Mary Poplin shares how Mother Teresa changed her life, highlighting forgiveness, the role of Jesus in social justice, and the impact of radical secularism in education. She reflects on her transformative experience working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and the influence of small church groups on forgiveness. Poplin emphasizes the need for a well-rounded education and the transformative power of radical forgiveness in Christianity.
Encountering differing approaches to social justice challenges and deepens one's beliefs, as seen in Mary Poplin's encounter with Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa's emphasis on Jesus' role in social justice highlights the power of faith in inspiring radical acts of compassion.
Deep dives
Mary Poplin's Life-Changing Encounter with Mother Teresa
Mary Poplin, a Claremont Professor, dedicated her life to making the world a better place. Her beliefs were challenged when she met Mother Teresa, who emphasized the role of Jesus in social justice. Mary recounts her transformative experience working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and how it deepened her faith journey.
Mother Teresa's Spiritual Calling and Beliefs
Mother Teresa's decision to work with the poor stemmed from mystical visions of Jesus instructing her. She rejected traditional Catholic norms, focusing on serving the poorest of the poor. She prioritized prayer as the foundation of their work, believing in divine providence and radical forgiveness in line with Christian principles.
Challenges of Secularism in Understanding Mother Teresa
Mary Poplin reflects on the challenges of secularism in comprehending Mother Teresa's faith-driven mission. Secular perspectives reduced Mother Teresa to a mere social worker or a uniquely evolved individual. Poplin highlights the limitations of secular psychology in understanding radical forgiveness and spiritual transactions.
It would be great if the world was a better place. More kindness and friendship. Less war and injustice. For “everything sad to become untrue” (to paraphrase Tolkien).
Our speaker in this episode is Mary Poplin (Claremont), and she cares about making the world a better place. In fact, she’s dedicated her life to it. Yet her dedication was challenged when she encountered someone else who was dedicated to social justice but was going about it in a completely different way. That person? Mother Teresa.
In this episode, you’ll hear Mary Poplin share how her life was changed by Mother Teresa. Mary walks us through her personal faith journey, her time spent working with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, and how this experience led her to better understand the inextricable role of Jesus in making the world a better place.
This forum was held at the University of Michigan in 2012. Thank you to the Forums planning team at University of Michigan for making this event possible.