Princess Diana died ten years ago today in a tragic car accident while fleeing from the constant hounding, hounding, incessant hounding of photographers. She died at the age of 36. Who can forget the dreadful images of the Mercedes Benz twisted and wrecked in the Paris tunnel on Pont de l'Alma road? Even as the princess lay dying in the back seat of the car, the paparazzi kept their cameras flashing. I consider them responsible for her death.
The 10th anniversary of that unnecessary tragedy has been marked with extravagant tributes from around the world to the memory of the princess. During Princess Diana’s short life she gave her formidable support to numerous charities and worthy causes.
On September 5th 1997, Mother Teresa died at the age of 87, after a lifetime of work with the poorest of the poor in India. Her death was overshadowed by that of Princess Diana, five days earlier. CNN anchor Martin Savage reported Mother Teresa’s death as a secondary story to the evening's broadcast. Savage said she was a missionary to the “so-called poorest of the poor.” I was furious. "So-called" poorest of the poor!
I fired off a fax to CNN challenging Savage. Who did he -- with his expensive suit and blow-dried hair -- consider to be the world's poorest of the poor? To the credit of Mr. Savage, he immediately called me at my house and apologized, saying he was simply reading what was on the teleprompter. Hmmm.
The nasty, anti-Christian writer, Christopher Hitchens, however, has called Mother Teresa a “mediocre human personality.” He said, “She was a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud”.[1] Martin may be called Mr. Savage but this odious man is truly Mr. Vicious. Hitchens occasionally appears on CNN and other television networks to spew his vitriol around the globe.
Jesus’ standard for greatness was obviously different than Hitchens’. Christ said, “The greatest among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 23.11, also see Matthew 21.25-27.) That's what Mother Teresa was.
Mother Teresa epitomized what Christ meant when He prayed, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” (John 17.14)
Now on the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death a new book about her spiritual darkness and doubts is about to hit bookshelves.[2]
The 10th anniversary of that unnecessary tragedy has been marked with extravagant tributes from around the world to the memory of the princess. During Princess Diana’s short life she gave her formidable support to numerous charities and worthy causes.
On September 5th 1997, Mother Teresa died at the age of 87, after a lifetime of work with the poorest of the poor in India. Her death was overshadowed by that of Princess Diana, five days earlier. CNN anchor Martin Savage reported Mother Teresa’s death as a secondary story to the evening's broadcast. Savage said she was a missionary to the “so-called poorest of the poor.” I was furious. "So-called" poorest of the poor!
I fired off a fax to CNN challenging Savage. Who did he -- with his expensive suit and blow-dried hair -- consider to be the world's poorest of the poor? To the credit of Mr. Savage, he immediately called me at my house and apologized, saying he was simply reading what was on the teleprompter. Hmmm.
The nasty, anti-Christian writer, Christopher Hitchens, however, has called Mother Teresa a “mediocre human personality.” He said, “She was a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud”.[1] Martin may be called Mr. Savage but this odious man is truly Mr. Vicious. Hitchens occasionally appears on CNN and other television networks to spew his vitriol around the globe.Jesus’ standard for greatness was obviously different than Hitchens’. Christ said, “The greatest among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 23.11, also see Matthew 21.25-27.) That's what Mother Teresa was.
Mother Teresa epitomized what Christ meant when He prayed, “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” (John 17.14)
Now on the 10th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death a new book about her spiritual darkness and doubts is about to hit bookshelves.[2]
It will be curious to see what sort of tributes will trickle across the newscasts of western secular media for the greatest woman of God in the past 100 years. (I’m referring to Mother Teresa not Princess Diana.)
A Princess and a saint
A princess and a saint: One lived in extravagant luxury, the other lived in austerity. One reached out to those in need while the other lived with those in need and gave her life to them. One was the people’s princess while the other brought humanity’s poorest the divine love of the King of Kings.
The world was made poorer with the tragic and premature death of Princess Diana on August 31st 1997. The world was made richer by Mother Teresa’s life of Christian service and obedience to God, which came to its natural conclusion on September 5th 1997.
None of us know when our lives will end. Make your life a beautiful gift to God and humanity. Very few of us will ever be royalty but we can all serve the King.
Mark Pickup
“It is at the most humble works that is your place and mine ... Because there will be many people to do the big things, but very few will do the small ones." -- Mother Teresa
“It is at the most humble works that is your place and mine ... Because there will be many people to do the big things, but very few will do the small ones." -- Mother Teresa
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[1] Christopher Hitchens, “Mommy Dearest: The Pope Beatifies Mother Teresa, A Fanatic, a Fundamentalist, and a Fraud”, Slate, October 20th 2003. (http://www.slate.com/id/2090083)
[2] Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light (Doubleday).
2 comments:
As soon as that book comes out, I'm getting it. I made the mistake of reading the TIME magazine story that implied that Mother Teresa doubted God existed, and while it was somewhat comforting to know that a woman that strong in faith could also have doubts, it was unsettling.
CATHOLIC ONLINE (www.catholic.org) has an article that's much more realistic in explaining the book:
http://www.catholic.org/views/views_news.php?id=25218
Here's an exerpt from that article:
"Time’s article, 'Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith,' focuses on a few sentences in a few letters of Blessed Teresa published in a new book to suggest that behind her public persona of a believer was a tortured soul defined by her doubt.
...But the contents of the book are nothing new – the National Catholic Register interviewed Father Kolodiejchuk on the same subjects in 2003. And Mother Teresa’s writings show that her faith was greater, not less, than we might have thought.
The more we learn about Mother Teresa, the more we discover that, even among the saints, she stands out. She was every bit as profound as her namesakes, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
...But then she experienced what Teresa and Thérèse had experienced: the agonizing feeling of abandonment by God that St. John of the Cross dubbed 'the dark night of the soul.'
This spiritual dark night is nothing like the tortured doubts of 'postmodern' man. It is the same experience as Jesus’ agony from the cross, when he said, 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?' and 'I thirst.'
The difference between the doubt of a modern atheist and spiritual darkness is as distinct as the difference between a 'Dear John' note and an 'I miss you, Johnny' letter. These saints never cease having a relationship with God; on the contrary, their relationship grows more intense as they long to be reunited. They live the experience the Song of Solomon refers to: 'I sought him whom my heart loves – I sought him but I did not find him.'"
Incidentally, the book was written by a priest who is seeking to have Blessed Teresa sainted, and is using her letters as proof of the strenght of her will and her adoration of God. I'm much relieved to learn that the "doubts" being bandied about by people are nothing more than secular mis-reading of Teresa's feelings.
I'm really looking forward to reading the new book. If it's successful in making the case, I think Teresa will be named a Saint before too long. I'll be happy when she is. I think she is a saintly woman and should be recognized by us for this.
Dear Tabitha: Thanks for giving a different and welcome direction on the upcoming book on Mother Teresa. We both look forward to reading it.
Mark
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