Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light
"Why must we give ourselves fully to God? Because God has given Himself to us. - Mother Teresa
Happy New Year to all subscribers of my blog, especially a number of new subscribers that have joined this journey during the holiday season. Welcome all, to our dialogue about spiritual matters, faith, life, Creation, and the world. Welcome as we seek to listen to the whisper of God in our lives!
Part of my prayer practice is that I always have a spiritual book alongside my Bible in my daily prayers and devotions.
Last week, I finished reading and reflecting on Conjectures of an Innocent Bystander, by Thomas Merton. I have read a lot of Merton and found him to be enlightening and thought provoking. It amazes me that he was able to keep one foot rooted in the cloistered, silent life of the monastery while having the other foot planted in the world, actively speaking words of faith and justice in his troubled world. Much of what he wrote about in the context of his day - war and the pursuit of peace, the advent of technology, the destruction of Creation, injustices of systemic evil, and the military-industrial complex - are still relevant issues for us today. I found many “nuggets” in Conjectures of an Innocent Bystander, some of which I have shared in this blog, but also found much of what Merton wrote to be far beyond my understanding. Clearly, there is much more time for reading in the cloister than there is in the “world”! Merton pontificated on the writings of many authors throughout the ages that I never even heard of, no less have any opinion about.
This week, I have picked up Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, to be my spiritual reading companion in my daily prayers. Some of you may recall that Mother Teresa’s private journal, writings to her spiritual directors and supervisors, and letters to friends were published in 2007, on the tenth anniversary of her death and four years after her beatification. The book was a lightening rod of attention because they revealed a surprising darkness in Mother Teresa’s faith and spiritual struggles. I purchased the book shortly after its publication, but as things are, it sat on my reading shelf all these years waiting to rise to the top of the pile. My interest in Mother Teresa has not waned and I am glad that she will now join my in my spiritual life…and to the extent that I am able to share, to join you in your spiritual journey too!
First, I would like to address the moral and ethical dilemma of releasing Mother Teresa’s private thoughts, prayers, struggles, and longings to the public. Mother Teresa vehemently opposed this happening! Not so much because they revealed her private life, but because she did not want to be the recipient of any attention that was (in her opinion) rightly to be devoted to Christ. In the humility that was classic to her personhood, Mother Teresa once said that she was merely “a pencil in God’s hand” and that God was using her “nothingness” to show God’s greatness. Wow, Mother Teresa a mere pencil! (I always thought that the largest pencil in the world was Pennsylvania. Now I know that it is Mother Teresa! Forgive my bad joke, blessed Mother!)
On numerous occasions, Mother Teresa, recognizing the extraordinary shape of her calling, begged her superiors to burn her writings for fear that she would be given prominence that was due solely to God. The conclusion of her superiors was that “It is traditional teaching that the mystical charism of God’s close friends is meant not primarily for themselves but for the good of the whole church. Many people who go through similar trials may gain courage and hope from these letters.”
I can see both sides of the argument. Nevertheless, I am gratified that we all we have the opportunity to benefit from going deeper into the inner life, darkness, and struggles of Mother Teresa alongside the blessed public life and service to the poor of Calcutta that we are all somewhat aware of.
“Put your hand in His (Jesus’) hand, and walk alone with Him. Walk ahead, because if you look back you will go back.” These were the parting words that the mother of eighteen-year-old Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu, the future Mother Teresa gave to her as she departed her home in Skopje, Albania in 1928, headed for Ireland to join the Loreto Sisters. She had applied to go to missions in India. At that time it was well known that missionaries never returned home from the mission field. Fathom that departure! Consider the faith and commitment both of parents and child! Forty years later, Mother Teresa wrote, “I’ve never doubted even for a second that I’ve done the right thing; it was the will of God. It was His choice.” (That comment intrigued me. I have given a lot of thought to God’s will (plan) for our lives and our life’s decisions. How specific is God’s “plan”? Is our objective in life to solve this puzzle? Or is God’s “plan” more general, asking us to be faithful and leaving the details to us? Mother Teresa’s understanding is pretty clear. The matter is not nearly as clear to me. Perhaps that will be the subject of a blog post for another day.)
What was the source of Mother Teresa’s deep faith, her commitment to God, and giving her life to serve the world’s poor? Mother Teresa responds to the questions, “Why must we give ourselves fully to God? Because God has given Himself to us.” In these words, I heard an echo of my last sermon at LCR. Grace is God’s gifts freely offered first to us, in Christ and all other blessings. Gratitude is our life of discipleship offered back to God by loving our neighbor and working for the common good of all. I am not comparing myself to Mother Teresa. I am merely offering this as a theology for life.
As we begin a new year, perhaps it is beneficial to consider what God has given to us and what we might give to God as we meet God in our neighbor. We are not all called to leave mother and father for mission work in Calcutta (whew!) but we all have gifts to share with our neighbor as a thanksgiving to God.
Many blessings as you live into God’s grace in 2024!