Doubts and Service to Humanity

Mother Teresa's inner doubts have fueled the conversation about the relationship of doubt to faith. Her perseverance in her service to humanity and to God, despite those doubts, stirs many of his to deeper respect while others see it as at best denial of what they know to be true.
Gregory Rodgriguez writes a wonderful piece today in the LA Times about Mother Teresa and another, less known, Sister, who gave of herself with determination and with spirit. In this piece we meet Sister Mary Rose Christy who in her 70s viewed a story on the news of orphans in deep distress in Romania. She got so angry she decided to go there and do something about it. Rodriguez speaks of her as the most inspiring person he's ever met. From his description of this woman, she seems to be much like Mother Teresa.
He writes of her:

Brusque, opinionated, hard-headed and not the best listener I've ever met, Sister Mary Rose had an agenda, and I think she viewed mere mortals like myself who crossed her path as either people who could help or hinder her mission. Of course, she figured that I could help her get the word out about the plight of children and families in her adopted country and town. She put me up for a few days in a spare apartment and let me talk to her at length. But it wasn't until her driver took us to Riul Vadalui, the orphanage she had worked at, did I begin to understand Sister Mary Rose's amazing gift.

What he describes of his visit to the orphanage is amazing. Here this frail nun was beloved by the orphans -- whom she held and loved and empowered and they returned the love to her.
He writes further:

Sister Mary Rose never told me that it was her faith in God that gave her the capacity to love these children so fully. For all I know, she may have shared Mother Teresa's doubts. And considering the tragedies these women saw daily, who could blame them? But I do suspect that whether they sensed God's presence or not, it was both women's will to believe, no matter how difficult, in the existence of an ultimate source of goodness that drove them to love so
deeply those whom others had abandoned.

This week, I tried to call Sister Mary Rose at the Sisters of Mercy residence in Burlingame, Calif., where she lives. I wondered what she would make of the Mother Teresa story. But I was told that she was too frail to talk. The truth is, I'm pretty sure I know the answer: The dark night of the soul is no reason not to act as if the good can outweigh the bad. By the way, her organization in Romania still flourishes.

I do believe that this is a true witness of the presence of God!
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