Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Holy Nerds Club (Jan) - Come be my light
Being one of the oldest religions on earth has its advantages and setbacks. For one, we can lay claims to the rich heritage and history that age brings. On the flipside though, we sometimes fall back on the justification that since everything happened so long ago, we simply can't relate it to modern day living. Let's not even talk about Jesus. Even new saints like Sister Alphonsa, Gaetano Errico, Sister Maria Bernarda, and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran, (all of whom were canonised just last year!), seem to be a fictitious and distant tale. Click here to read more.
I picked up Come Be My Light - The private writings of Mother Teresa sometime late last year. Going through a rather dark period myself, I hoped that this book would be my source of comfort and inspiration. And as I delved deep into the 300-odd paged chronicle of this Nobel Peace Laureate, I found my darkness growing brighter in the light of her unwavering faith and love for God.
This book reveals the inner spiritual journey of one of the most influential and beloved people in modern history; private thoughts and sufferings which she kept, even from her closest friends. She describes the details of her soul's 'dark nights' in letters to her confessors, saying that "there is nothing but emptiness & darkness", but yet even that is not "as painful as the longing for God".
With minimal edits and sporadic commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, this is as close as you can get to knowing Mother Teresa, or should I say, Blessed Mother Teresa. Her sense of humour and true strength of character is straightforward and unconcealed. If you really want to know her, reading this book is like looking into her innermost private thoughts...For a moment, just think about how awesome and privileged that is - to be given this rare opportunity to take a glimpse at this Saint-to-be, and to pick up life lessons on how we can aim to be one ourselves.
For some, the book can be a challenging read - draggy and long-winded at times. Getting through the first half was a chore personally, as I repeatedly read about her gripes and grouses (she was then trying to start the Missionaries of Charity amidst slow responses from her superiors). On hindsight though, I'm beginning to appreciate the lengthiness of her writings. It was her persistence and perseverance that had eventually pulled through, shaping her faith and love for God. This is a worthy lesson for those of us who are in ministry - that days will never be easy, and all we should do is keep our eyes on the Prize.
Her leadership
"Once I saw a Sister with a long face going out for apostolate, so I called her to my room and I asked her, "What did Jesus say, to carry the cross in front of Him or to follow Him?" With a big smile, she looked at me and said, "To follow Him." So I asked her, "Why are you trying to go ahead of Him?" She left my room smiling. She had understood the meaning of following Jesus."
Her ministry
"We picked up [a man] from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. [And he said] "I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.""
Her 'business card'
"The fruit of silence is prayer,
The fruit of prayer is faith,
The fruit of faith is love,
The fruit of love is service,
The fruit of service is peace."
Her mission
"If I ever become a Saint, I will surely be one of "darkness". I will continually be absent from Heaven, to light the light of those in darkness on earth."
Hers was a painful yet intimate encounter of the Passion which Christ had allowed her to partake; the epitome of contradictions, that while she brought light to Calcutta, her soul had been trapped in complete darkness.
Yes, being one of the oldest religions on earth has its advantages and setbacks. Thankfully for us, God has manifested in extraordinary people like Mother Teresa, a fitting example that we can all strive to be saints today, and everyday.
Wanna borrow this book? You know how to contact me...
