Film On Blessed Mother Teresa Captures Her Saintly Simplicity
"The Letters" is another film about the life of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (acted with aplomb by Juliet Stevenson) – specifically that part of her life where, posthumously, personal letters surfaced that revealed her prolonged dark night of the soul. The stunning revelation is chronicled in the book "Come Be My Light – The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta." She had wanted these letters burned at her death; but, thankfully, her spiritual advisors did nothing of the sort. To know that the woman whose name is synonymous with acts of charity ("Who do you think you are, Mother Teresa?!") struggled with not just intermittent spiritual dryness but full-blown, persistent desolation, can give courage to even the most skeptical of believers and non-believers alike.
The film captures well her simplicity, her clever and unconquerable spirit, her seeing the face of God in the poor, and her delight in loving and serving Christ in the poor – her poor. The film strongly brings out the moments of opposition to this "white Christian woman teacher" who lived among and cared almost exclusively for Hindus. She did not hide Jesus from them, and yet she had no ulterior motives of wanting to ultimately convert them – something Christians actually criticized her for! But there's a difference between NOT wanting people to come to Christ (or being indifferent about it) and NOT being called to be the one to make that happen. Certainly, she would have been delighted if she sparked mass conversions to Christianity, but she was simply obeying Christ in taking care of these people. She stressed: "I am here to help."
The film's slow, reflective pace and truly lovely soundtrack makes it suitable as a retreat film or for viewing when one is in a contemplative mood. The start of the film is especially laid back as the priest-postulator of her cause for canonization (Rutger Hauer!) speaks with her spiritual director (Max von Sydow!) about the secret that Mother Teresa hid from the world: her trial of darkness. Both priests are clearly used as devices to give us information in the baldest of ways (postulator calmly and blandly questioning spiritual director). But it gets interesting once we jump to the heart of the story, and whenever Mother Teresa (the adroit and utterly believable Stevenson nails Mother's Albanian accent) is onscreen, it's good.
Mother's dark night of the soul lasted for approximately 50 years – beginning when her work with the poorest of the poor began. No wonder she famously said, "Sometimes it's hard for me to smile at Jesus." Yet she was ever faithful to her prayer time, her religious life, her apostolic duties, and grew her congregation, the "Missionaries of Charity," to about 3,000 while she was still alive.
I remember that when Mother Teresa's spiritual struggle was made public, atheists rejoiced. Yes; let me say that again. Atheists rejoiced that she understood them, that she was almost one of them. In fact, there was even some confusion – quickly cleared up, however – over whether she was an atheist herself! Mother's objective belief in God never wavered; she simply didn't feel Him at all, and she even felt a persistent negativity that she was unacceptable to God – that He didn't love her somehow, even though she acknowledged intellectually that God loves everyone. She experienced only God's absence – the "via negativa" – which makes her a very postmodern saint, doesn't it?
“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.” –Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Blessed Mother Teresa had a succinct way with words, similar to Pope Francis. Her manner of speaking is well-portrayed in the film: Young nun: "I'm afraid this man is dying, Mother!" Blessed Mother Teresa: "Yes, well, we can just give him a little bit of God's love. That's all.
"The greatest suffering is to feel alone, unwanted, unloved."
