Frankly, conservative Christians turning the results of their own religious-political ideology into a reason everyone should shut up and take more of the same and call unnecessary suffering 'virtue' is a little disingenuous when it's clear whose policies got us into this mess, and who was clamoring to elect them for more and more of the same.

People *always* seem to find a way to suffer.

No one said it had to be about lack of food and medicine.

If there's a 'plan' here, maybe the plan is for people to learn not to be so easily led into callousness and greed by those who stoke their self-righteous egoes while also offering a claim that waste and excess will all work out in the end... Until it doesn't.

Then it's never, 'Oh, crap, we were wrong,' it's like, 'See, God's punishing you for not obeying us *enough* while we look for excuses to do the *wrong thing.* Again.'

Maybe if there's a *plan,* it's about learning how to cope with *abundance* as well as scarcity.

It seems that for so many, there is no sense of 'enough' ...only 'not enough' and 'too much.'

Enough. I think some religious ideologies just don't have the *language* of *enough.* They can label 'scarcity' and feel comfy there, they can label *excess* and feel comfy in doing that.

Result? Fearing scarcity, the mentality sticks, even through excess... All the while blowing the excess both in hopes of fending off scarcity, as well as, subconsciously trying to get back to that 'virtuous' scarcity, where you don't have to *do* much about the problems of the world.

We call it being Paddy-rich, in some neighborhoods.

Some endless cycle of scarcity, then profligate waste, then scarcity again, ....only a darn-near global one. We have had great wealth, and not put it together on very much that's *real.*

It's not just about sharing and about receiving *mercy,* it's about what we *build,* and do not build.

It's about our obligations to ourselves and each other and the future, not just letting religious leaders tell us there's signs of favor in excess and virtue in pointless suffering.

The current line is that this economic crisis just dropped out of the sky, and like Katrina, no one could have foreseen it...

Wrong.

As always, these things were foreseen by those you've been too proud and 'holy' to listen to.

KJohnson3:

You ask, "If this was true, why was she involved with Charles Keating and his ill-gotten millions?"

As evil and corrupt as that defrauding Catholic was, you'll agree, I'm sure, that one cannot compare with Les Duvaliers, of Haitian fame, with whom the sainted mama was also involved.

Wherever do these panelists come from.

Re Motherseton's comments that Mother Teresa's "priority is not to be successful as you and I would consider success for a humanitarian relief organization. Her priority is that she and the members of the religious order be faithful to Catholic religious and spiritual beliefs and values" --

If this was true, why was she involved with Charles Keating and his ill-gotten millions?

Mother T as a messenger from God, God saying saying "let there be light" and also calling out to the mythical Adam ?? Joe Langford needs some basics in modern religious history and theology!!!

And Schwartz says, "Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Fatima, Czetecowa adn Odessa, Mary, Mother of God, the Arc of the Covenant,the Queen of Heaven, the Model of Humility, can also help us in troubled times."

No, No she cannot. Like her son, the simple preacher man aka Jesus, she has been "deified" by Dark Age theologians but in reality she lays rotting in the ground with all the billions that came before and after her.

StephenBWise:

Why the bigotry against those who believe differently than you? God is not necessary for reality or a future. You may choose to believe what you wish, but your assumption that you have THE truth is not a benign personal view, it is bigotry.

I am not trying to bait you here. But, your comment is the very kind of thing that Christians do and say that irritate those of us who believe differently. I try to revel in a highly pluralistic society, but, if you want harmony, you need to be aware of the impact of what you say.

There are a lot of good reasons to be upset with organized religion - of various denominations, and the sinners in our midst. But we need to understand that without healthy spirituality, we are not real, without God we have not future. Let's not throw out the baby with the bath water.

I'm starting to O.D. on this recession talk bullsquat. Give me a break with this.

It's my understanding, that from her diary and letters, Mother Teresa had one experience of God as a young girl then never felt his presence again in her life, and she had serious doubts the rest of her life that God existed at all.

