Today I read an interesting article in Time magazine online about a new book about the secret life of spiritual doubt in the life of Mother Teresa. The book is called Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light (Doubleday). The book contains letters Mother Teresa wrote over several decades to her confessors and spiritual advisors in which she admits to deep, almost paralyzing spiritual darkness. Fascinating. I haven't read the book, so I'm not endorsing it, but the article paints an endearing portrait of someone in deep spiritual pain.
The author of the article discusses possible causes. Was it because God isn't really there? (so the atheists claim) or was it because of some inability of Teresa to receive love? Or, was it a "severe mercy," something Teresa needed to keep her humble or to enable her to more closely understand Christ's sacrifice? The article is worth reading, and I think we should discuss the topic of doubt. Have you had doubts? Have you sensed that God was distant? Are there possible benefits that doubt can bring into our lives?
4 comments:
one of your herm students checked out your blog...
that is interesting about Mother Theresa, especially considering her autobiography...
~Johanna
johanna - are trying to get extra herm points?
(it works in music theory)
jus' sayin'
While remaining in doubt indefinately is obviously not good, I think that experiencing spiritual doubt causes us to seek deeper into God's word and seek his face for answers. Through that, we learn not only what to believe, but why to believe it, and in the end, our faith is stronger than before...the fire refines our faith.
I guess it's true what they say -- it's lonely at the top.
It's extremely troubling to me that someone who lived out the message of Jesus in such a humble and yet powerful way would feel so left out in the cold by the God she gave her life to serve.
All the possible answers provided here and in the article make sense to me, and yet something still troubles me about Theresa's self-proclaimed "darkness" she said she felt from God day after day.
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