Most of us witnessed an incredible series of events in the month of September that truly clarify the contrast between the "Of-Worlders" and the "In-Worlders. God obviously planned to show us this contrast that we might clearly see the difference.

Diana,

Princess of Wales

When Princess Diana died, the night of August 30th the news bulletins interrupted television programming almost every 15 minutes to half hour. It was as if we had lost one of our own leaders. The news coverage was spectacular, an on the scene, blow by blow description. People were out to get the "Paparazzi" whom they blamed for literally hounding poor Diana to death.

For days and days we were barraged by the media concerning all the circumstances surrounding DianaÕs death. We were shown the millions and millions of flowers placed in memoriam to this divorced Princess who hung around with the jet set; who spent $2,000,000.00 a year on her wardrobe; who frequently left her children in the hands of a nanny so that she could gallivant around the globe; who was seen naked on nude beaches; who spent millions of dollars on New Age cultic paraphernalia, on astrologers and on fortune tellers, who was ready to renounce Christ for her Muslim boy friend and who publicly admitted to having adulterous affairs while she was still legally married to Prince Charles. It was not that she was necessarily an evil woman. It takes effort to be truly evil. A bad person is merely weak and fails to live the virtuous life for which all men have been created. An evil person, on the other hand, strives to make others as evil as himself. Princess Diana was simply a lost soul seeking God in all the wrong places and putting her trust in creatures rather than in her Creator. She was a sad little girl; pampered, soft and spoiled.

No, she wasn’t evil but neither was she good. She sought to do good because she knew it was the right thing to do and it has been said that because of the influence of Mother Teresa she was secretly taking instructions in the Catholic Faith. In fact, both her mother and her brother became Roman Catholic last year. She, however, did not complete, nor stick with the studies. The allurement of the world and the enticement of her riches was too much for her and she was dragged down by the seduction of creatures.

The world honored its ÒPrincessÓ and still honors her. She represented everything the world wants us all to embrace. She was beautiful, glamorous, wealth, young and reached out to her brothers who were in need. She presented the seduction of worldliness perfectly. A wealthy princess and yet a tragic figure. She was unhappy because her marriage was a total failure and she felt unwanted by the royal family. Yet the people loved her because the media constantly presented her before the eyes of the world and her beauty and cultured stature made hearts swoon. It was all show. Her heart was empty, her motives tainted by self-centered pride. She was chosen by the media because she made a good image and millions were mediatized. She always complained about being in the limelight except when it suited her purpose then the cameras were invited in to show her compassion to the poor and needy and to demonstrate to the world that she truly was noble. The media, which is corrupt and worldly, sought to make her little less than a goddess who they whipped the throngs into worshipping. In reality she was little more than a glorified ÒJerry Lewis typeÓ campaigning for money to fund her pet charities. But she never got her hands dirty. Like the rich young man whom Jesus called to give up everything to follow Him she heard the call through the instrumentality of Mother Teresa yet she could not give up all her riches and possessions it would take to really be good.

Poor, poor plastic Diana she wanted so much to be good but she couldnÕt find the strength to do what it takes to be good. She died tragically young and who knows that if she had been given the chance what she might have done with her life. We never know our destiny nor the hour of our death. She is an example for all of us not to wait until the last minute hoping that we will have time to prepare ourselves to meet God. Death comes unexpectedly and never at a time we desire. Diana died at the age of 36. St. Teresa, the little flower of Jesus, died when she was 24 and in those 24 short years she reach the heights of sanctity. Diana had the same opportunity. One used it the other did not.

High Expectations

When Mother Teresa died we rightfully expected that the media would honor her even more than they did Diana. After all Mother Teresa had given her whole life to the service of the poorest of the poor. She ate their same food, slept on the floor as they had done, owned nothing but another $2.00 religious habit to change into while the other one was being cleaned, and she spent her time picking up the dying and the destitute from the gutters of the world. If ever there was a real saint in the twentieth century it was Mother Teresa. She had just celebrated her 87th birthday a few days before her death. God had preserved her life, I believe, for the sake of us frail human beings to see what real sanctity was all about. We saw it and all of humanity who saw her and knew about her we touched by what she did.

