Mother Teresa's Crisis

So the woman who is on the fast track to sainthood spent most of her life in misery doubting that god cared about her or that he even existed. In a new book, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, letters and confessions from the Missionary of Charity over her 66 year life's work show a tormented woman.

Alone ... Where is my Faith — even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness — My God — how painful is this unknown pain — I have no Faith — I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart — & make me suffer untold agony.

The Vatican sent confessors to 'help' her with this crisis and only encouraged her to continue the work. It was their belief (or maybe their wish) that she was 'blessed' to be able to suffer like Jesus did and that it is a beautiful message that a woman having such a crisis of faith would continue to do this holy work. I'm not sure being in total misery for 66 years counts as a crisis of faith. Here is a woman believed to be extremely holy and blessed and you're saying that god rewarded her by making her suffer for most of her life?

The article in Time is lengthy but worth a read to see what the woman was like behind the mask she wore.

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