I'm out of steam on this. I am not even going to take up the promise of vistas of future suffering made by an adamant opposition to contraception for those so poor they, in Sister Luke's words, "live like dogs on the street."
Or her cozy relationship with certain sordid figures.
I think Mother Teresa was impressive in the degree of her dedication to the pursuit of her values. I can not begin to say how deranged I consider her values, and how unlikely I think it is that those of all faiths who donated to her understood just what her values were. I believe they thought she disliked suffering.
You wrote, Christopher,
"If indeed there are documented instances of her intentionally withholding available and efficacious pain medications which a patient was requesting (some don't want the pain medications for various reasons) that would indeed give me serious pause."
I don't know whether or not it is actually your belief that those impoverished, dying Indians, perhaps 2% of whom were Christians, would have turned down pain meds, or diagnosis and cure, in favor of suffering for Jesus, so I don't know whether or not all this gives you pause.
You also wrote "I would also want to know why she was doing those things, if indeed she was."
Now you know:
The more a person suffers, the more God is pleased. The basic idea is that the suffering is an offering to the Missionaries of Charity. The Mission is something like a partnership between the workers, the Missionaries, and the patients in the clinics, the sufferers, whom she refers to as 'the powerhouse of the Missionaries of Charity.'
It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up what is still lacking from the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. (COL.1:24)
Message 15685843
Message 15707754
I'm through with this subject. I suspect that few of those who took the trouble to wade through all this will feel the same about the work and accomplishments of Mother Teresa -- I'm not talking about her dedication, but about what she effected with it. And didn't. |
