I was moved by these words Rod Dreher wrote on his blog post about Mother Teresa:

Verily, verily I say unto you, Mother Teresa of Calcutta is the patron saint for a world that has lost its ability to believe, but hungers desperately for belief. We knew when she was alive that a spiritual hero lived among us. But really, we had no idea at all what this little nun was capable of. Blessed Mother Teresa, pray for we who believe but struggle all the same with unbelief.

His column for the Dallas Morning News on the modern day saint, and his Beliefnet blog post on her is worth your time (you can get there by clicking here). He mentions the difference between hope and optimism, an ongoing debate on this blog.