly informed. But her spirit must have believed otherwise she would not have been able to continue what she was doing till the end of her life. I believe that she has gained her place in the eternities because despite her doubts she continued to serve as she would have had she known for sure. She never caused anyone else to lose their faith - despite questioning hers and she endured to the end which is all that is required at the end of the day. Mother Theresa was one of those great spirits that would have been good no matter which religion she belonged to. I have no doubt that she now knows what she lived for all her life was indeed real. God bless all people.

[AnnieDanny]

She lived her faith despite her inner struggles and doubts. And I agree with you, that her battle against the worst poverty and suffering would certainly have worn down her soul. Her letters sound very depressed. Yet she soldiered on. I will never forget that she and Diana died around the same time: both their faces on the cover of a magazine. Diana was an admirable person, but Mother Theresa was a stunning example of a Christian walking in the painful, loving steps of Christ. Who can compare with her example? Very few have laid down their lives to the degree that she did.

[invitingall]

Whoever has issues with faith can resolve it by following two simple steps:

1. First be convinced that there is a Creator (look at this universe).

2. Then ask to that Creator to direct you to the right faith.

I''''ll not tell you which religion I belong to. However, trust me it works, God responses if you sincerely ask.

And ask to the unknown Creator of this universe, not to the God of any particular religion. The true religion exists, and God will show you which one it is.

I wish Mother Teresa knew this.

[orinvee]

"(cowardly atheist = agnostic)"

Actually, an agnostic is wise enough and BRAVE enough to ADMIT that he is unsure exactly as to what he should believe. It shows a person who is not willing to jump to a forgone conclusion.

"BTW, I was baptized more often than most people go to church (we moved a lot), and, according to Baptist doctrine, once saved, always saved.

Isn''''t that great? I can do whatever I want and still go to heaven. . . (hmmmm...)

Don''t confuse Baptist doctrine with what the Bible teaches...they are exactly the opposite!

In fact, more than likely, you have probably been taught that ungodly sinners will burn in hell for eternity.

Amazingly, the Bible says NOTHING of the sort!

It may well be the most read book in the world (though I doubt it, most just collect dust), but it is UNDOUBTEDLY the LEAST understood.

Could it be that it is just poorly written or could it be that it is cleverly written to be vague and indecipherable (without a revealed key)?

[orinvee]

I expect that this thread will soon be expiring on this CBS page. To continue debate on this and many other exciting issues, please go here:

http://www.volconvo.com/forums/

See you there!

[orinvee]

"Why anyone would want to rely on a book that is riddled with mistakes and intentional alterations is beyond me. Guys, just step out of the bible - there''''s a whole new world out there. No point letting 1st century foolishness dictate 21st century living. The bible lacks compassion and that is enough reason to toss it."

Wouldn''t you say that it is PEOPLE who lack compassion? The Bible is, after all, an INANIMATE object, incapable of compassion. It can only RECORD the compassion (or lack, thereof) of the people referred to within its pages.

In that regard, its unlike the fairy tales that you normally read. It pulls no punches, showing the ugly side of human nature just as it is, warts and all.

[orinvee]

The last post was incomplete. Here''s the corrected one:

Have you ever tried to rid your house of mice or roaches or ants? Did you try to SPARE the women and children of these PESTS? Did you hate yourself or expect others to hate you because of your ''genocide'' (pesticide)?

If you place such little value on lesser species than yourself, why are you angry at God who does much less than this. If you could realize that ants and roaches and mice are so much closer to being your next of kin and that God is removed so way beyond anything remotely human, you would understand that there is no comparison. Your killing of a mouse is like killing your own brother. God killing a human is like you smashing a dirt clod. There''s no comparison.


Another thing that you fail to realize is that EVERY child killed will be brought BACK to life...but to a BETTER, more GLORIOUS life. By allowing these UNFORTUNATE children to die, He has spared them the misery of future ungodly lives and brought them straight into paradise.

Of course, when you get rid of the roaches, you are a hero to your ''family''. To the roaches, you are a MONSTER!

[orinvee]

EVERY child killed will be brought BACK to life...but to a BETTER, more GLORIOUS life. By allowing these UNFORTUNATE children to die, He has spared them the misery of future ungodly lives and brought them straight into paradise.

Of course, when you get rid of the roaches, you are a hero to your ''family''. To the roaches, you are a MONSTER!

[orinvee]

"THIS IS AN IMMORAL BOOK!! CHRISTIANS TALK ABOUT MORALITY!!
LOOK AT THE BOOK THEY WORSHIP!! IT HAS TALES OF THE MOST IMMORAL THINGS I HAVE HEARD OF AND THEY ARE SANCTIONED BY THE LORD!!!!
SICK!!!"

Are newspapers immoral because they REPORT immoral acts of humankind?

Then neither is the Bible.

These immoral tales recorded in the Bible are NOT sanctioned by God although, at first glance, they indeed APPEAR to be. Christians don''t worship the BOOK; they worship the God revealed in this book. The title "Christian" has been misappropriated by very un-Christian people who have given Christianity a very bad name.

Nggr, you have repeatedly called God a child-killer and a murderer and other names as if that was a bad thing. This only shows your lack of understanding of WHO God is and what He is capable of. (continued)

[tuckerndfw]

Poorly written? You''''re not a very adept literary critic, are you?

Posted by orinvee at 11:47 PM : Aug 26, 2007

Are you claiming it is well written?

Okay.

We disagree.

[orinvee]

"The Bible is book of very poorly written fairy tales and legends."

Poorly written? You''re not a very adept literary critic, are you?

[mohammedalien]

So true. Some of the most enduring truths I have found only in my faith and belief in the Saviour. The book may be fallible in that it has been tampered with but this has not changed the main message in it. It is still correct enough to inform the spirit.