Is Mother Teresa a saint why or why not?

Question

I have to write a paper about a saint for my confermation class and I need to know if Mother Teresa was a saint or not.

Answer 1

The Blessed Mother Teresa is not declared a "Saint" yet. She was given the title "Blessed" 5 years after her death by JPII (we love you).

St. Terese of Lisieux, "Little Flower" is a good recent Saint. She is the Saint of "Do nothing" (or small things) and "Love." Her canonization is the small things are what get you into heaven ... which is where the Blessed Mother Teresa got many of her inspirations for quotes like "Man does no big things, only little things with love." You can see if you can get this movie. Many parishes have libraries and video checkouts that carry this.

Answer 2

The definition of a saint, according to my Chambers English Dictionary, is:- (When prefixed to a name) a holy person, one eminent for virtue : one of the blessed dead, one canonised by the Roman Catholic church. So we have a problem here. There is no doubt that Mother Theresa dedicated and devoted her life to helping the poor of Calcutta and certainly committed far more Christian behaviour than most. Unfortunately it is my belief that the only holy beings are the members of the Trinity. God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. so Theresa, with all her virtue is no more holy than you or I, even the pope is just a man and not holy by any sense. Also, although the use of Saint's names and belief in them is universal it is the Catholic Church which decides who should or should not be a saint. We have had the anomaly a few years ago where the, then, pope decided that dozens of former saints should be stripped of their sainthoods as he didn't approve of them and thus contradicted the, supposed, infallible decisions of previous popes who had decided that these people should be sanctified. I am not a catholic, nor do I subscribe to most of their beliefs, I prefer to read and believe the true Bible rather than the Codus Angelicus or any other catholic rulebook. So in conclusion I would agree that this lady should be classed in the same way as existing 'saints' but as I do not believe that the catholic church has the 'power' to 'make' someone holy then ,sadly, she can never be one. I am also of the opinion that many saints were so decreed as politically useful for the catholic church rather than by what popular wishes of the people dictated and I think that they would see Theresa's popularity as too much for them as it would possibly detract people from the church in favour of Theresa's teachings. Remember she gave away all she had and despised the gold, jewels, baubles and rich trappings that the catholic church owns and shows but will not dispose of to help the poor and it is this criticism of the catholic church and it's ways which will, I fear, prevent any pope from canonising her.

Answer 3

She is not an official saint, but anyone who is in Heaven is a saint. Most Christians would believe from the holy life and unselfish she led, that she is almost certainly in Heaven right now. So although it may take time for the Church to officially declare this by making her an official saint. You can be pretty certain that she is already a saint in reality.

Answer 4

Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta . .. see i already call her a Saint. She is a Saint by the virtuous life she lead heroically caring for the least of people.

The Catholic Church has a cannonization process where by a person is investigated as to miracles their life and deeds, writings etc. the Miracles, there must be at least three, which show us that they are in HEAVEN intercedeing for us . ..

It is by her virtuous LIFE i think we can say with assurance that she is a Saint. ..

-LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
Amen.

Answer 5

Please correct a non-demoninational Protestant if I'm wrong, but isn't some form of miraculous occurences (three) an official requirement for induction into Catholic Sainthood?

We all know well of Mother Teresa's infinite selflessness and boundless kindness, but I have honestly never heard of her performing or being involved with any miracles.

Answer 6

Saints are those who are believers in Christ, those who are of the ecclesia, the out called ones. The Bible never calls someone a saint because they did something, they are saints through their salvation in Christ.

Rom 1:7 to all those who are in Rome, beloved of God, called-out saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 1:2 to the assembly of God which is in Corinth, those having been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called-out saints, with all those calling on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours:

Eph 2:19 So, then, you are no longer strangers and tenants, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and of the family of God,

Col 1:2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

Saints are those who have accepted the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. If she was a believer than yes, otherwise no.

Answer 8

She's still Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

(Only the Pope and canonize someone)

Answer 9

No. Supposedly, to be a saint, one has to perform miracles. Since no one ever has performed an actual miracle, saints don't exist.

Answer 10

Under Catholic doctrine, I do not think she has satisfied all the requirements (pending the confirmed miracles). Under Reformed theology, she would be, since we hold that the word "saint" refers to all members of the Church.