It is absolutely amazing to me that a woman (Mother Theresa), who did so much good in the world can drive such hatred from people on this website. Those that sow such hatred should think carefully about what good they actually do in society.

Well, the hypocrisy of those that (Hyjanks) were former fetuses, zygotes, whatever human form, that were afforded their God given right to live- and make it out of the womb- and then want to deny others the right to enter into the outside-the-womb - world... this is astounding.

Abortion is a thing that denies the right of people to live a full and happy life. The majority of zygotes, as Hyjanks calls them, if left alone to nourish and provide protection in the womb, will become human. But women and people have been sold a bill of goods - that they are something less than human, and this is an easy mistake to make when the embryo is unseen and very small. To destroy something that is a part of themselves denies part of themselves, and leaves them empty.

JML-MCF: Thank you for straightening that business about pain medication out.
As I understand it, Mother Teresa often didn't have money for pain medications in the early days.
She taught her patients to endure suffering in dignity, when there was nothing to give them.
And she stayed by their side so they wouldn't be alone.
==
Father Langford:
Our more modern saints, such as St. Therese of Lisieux, have left behind many opportunities to get to know them personally.
In St. Therese's case, it was letters.
She was a copious letter-writer and her personality came through.
In Mother Teresa's case, we had so many modern communication means to record her experiences here.
Her visits to great cities, her speeches, comments in interviews, reactions when she was given recognition in many cases, her teaching and training moments.
And you had the immense good fortune to get to know a saint well by working at her side.
The saints are said to sometimes to be difficult to be near; are they?
In pursuit of their goal of developing a large community, I can imagine she demanded a lot of the world and the people around her, as she saw the opportunity to set up a convent in a new needy community.
At the same time, I would hope it would have been a lot of fun (she did have a ready smile and a good sense of humor, didn't she?) and a remarkable experience you were privileged to share.
God bless her, her community of sisters, and you and your community of brothers, Father, in this Christmas season.
You have taken to heart the real joy of Christmas -- that Christ, even as an infant, had a hard time in this world, but survived and thrived with the love of those who surrounded Him.
We need to learn that lesson again and this difficult financial situation many of us find ourselves in challenge our resources.
Thank you for your article and God bless you in your work.

The FIRST GROUP is misinformed and misleading. The SECOND GROUP is dangerous because they profess religious intolerance equal to racial intolerance.

The FIRST GROUP is misinformed and misleading. The SECOND GROUP is dangerous because they profess religious intolerance.

That brings up the SECOND GROUP of critics. The second group criticizes Mother Teresa on the basis of her spirituality and religious beliefs. Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity put their Catholicism and being Faithful to their Catholic Beliefs and Values above the results of the humanitarian work of taking care of the poorest of the poor. Certainly, the work and mission of caring for the poorest of the poor essentially defines Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity but not because of or for the results the Missionaries produce. No. The work and mission of caring for the poorest of the poor essentially defines Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity because this is the way they are called to love Jesus. They are called to love Jesus by loving the poorest of the poor. This is not the only way Catholics are called to express their love for their Lord. But this is the way Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity have chosen to love Jesus. The SECOND GROUP’S criticism of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity on a religious and spiritual basis as demonstrated in their comments reveals their religious intolerance for the spirituality and religious faith lived out exquisitely in Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity.

For the FIRST GROUP to criticize the humanitarian work of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity as ineffective, and misguided, and inefficient, and inconsequential IS AKIN to criticizing the humanitarian work of millions of individual citizens here in the United States as well as citizens of countries all over the world who volunteer their time, their expertise and their wealth to their Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, and the many different Religious Denominations and Organizations these citizens profess belief, worship, participation, direction, control and leadership. This is why the FIRST GROUP’S type of criticism is uninformed and misleading.

I agree with the FIRST GROUP’S criticism about the article and the work of Mother Teresa from an organizational, NGO analysis. But to those who have read and are familiar with Mother Teresa’s writings, then one can see how an analytical pragmatic evaluation of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order she founded, does not apply. Mother Teresa's priority is NOT the success or failure as defined by results of the work of the religious order. (Results meaning the collection of numeric values for metric analysis for determining and improving efficient use of resources and processes for the purpose of maximizing results of humanitarian efforts) Mother Teresa’s priority is the relationship she and the missionaries of charity have with Jesus which forms the religious and spiritual mission and particular charism of the religious order. Her priority is not to be successful as you and I would consider success for a humanitarian relief organization. Her priority is that she and the members of the religious order be faithful to Catholic religious and spiritual beliefs and values.

There are two groups of critics posting comments about the article and about Mother Teresa. It is obvious BOTH GROUPS have not read Mother Teresa's own writings.

My comments that I have submitted over the last two days that specifically address negative and critical postings about the teachings of the Catholic religion are NOT being posted.

There are many negative postings that specifically degrade teachings of the Catholic religion and few supportive postings that specifically support Catholic values and beliefs. There are supportive postings that are general and humanistic but none that support Catholic teaching specifically, teachings that have been abundantly criticized in many postings. There are outrageous horrible misleading comments about the teachings of the Catholic religion.

I detect censorship in posting comments that seek to specifically address the many negative comments about the teachings of the Catholic religion.

To Orwell (a very appropriate handle considering his response to mine):
I guess that's fundamentally where you and me differ . . . I don't see a zygote as a child. But I do know positively that a child born to a mother that can't afford it will probably live a life of misery and pain her zygote couldn't possibly experience.
Note that I added contraception to the sentence, which, in my mind is preferable to abortion. But the great Saint Teresa wouldn't even allow this. That's not a saint in my book, that's an ignoramus, totally without conscience for the consequences she is helping to foster.

Start with your pope before telling us what we need to be taught. The Vatican refused to sign the UN resolution decriminalizing brutal laws against Gay people, and the Catholic Church walked hand-in-hand and continues to soil itself with it's hateful arming of Proposition H-8 in California and other props like it elsewhere. It's sickening to hear the hypocrisy of Catholicism which preaches love they neighbor, although not respect their neighbor. Gays don't want your love; we do demand your respect though.

It seems that the Catholic Church is desperate for good news to whitewash the scandals associated with the rampant felonies associated with abuse of young people by priests. Since making someone a Saint seems to be a political process (suggesting a sham from the outset), whether Mother Teresa becomes or does not become a Saint is of little consequence other than a diversion away from what should be a global effort to convict felons!

The main lesson of Mother Teresa's life: that atheists too dedicate their lives to charity.

First.
God does not exist.

Second.
We and everything around us is a chemical process.

Third.
If you want a better world with less wars then:
= Change your war economy in a peace economy.
= Move Israel with all its holy places en cities to the U.S., Europe and Russia en let the Arabs write their own history.
= Learn to live with the fact that there are now a few more economic powers such as:
1. China
2. India
3. South America
4. The Arab world
5. Oilrabia
6. Africa
7. Russia
8. And last but not least
The Western hemisphere economies consisting of America, Europe, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and parts of Africa and the South and North Pole. There are also a few colonies left like islands around the world and the newly acquired colony Iraq (by using brute force. western hemisphere leaders will stand trial for that.).

The US Government is evil. Its secret police abuse power and commit crimes against American civilians. The CIA and Pentagon Gestapo rob American civilians of private property and commit human rights violations, commit crimes, and abuse power. Washingtonians use their secret police to engage in political persecution of innocent American civilians.

Joseph Langford's thoughtful and complex thoughts on charity and God's grace meaningfully and kindly set Mother Teresa forward to a troubled world as an example of glory and of how a country can begin healing economic and political wounds yet unseen.

I am member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Mother Teresa is a saint in anyone's book regardless of political affiliations. In a time when connections replace intelligence, how noble it is to emmulate a woman who knew that love filtering through from the bottom up can save us all.

Mormons have a scripture that says by small and simple things great things come to pass. Mother Teresa taught the amazing and true principle that if we want to save the world, we feed our neighbor -- independently, without help from the top down.

May God bless Mother Teresa, where ever she is: Probably helping someone right now . . . .

A great witness of courage in many suffering situations was Pope John Paul II in his last days. He taught us that weakness means powerfulness when God shines on you…Now, when our bank accounts are weak, we have a great opportunity for growing up in personal sanctity, and for looking after our brother’s necessities.

This article attempts to impose guilt on the West for not living up to the standards of Mother Theresa, but only the West and its institutions can make Mother Theresa possible, because they provide the framework for respect for the importance of individuals, the wealth to help others with economic systems less developed than the West, and the technology and achievements that make improvement of the human lot a possibility. Recall that when Mother Theresa and the pope needed medical treatment for serious disorders, they did not run to a Third World country. They came to the West, which produces and makes available the health and welfare that the rest of the world can only dream about. There are millions of Mother Theresas throughout the world in their own quiet corners, making a huge difference in the lives of the people around them. People should not be compared with Mother Theresa – God calls people to individual purposes designed for them, not for another. As for those posters who hate and despise religion and Christian practices, I suggest they take a look at the societies where they are not practiced, and see which is the preferable place to live.

"The history of those whom we call the saints reaches back to the beginning of all things, when on the first day God said, "Let there be light." This does not refer to the light of the sun, which was not created until the fourth day, but to God's own light. Adam and Eve were created to inhabit and embody that first light. According to Jewish tradition, after the Fall, God left a trace of original glory on the body of Adam and Eve. At the tip of their hands and feet, God left slivers of flesh dipped in light, translucent tokens of that first light that is still our destiny. Something as humble as fingernails would be God's reminder to us of the transparency that once was ours, and of the light from which, and for which, we were made."

People will do and say just about anything to maintain their belief systems. For without it they are anchorless and rudderless. That is the source of the reactionary horrors of jihadists and neocons and the palliative behavior of the saintly and philanthropic. If you're a beneficient pragmatist, you want to exterminate the former and encourage the latter.

Faith in something gives solace and for some, there is no alternative, for the pain of their lives and the potential anxiety that would arise without "divinely authored" rules is less desirable than the delusion of a comforting "spiritual" blanket.

But the reality is darker yet shot through with more possibility yet incredibly difficult evolutionary work that will take many generations to produce a positive outcome, if it comes to pass:

We are the source of our misfortunes and our success, individually and collectively. The concept of the divine and the many systems of religion appended to it is a great idea as a comforting sop for trouble and for the imposition of rules of behavior and for socializing collectivity, but as they say in mathematics, one can adequately detail the situation without adding it in. It is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition.

This is not to be interpreted as an ultimate definition of the nature of reality, which we obviously do not know, nor even whether we have the possibility of knowing. But rather, that the source of our misery can easily be seen to be the competition for survival in a world of limited resources amongst individuals and societies who seek to maximize positive outcomes for themselves and their biological and social networks. Without distributive and other governance institutions this process is often a zero sum game.

Over time, and through the accumulation and application of empirical knowledge, we have developed mechanisms that can harmonize world views and belief systems so as to enable the extension of survival and "well-being" paradigms across greater extents of individuals and societies. This is what just governance comes down to.

Results to date: A mixed bag.

"I recognize that Mother Teresa was a great overall force for good. I also despair in her refusal to give pain killers to suffering patients while telling them that their pain was "God touching you".
To me, that was an exceptionally cruel part of her religious beliefs, and nonsense"

We now know that Mother Teresa went through deep depression despairing of feeling any presence of God or the supernatural. So I wonder how she reconciled this with see so much physical pain in her patients -- and not desiring to give them pain killers. Truly bizarre.

