I've been reading the reaction to the Mother Teresa story in Time Magazine for a few days now. I've read both shock at this supposedly new revelation and I've also read everything from some down right rude comments and thoughts to some very compassionate and enlightening explanations about this mystery of faith described as the "dark night of the soul"
Most of us have felt this in ever so brief moments. I know I experienced a sliver of it at different times in my life. When I lost my job and woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering how I was going to support my family. Or when my wife was in the hospital and all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind. that feeling of "...where is God, please don't leave me now."
But those thoughts never lasted more than a few days and, thank God for his goodness, everything turned out just fine.
Now to have that feeling for the length of time Mother Teresa had it, and still have the strength to go forward with her work, well I'm just in awe.
To me, it makes me realize that knowing Jesus isn't just when I'm feeling happy and joyous. It's knowing that He's present when I'm not happy or joyous. That when all seems at their darkest, God is still there and I'm not abandoned, even if I don't feel it.
I don't know if that makes sense. When I contemplate on the sacrifice of our Lord and try to understand the pain he endured for me; maybe Mother Teresa came closer to understanding that than most of us. The time in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus in prayer; maybe Mother Teresa came to know that loneliness in prayer that Jesus felt.
While reading the various posts online I found Carl Olsen (InsightScoop) had a good posting so I recommend going there for some good insight.
UPDATE: Just found this on Jimmy Akin's site (The Arctic Night of the Soul).
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