I jsut read about Mother Teresa who had doubts about her faith I guess we can all be in the dark about our?

Question

faith even Mother Teresa right? She was only human like all of us :))))

Answer 1

I respect her even more than I respected her before I heard this news, and I greatly respected her even before; she was real about her faith, and she focused on actions rather than words. She is a great model for people of any faith. God bless her soul.

Answer 2

Hi Rena,
Your question reminded me of a psychology lecture when we were discussing altruistic people and our lecturer suggested that even Mother Teresa would have her secrets! That was twelve years ago. She is human and all humans I am sure, no matter what their status will have their moments of doubt. Doubt can be healthy. “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds” Alfred Lord Tennyson. Just think of all the suffering Mother Teresa witnessed. She never admitted to her doubts; she continued on helping, caring, giving while all the time hiding her inner confusion.
Perhaps, if she was in a different position, she might have had more freedom to consider other religions, other beliefs.
She was a truly wonderful person and the goodness in her spirit shone through. A true Saint of our times.
Polly

Answer 3

Wow, if Mother Teresa had doubts they must have been for profound reasons. Considering her tremendous amount of sacrifice and charity, her doubts must have been on a monumental scale as she witnessed immense suffering. For an ordinary guy like me, I've had my doubts on a bad day when my favorite baseball team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Yes, she was indeed human, but we all doubt our faith for different reasons. Mother Teresa's reasons must have been pretty darn good. I'm sure that now, though, she has no more doubts and God is answering all of her questions, and maybe she's posting them on some sort of heavenly Yahoo!-style Answers forum like this one.

Answer 4

Everyone has doubts for a reason. Even some popes have had them too, and that has mostly to do for the fact that no matter what anyone says, all rules and believes are man made..

So faith is a state of mind, and if you or anyone has doubts is because there are a LOT more questions then asnwers that seems to be made up most of the time..

Am not saying that GOD does not exist, what am saying that religion is what is made up.. If someone believe in GOD why give it a label, and in fact that labeling is what is been creating doubts in all of us..

Answer 5

I am astounded at the assumptions, above, that her doubt can be categorized into the simpleminded silliness most people experience and take great pride in piously 'claiming to have overcome.'

She did NOT give up her passion and work despite the inner torment in trying to rationalize Catholic teachings with the horrors of man's inhumanity. Not having read the letters yet (which she wanted destroyed) but hearing that she only had one five-week reprieve of inner peace in 50 years, it is more likely that her obsession with finding beatific peace despite the horrors, was the SOURCE of torment. The Church teaches this. Every nun of her generation longed for this unity with the divine/marriage with Christ. But the Church then and now is too far removed from the great medieval mystics, who were the last to understood the truth about achieving that rare psychological state - unity between the authentic Self and God/Reality - still offering nothing but admonishments and rituals to avoid hell AFTER death.

This should be a lesson for believers. Don't be so sure you're on the right track, if even a powerful soul like hers died having never returned to unity and peace.

Answer 6

Mother Theresa's Faith never wavered!
She simply transcended what is called religion.

When a persons gives:
There food so that others may eat.
There water so that others no longer thirst.
Their patience so that others may understand.

This is the sign of a True Saint!
May God be pleased with her!

Answer 7

When I asked my mentor about doubt she once told me that a few times she saw herself ascending to heaven saying, "but what if I am wrong?". Sometimes I think doubt is a tool for to reevaluate, maybe not our whole belief system, but our use of it. I am not perfect & capable of misinterpting anything, even with the best intentions.

Answer 8

Everyone has a time of darkness of the soul. St Theresa of Avila had it all the time. I have been there and its pretty weird.. its like walking in a white hallway full of doors and no key for the locks. You just keep praying for guidance and it will leave you stronger once it passes.

Answer 9

I agree that everyone has to keep the fight of the faith..There is a scripture that states that..but can't remember where it is..But, I think at times we all have our doughts about our faith..but then ..It always comes back to us..God never leaves us..

Answer 10

Hello,

Everyone has this sort of experience in their lives and she is by no means unique. The tribute to this news is that she never gave up and kept moving foward one step at a time.

We often forget, the ultimate Christian, Jesus himself had his moments of doubts and pain in the Garden before his arrest and on the cross, " Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me!"

Cheers,

Michael Kelly