She was not political nor did she crave the attention of the world. For many years she served the poor in silence and obscurity. Her fans were the dying, the destitute, the lepers and the orphans who she saved from abortion, starvation and violence.

Mother Teresa had been called by Jesus to serve Him in ÒHis distressing disguiseÓ and that is exactly what she did. She didnÕt do it for worldly honors, recognition, fame, riches, or self satisfaction. She simply did it out of an all encompassing love for God and for those to whom He sent her.

When after many years of serving Jesus in silent dedication; washing the filthy bodies of lepers, pulling maggots from wounds too horrible for the strongest men to see, holding the dying in her arms as they gave their last breath, pulling babies from garbage cans and feeding the hungry with donated food, she was brought to the attention of the world. She hated the attention. She hated the publicity. She hated the recognition. She would at first flee the publicity and the cameras because they took away from her work with the poor. It was Pope Paul VI who commanded her under obedience to accept the publicity in order to inspire others to serve the poor. She obeyed and it was Malcom Muggeridge who produced the first film of her work called ÒSomething Beautiful for GodÓ. Muggeridge was an agnostic who was ultimately converted by Mother Teresa to the Catholic Faith.

Mother Teresa became the most admired woman on earth so when she died it was logical to assume that the media would be there to give us a blow by blow account of her death. But it was not to be. She did not present a beautiful face, and aristocratic demeanor to the world. She wasnÕt glamorous or worldly. No she was tiny, simple and gnarled by age, disease and constant work. She didnÕt live in a palace but in an abandoned Hindu temple converted into her convent. She was not a princess but a nun. She sought obscurity not the limelight. She dedicated herself to contemplative prayer and holy action. She didnÕt buy million dollar clothes, nor did she wear jewelry or makeup. In fact she didnÕt buy anything. She remained as poor as the poor she served and 100% of all the donations that came to her were given to provide service for the poor. She did not rely on technology for comfort, she relied solely upon GodÕs providence. She had no rancor, anger or sense of vengeance she had only love, peace and kindness even for those who opposed her. She was in complete harmony within herself and sought only continuously deeper union with God. She was first and foremost a Roman Catholic who embraced joyfully everything, down to the last detail, all that the Roman Catholic Church teaches. There was no compromise in her. She knew what she was called to do and she did it. She knew what she was called to believe and she believed it. She knew who she was and she knew who Jesus was and she sought Him as the loving Bridegroom of her soul. She was probably the most authentically human person to live in our century. There was no pomp, pretense or phoniness in her. She was all that she appeared to be and what she appeared to be was a Saint.

So the world was not as interested in her as it was in Princess Diana. Everyone wept over Diana, even some of the broadcasters. But for Mother only the poor wept. ABC even had the temerity and poor taste to invite as a commentator for Mother's funeral, probably the only person in the world who really hated her. This man, Charles Hitchens had actually written slanderous books against Mother Teresa. While her body was being blessed by the cardinals Hitchens went into a tirade against her falsely accusing her of terrible evils. ABC knew who this man was before they brought him in as a commentator. They knew he hated her. Yet this was the kind of man they chose to be a commentator at her funeral. This is reprehensible and we should boycott this television station in protest. It was Charles Hitchens who had dared to call this Saint the ÒGhoul of CalcuttaÓ. They could have found any number of men and women worthy enough to comment on her funeral and life. This was deliberate and malicous and ABC should not be allowed to do this without some kind of consequence. ABC is also responsible for the show "Nothing Sacred" where a Modernist Priest is the hero and a feminist nun is his sidekick.

The Media gives us the perfect contrast between Diana and Mother Teresa. The world worships their tinsel goddess while we Roman Catholics honor a REAL SAINT.