I became very intrigued about Teresa Neumann after we were first shown the short video on her during class. I have been reading a lot about her today from many different articles online (however legitimate they might be?). One thing that I’ve gathered is that none of them can confirm or deny the events that happened during her life, such as Robin was saying. I am a person who likes to find answers and conclusions and this is why it is such an interesting case to me; because it cannot be solved. As soon as you think you’ve got an answer, it ends up being inconclusive. For example, blood was never seen flowing from her wounds… ok great, so she faked it with menstrual blood…. Not so fast… She had visible open wounds that as far as her physicians were concerned never became infected...Very troubling indeed.
Descartes seems to inhibit my (as well as many others) ability to believe this is caused by divine acts and not just misleading behavior. This is because as a Cartesian (as we suggested), I am encouraged to think logically. This is why it is so hard to believe that Teresa ate nothing but the holy sacrament for 40 years and suffered no ill effects. This just can’t be true. We’ve been told all our lives that food is essential for survival and this is so instilled in our view of the world that it can’t be changed by ONE inspiring story, such as that of the Blessed Teresa. We are bamboozled because we, as humans, seek answers, which is something that we cannot find in this case. This is because it happened so long ago and we didn’t have the tools to properly record what happened. I believe that if a scenario like this were to play out today, we would be able to prove or disprove it in a hurry. I’m sure it would be no surprise to anyone if it was proved to be fake, but if it were proven to be real it would be earth shattering. It would probably cause a renewed sense of faith and drastic ethical change around the world. I’m not sure that this would be a good thing, although in theory it seems like it would be. Many would now feel that they have a new reason to live. But when I think more about it, I can also see many problems occurring. For example, religious animosity would greatly increase. But now I’m just rambling contemplating what’s to come.
As something of a recovering Christian/reluctant atheist, something like a definitive "Blessed Teresa was blessed *for real*" would be almost a relief to me.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing for so long that the #1 determination about whether you get sent to heaven or hell is belief in God, rejecting that faith can be a pretty scary thing. Logic shouts, "There are too many religions in this world to think that the one you were raise din is right!" while fear of the unknown (specifically, the afterlife) recalls, "But why risk fire and brimstone? Good deeds aren't enough to get you out of that according to that dust-covered catechism on your shelf."
I'm definitely leaning toward the Bleeding/Blessed Teresa being a) faked or b) a bizarre psychiatric condition, but I can't deny it would be nice for a little clarity.
It's sort of like thinking, if Jesus were here today, would he just end up locked up in a mental hospital. Probably? We don't have much taste for miracle, but it would depend where he showed up.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the blog posts it occurs to me that we do today yearn for miracles (the cure for cancer or HIV for example) we just want to come about them mechanistically, with our intellects.....but where does our intellect come from?
I did not read other articles about Teresa besides what was on the Moodle--did you come across anything that she said or advocated while bleeding, or was she just "trying" to be a testament to the existence of something beyond us? I am curious.