Students filled the room on Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. as Rev. Darren Dentino recalled the emotional and spiritual impact of being near Mother Teresa. He began by posing the question: what made her the inspirational woman that she was? 

Rev. Dentino stated that when she walked into the room people felt God was present and intense. He added on to this as he recalled her, saying: “we were made for greater things, to love and be loved.”  Dentino called her “a spouse of Christ, not a nun,” explaining how she was always making sure people saw God through her good deeds, wishing to glorify him, not herself.  

Rev. Dentino declared that Mother Teresa went “straight to the heart of the spousal mystery” in her deep love by surrendering to God and doing his will. He shed light on this by recalling her overflowing love for others and Christ as she served the poor. 

Continuing on, Dentino informed the students that Mother Teresa overcame her own inner battles to become as holy as she was. This was because of her “dark night of the soul” which Rev. Dentino described as “her taking on the feeling of unwantedness” and not feeling appreciated by God. He described this as a common spiritual experience. 

 He claimed that she eventually realized that God did in fact love her and that she was given this burden to carry with Christ as only God could have given her the capacity to carry such a weight on their shoulders. She carried this burden joyfully and it was through this cross that she was brought closer to God. 

Additionally, Rev. Dentino explained how he believed Mother Teresa gained this capacity to surrender fully to Christ, imploring everyone to look at the place in their hearts where they feel abandoned and misunderstood, and understand that this is where Jesus wants to be with us. He stated: “God loves you at your lowest, but he is not going to leave you there.”  

Explaining further, he continued: “Jesus wants us to go to the limits of how holy we can be. This limit is the launch point of surrender.” If you don’t open the “Calvaric” parts of yourself to God, you will only be performing for Him. Dentino finished by stating, “the world doesn’t need me or you, it needs Jesus in us.” 

As the session drew to a close, Rev. Darren Dentino handed out prayer cards with a quote on them from when Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Saint Juan Diego as his uncle was ill. The last line read: “Do not be afraid. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not in my embrace? Is there anything else you need?” This further illustrated how he views the endless love and mercy of God.  

This was the last in a series of talks in the Human Sexuality Symposium and the beginning of campus-wide formation for all students.