Abandoned by God, abandoned by God for years, Mother Teresa felt abandoned by God. Can you believe that? A spiritual icon, a saint, the saint of our generation felt abandoned by God sometimes for decades at a time, can you believe that?
I can. And even more importantly it makes me love her, respect her and appreciate her more than ever. She was a true woman of faith. Belief and service to God is way more than a one time shot, it’s a struggle full of ups and downs full of pain and fear and definitely full of uncertainty. For it’s not faith without fear, intimacy without pain or depth of relationship without tremendous risk. True courage only comes in the face of fear and true faith only comes in the face of uncertainty.
In my heart it is exactly Mother Teresa’s sense of abandonment that shows her profound intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus. She began the “Missionaries of Charity” at the direction of God and she kept doing it even after the fuzzy joy and immediate excitement wore off. She kept loving, holding, healing, serving and pouring herself into the lives of the poorest of the poor in spite of her doubts. She kept on being a pencil in the hand of God writing a love letter to the world in spite of nagging fear and true loneliness.
Mother Teresa is the real deal and it is a privilege to have been on the earth with someone like that. For me there’s nothing left to be said except for a deep heart felt thank you to our loving Father in heaven for blessing all of us with such an incredible example of mercy. I praise you and thank you Father for this wonderful gift you have given us all, Mother Teresa.