I have never been a great fan of our latest saint, Mother Teresa. Not that I ever doubted her sincerity and the good she did. It was just that there were so many "other sides" to her story. I found her treatment of her Missionary Sisters medieval, subjecting them to extremely conservative discipline and poor training. There was always a question about the standard of medical treatment she offered, especially in view of the considerable financial support she received. At times she appeared too much a media star. And always that difficult question of evangelising pressure in a dominantly Hindu nation.
Mind you, her stubbornness and refusal to kowtow to male ecclesiastics stood her in good stead. But having JPII as number one fan wasn't always an endearing feat.
Her canonisation is a timely reminder that saints aren't perfect. They are held up to us as examples of what real-life sanctity is. They are humans who have striven in the circumstances of their life to respond to God's grace. There have been moments of wonderful virtue and even heroic activity. There has been constancy in seeking the truth and trying to live it out. And they have done this despite their human failings and limitations which are there for all to see. Their lives tell us that we too can find sanctity despite our own imperfection. For in the end it is God alone who can bring perfection out of our imperfection in the resurrection .
So, if we keep the saints in proper perspective, we can look to them and learn from them. And maybe even benefit from their prayers for us! Saint Mother Teresa, my apologies and do pray for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment