I have had the privilege of visiting Mother Teresa’s home for the dying and destitute in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. It is called Nirmal Hriday, or “Pure Heart.” Although she was away at the time I visited, I saw the nuns living the most selfless life you can imagine. They were caring for the most downtrodden people on the doorstep of Hell. The Kali Temple, the darkest place I have ever visited, is right next door.
These nuns truly held the hands and tended to the wounds of people in the most pathetic shape possible. Many were given dignity in their dying days because of Mother Teresa and the nuns in her order, the Missionaries of Charity.
My dad had the privilege of meeting Mother Teresa on three occasions, twice in Kolkata and once in Nairobi, Kenya. He was amazed at her humility, the utter simplicity of her personal living quarters, and the unashamed praise time that the nuns had.
In conversation with Mother Teresa, you might be surprised to see her lips silently moving. She was often praying for those she met. Apparently, this was her normal behavior. What a testimony to all of us as well. Whether someone asks for prayer or not, perhaps it is best to pray right then regardless!
This Nobel Peace Prize winner had her share of critics, including those who were concerned about the lack of quality medical care (the conditions looked a bit below par when I visited), taking donations from those with questionable reputations, poor financial management, and pushing her Roman Catholic beliefs on the dying. Specifically, the accusation is that she would secretly baptize those just about to die, believing this would get them into heaven. Presumably, this was some non-immersion form of baptism. See Romans 10:9 as to what actually gets you into heaven. Hint: it’s not baptism.
Since I am no expert on her life, let me just share as an evangelical Christian what I believe is most important and also how our particular ministry functions. As the ancient saying goes, “An empty stomach has no ears.” Conversely, the Apostle Paul said, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14b). Believers should strive to provide physical and spiritual help together. Jesus’ life exemplified this. We are supposed to share the Good News as we genuinely care for all people.
Mother Teresa died in 1997 at the age of 87. She was beatified in 2002–2003 by Pope John Paul II. Painting with broad strokes, for this to happen the deceased must have lived a holy life, is now in heaven, can intercede to God with/for a specific segment of the Roman Catholic Church, and a miracle must have taken place after someone prayed to the deceased (this last one is not required for those who are martyred).
This past weekend, Pope Francis held a canonization Mass, making Mother Teresa a saint to be revered by the entire Roman Catholic world. To qualify as such, at least one additional miracle must have occurred as a result of praying to her.
As Christians, we believe that no dead person intercedes with/for us, but instead the Holy Spirit, who resides within us, intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26–27). We also believe that God can perform miracles through believers while they are alive, just as He did through the early disciples (Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:1, 17). I know of many modern-day miracles that have happened through our ministry partners, primarily overseas and/or in settings where the Gospel is just beginning to be preached. So many have been documented.
So is Mother Teresa now a saint? Catholics believe saints are in heaven, are highly revered, are prayed to, and some believe they should even be worshipped. Let’s look to the Scriptures for a very simple but different answer.
The Greek word for saint is hagios, and it is the same word for “holy.” Depending on which translation you use, “saints” appears around 45 times in the New Testament. It is almost exclusively used in the plural form and refers to those who believe in Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:10). Sometimes, it is translated “holy people” (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2) or “holy ones” (Jude 14), also referring to believers. At the start of most of his books, Paul loved to use the word to address followers of Christ. To the Protestant Christian, a saint is anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, because He has made us holy through His death and resurrection. We are now God’s children—and need to live that way.
To our question of the day: Is Mother Teresa a saint? The answer: she was from the moment she believed in her heart and confessed with her mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead to defeat our sins forever. This is true for all of us. Only God knows a person’s heart for sure, but we can conclude that Mother Teresa certainly did a lot to make one hopeful she is in heaven. Although there are real concerns with some Catholic theology (as already mentioned), I think she was a believer, a saint before she died, and is my sister in Christ.