lucy wightman

Love in the Present Tense
By Catherine Ryan Hyde
Also the author of Pay it Forward

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Mother Teresa – Come Be My Light
The Private Writings of the “Saint of Calcutta”

Someone I am very close to gave me this book.  

The collection of written reflections by Mother Teresa is interspersed with facts from her life, both in chronological order.  Sometime ago the media reported in a sensational way, how Mother Teresa lacked faith in God.  The presentation lacked any context from which we could understand the meaning.  The insinuation was that she did not really believe in God, yet carried out actions in the name of Jesus Christ.  The tone of the reporting was one of shock like any celebrity scandal.

At first the read is annoying and frustrating. Mother Teresa seems to constantly contradict herself with full awareness, vows to change and then doesn’t.  She asks for help from spiritual mentors and then asserts her worthlessness in receiving such guidance. Her promises not to bother the Catholic higher ups are contradicted with redundant letters to them. Constant reference to her nothingness is the backdrop for visions of greatness.  This is all very confusing.

With patience though, it is possible to reach a deeper, although subtler knowing of this woman’s life and her human struggles.  To me, any book that eventually brings some “aha’s” is worth trudging through.  Mother Teresa’s interpretation of her emptiness, pain and suffering is done softly and without bravado.   The result is a knowing of a most unusual human being unlike any we have met before.  That’s refreshing!   

There is another treat at the conclusion of the book and that is Appendix B where we glimpse Mother Teresa’s retreat notes.  Both the questions and answers are worth keeping in mind.  As with her letters, nothing was written by her with publishing in mind.  Just a few examples…

Do I value the salvation of my soul?
I don’t believe I have a soul.  There is nothing in me.

Do I receive Holy Communion with faith and love?
No.

In the spirit of writing, reading seems like an efficient way to learn how to speak properly again (? I think again).  I immediately start thinking who will identify with each book but I will stop short and just past them on here.