I know some have claimed that Mother Theresa took the donations given her for the patients and shipped it all to the Vatican. Sounds more plausible if she refused to give pain killer as you say.

Perhaps this conflict between "duty" and the suffering around her was the source of her mental anguish she secretly felt.

Interesting the author here sees her as such an inspiration. I would think there would be other role models that might be better today...

The Church is such a tool of the banks, like so many other things, pacifying the poor like devout Catholic Franco in the name of capital..But after some thought, I'd rather fight Franco in the Lincoln Brigade than the Red Army, just sayin'...

What a load of manure. "Mother" Teresa was the cause of a great deal of suffering. Her stance on contraceptive, which a many ignorant followers of her and her religion believe, has given rise to many, many un-wanted and un-needed children in an area which is already severely over-populated. Add to that the STDs that have spread because of her stance. Teresa was good PR for the Catholic Church. Nothing more. Religion is nonsense. If the church, Catholic and/or Protestant wants to impress the world and do something about poverty then they need to do some house cleaning. The Vatican holds untold riches. They should sell them. Didn't their Jesus say to sell all that you have and give it to the poor? Put your riches where your mouth is. Look at the homes that Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Falwell own. Look at any of the popular preachers and examine their lifestyles. They all wear fancy suits and live in splendid homes. Sell all that you have and give to the poor. Your savior said it. All of them are phonies. Teresa, Falwell, Robertson, Warren, the Pope, and the rest. Show me one who will sell off all his riches and help the poor and maybe, just maybe, I'll listen to what he has to say.

Mother Teresa is known to have said that the poorest people she ever met were living on Park Avenue in New York City. She called it the "poverty of affluence."

Won't it be ironic if NYC is one day considered the "New Calcutta"?

Joe

In case you have not been paying attention it is religion, mixed with government, that got us all into this mess and the hair-of-the-dog has never worked before. The best thing humanity could do right now would be to cast off religion for ever.

The world has finite resources and too many of them have gone to supporting religious nonsense or supporting the waste of our resources by government that uses religion to manipulate the weak minded in favor of the pathologically greedy. The world can no longer afford religion!

Surley you must know the real story about Mother Teresa! She raised millions of dollars for the Vatican and gave nothing but misery to the poor and the slave nuns who worked for her.
It is not a pretty story, and the truth is readily accessable to anyone who wants to know the truth. Unfortunately, most people can't handle the truth and prefer to believe a lie.
A saint she was not!

I am an avid reader of the POST's varied sections -Politics, Business, Lifestyles, Commentaries and yes, each day's Sudoku challenge. Well, today, the reflections of Fr.Langford on Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is one of the most moving pieces of writing the POST has offered us so my sincere thanks for this Christmas Gift. I do hope and pray that many other readers in the U.S. and elsewhere will, on serious reflection, share the sentiments so eloquently articulated by Fr.Langford. I live in Toronto, Canada but am very familiar with the city of Kolkata as also the heroic work of the Missionaries of Charity.

Well, there are lot of people/organizations, Indians and foreigners who did much more for the poor in Calcutta/India than Mother Teresa (Bill Gates is an example!). The reason we get to hear so much about Mother Teresa and she is canonized is that she was White and Christian. It appeals to the vanity of a lot of Western people (and not just conservatives) to read about a White Christian person saving black kids in a poor country- the white mans burden etc.

It is so hard to write intelligently about faith and the divine. Thanks for doing so in this season when we are reunited with family and called to be good to one another.

I am grateful for the author to respond to my post and say that "unfortunately and unfairly, Calcutta has become an icon of world poverty.

If he feels that it is unfair, he should think twice before writing a sentence like "..She would tell us that we are each equipped by God to not only survive our personal Calcutta..".

