Re: War On Christmas, Part 7 Ok, I have a question that I, as a former catholic, cannot answer. I went to midnight mass last Saturday, and in the beginning they had that chant they always do. You know, the one listing the X thousand years since the creation of the world and the flood and so on. Near the end they mention a short list of very prominent Catholics, and they mention Mother Teresa. Why? Just because she is famous to lay people doesn't mean she is on the level of a pope or the local bishop. Not even close. Why is she then considered one of the 3-4 most important Catholics of the last century?
Re: War On Christmas, Part 7 Possibly because she was equated with the face of compassion and duty to the poor - important christian duties. That is the image she showed the world (details of truth etc are disputed). As such, it appears she attracted quite a bit of $ to charity/the vatican, and they surely consider it good that they have someone who was popular, good public relations for the organization, and who brought $ in. Not that many local bishops are inspirational.
Re: War On Christmas, Part 7 Jesus was a Jew -- you are deep in it already. I don't know. It is somewhat strange. The idea of the chant is to try and connect things that happened so long ago (including things like the Flood and the creation stories which the Catholic Church does not teach were literal events) with today. But it is an optional rite, and a great deal of local variation is allowed. As for why Mother Teresa, why not? She was able to get the most vicious dictators and the most greedy businessmen to help her. Maybe they did it for the press, but so what if it helped someone (and I do not buy the Hitchens' view of her work). The story goes that Mother Teresa wanted to build an AIDS hospice and needed money. So she went to a extremely wealthy local Catholic businessman. He said no, because the local ACTUP chapter for some reason was getting on his case. Mother Teresa said ok, but will you join me in saying the Our Father? They prayed. She then asked again. He again said no. Mother Teresa said ok, but will you join me in saying the Hail Mary? They prayed. She then asked again. He again said no. Mother Teresa said ok, and then started praying the rosary. She got her funding for the AIDS hospice.