It is not only not a passive "It is unfortunate" that Calcutta has been maligned so. It is a very active part of the Missionaries of Charity, whose funding strongly depends on spreading the message that somehow "Calcutta" can be substituted with "Hell-hole", or whatever derogatory term that can be conjured up. They sell this image to the unsuspecting westerner, in order to make sure the cash keeps flowing.

He also mentioned that in the 1950, Calcutta was a difficult place to be in. That is correct and it happened as a direct result of influx of refugees, fleeing RELIGIOUS persecution. Whatever be the religion, it was religion that begat the problem, and religion that pretends to solve it.

What he should note, that the 1950s are long gone, the people has moved on, and the former refugees are prospering. However, whenever they travel abroad, they have to keep competing with the myth that the MOC keep pusing to perpetuate, that "Calcutta" and progress do not go together.

Good Father,

May God bless you for giving us those words of wisdom. Peace and joy for this blessed season and into the new year.

Hard times call for hard opium, I guess..Communism, in the practical sense, is a form of the poor people becoming MILITARIZED AS A RESULT OF BEING ASSAULTED VICIOUSLY BY THE FORCES OF GLOBAL CAPITAL…It is NOT that the Communists are totalitarian per se, although they are susceptible to totalitarian hijack (9-11, anyone??), they almost always strive to play regular market, open society ball, once they have defeated the imperialists (China, Vietnam, etc…but they are the designated enemy for the Warmachine banks)…The totalitarianism practiced is to solidify the Revolution (like gov’ts do in any war, solidify for the cause), which they emphasize throughout the time of threat..Communism is a survival reflex of poor people, a MILITARIZATION in response to vicious imperial oppression…”Godless Communism”, as the evangelical propagandists say?? Most black clad Vietnamese were Buddhists, most Communist Russians and Cubans , Christians; Chinese: Taoist and Buddhist..The poor people would love a regular mercado plaka without outside influences to practice non-violent capitalism..market is natural…Churches are so infected with operatives and corruption they become untrustworthy vessels…But there is a faith which comes from within, in no need of churches or religion..Some call it Tao, or Zen or the Free Spirit, etc…Oh, they’ll pummel me with “gook wimp” again tomorrow at the store…I’m not really either one…Maybe "pervert" (not really), but then I'd be REALLY Catholic..

HYJANKS wrote:

"But to deny any woman a choice about her reproductive capacity (contraception, especially) was not one of those good things."

Mother Theresa stated:

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

Our Blessed Mother, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Fatima, Czetecowa adn Odessa, Mary, Mother of God, the Arc of the Covenant,the Queen of Heaven, the Model of Humility, can also help us in troubled times.

BOSTONBRAHMIN - you make a good point. Religious generosity generally comes at a price - speading the word while spreading the wealth has typically been the modus operandi of missionary work throughout the ages - none are more ripe for conversion than the chronically proverty-stricken.

Pairing charitable works and life-sustaining handouts with religious dogma is a technique that BF Skinner & Pavlov would roundly applaud - it works every time.

The Church is busily canonizing new saints from Sao Paulo to Calcutta - in each case, I hope they've obtained the necessary rock solid scientific evidence of the three miracles that are necessary for this elevation to sainthood.

And no cheating.......

I would have much more respect for religion in general and Christianity in particular if they (it) stopped referencing their god as if no other gods exist.
But, alas, that is never to be. In spite of the FACT that, in some estimates, 10,000 gods and nearly as many religions have existed in the minds of men since the dawn of written history (god knows[pardon the pun] how many idols were worshipped before man had a chance to catgegorize them in writing), there continues to be this blindness to them.
The response of the "responsible" believer and cleric to this information is silence--as if the question of the existence of another god is so ridiculous that it doesn't deserve an answer.
But, of course, there can be no recognition of other gods by True Believers. That would put the existence of their god into question.
And we can't have that; too many tax-exempt churches would fall by the wayside if the object of their belief system didn't exist.
Mother Therese did some good, to be sure. But to deny any woman a choice about her reproductive capacity (contraception, especially) was not one of those good things.

Dear Fr Langford

Thank you for the beautiful essay reminding us during this Christmas season about the power of God's love as shown in the life of Mother Theresa of Calcutta.

I met her in the mid 70s, when I was a young school girl and was duely impressed with her great humility. I have met several Europeans who worked as volunteers in Calcutta. I met a nun from the convent in Calcutta where Mother Theresa was based. The impression I got is that it takes a lot of love, compassion and spiritual strength to do that kind of work and to dedicate one's whole life to it. She has been declared a saint for the right reasons. She took on with love what most mortals would run away from as quickly as possible.

She truly followed the commandment of Jesus, "What you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me."

Thank you for being a co-founder of the Missionaries of Charity. Thanks to Mother Theresa and her nuns and priests like you, many thousands, who would otherwise die, neglected and uncared for, like dogs on the streets, are given an opportunity to die with human dignity.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009!

I wish you great success with your book.

Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia

What a crock. Fingernails are remnants of God's light?? Where on Earth did this idea come from? Why don't they glow in the dark, then? Do you just make this stuff up as you go along?

In case you haven't noticed, chimps and gorillas have them, too. And other animals have other versions of them - claws and hooves. Many are translucent.

Wasn't Mother Teresa the one who kept trying to sense God's presence, but felt only emptiness? At least she was honest about that.

I would think more of Catholic charities if they just did it because it was the right thing to do, and didn't serve it up with a large dollop of proselytizing.

As author of this piece let me respond that yes, unfortunately and unfairly, Calcutta has become an icon of world poverty. While the Calcutta of today has made immense strides and has much to be proud of culturally and in terms of raised standards of living, it it true that the Calcutta of the 1950s was a difficult place for many to live.

As for Lufrank1's comment, the only "rubbish" here is the absurd affirmation that Mother Teresa, or her nuns, do not give palliative care to those in pain. All around the world her Sisters distribute pain medication to patients on a daily basis. The report that you cite here (from Christopher Hitchens) is entirely apocryphal.

Please...could everybody please leave my favorite city alone...

"Calcutta" is not the most poverty stricken city in India. It is not even a city where contrast between the haves and have nots are glaringly high. It is a bustling city of several million people which was struck by a flood of refugees, and is a part of a region -- a region spanning Asia and Africa -- which was raped by the "west" for a very long time.

Now, Mother Teresa has made the city a short cut name for poverty. Whatever may be her personal belifs and aspirations, barely concealed in the zeal of the "west" in recognizing her effort is the stench of colonial attitudes, the "lets help the poor brown peoples", that is difficult to swallow.

The main problem in the lives of the people she helped ..was poverty. The money showered on her by well meaning individuals reduced this poverty, selectively increasing standards of living for people who accepted her dogma. If the money had come from Godless sources, it would have helped the same, and perhaps more. Money would not have been spent in trying to prove miracles.

Now as the "third world" countries are slowly emerging from the rape and pillage of the colonial years, perhaps Mother Teresa's experiences will come in handy. Perhaps we can envision a properly publicised "hare krishna" mission to feed the poor and the destitute in Boston and New York, along with all the self-congratulations that come with it.

The only requirement will be that the receivers of the help accept the "love of krisha" through properly supervied song and dance routines.

As we ponder the meaning of Christmas this op-ed from the New York Times says it all:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/opinion/22gup.html?pagewanted=1&em ("Hard Times, A Helping Hand").

It describes performing selfless acts of kindness, ANONYMOUSLY--as Jesus preached in the Sermon on the Mount. And for those who think that only Christians can go to heaven...deal with this!

This story describes what being a person of faith, and this world, are supposed to be all about.

I recognize that Mother Teresa was a great overall force for good. I also despair in her refusal to give pain killers to suffering patients while telling them that their pain was "God touching you".
To me, that was an exceptionally cruel part of her religious beliefs, and nonsense.