An Unquenchable Thirst
I have utmost regard for Mary Johnson. The theology she stakes her life on--a divine presence who invites humans into fullness--isn't so remarkable in isolation, but when set against the theology of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, it becomes radically rebellious. Mother Teresa's a modern-day saint; we hold her in such high esteem, we find it difficult to imagine how very human she was. I admire the courage Mary had to muster in order to claim a God of unfolding love over the God of rules within Mother Teresa's order.
AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST traces Mary's twenty years in the order in terrific (sometimes excruciating) detail. I disliked myself at times while reading this book; I was turning pages to get the dirt on Mother Teresa more than to follow Mary's journey. Perhaps this wasn't my fault. I frequently wished Mary would abandon the close narration of events for a more reflective stance. I wanted to know what she thinks and feels about these events NOW. For example, there's one scene where she confronts her superior for hitting children in their care that occurs not far from scenes of the nuns using the "discipline," meaning flagellating themselves and cinching chains around their arms. I wanted a narrator to draw connections between the two forms of physical punishment and the theology implicit in both. Without this meaning-making, the book reads like a thriller.
Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read it. Few contemporary authors portray the spiritual life with such honesty and accuracy.
AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST traces Mary's twenty years in the order in terrific (sometimes excruciating) detail. I disliked myself at times while reading this book; I was turning pages to get the dirt on Mother Teresa more than to follow Mary's journey. Perhaps this wasn't my fault. I frequently wished Mary would abandon the close narration of events for a more reflective stance. I wanted to know what she thinks and feels about these events NOW. For example, there's one scene where she confronts her superior for hitting children in their care that occurs not far from scenes of the nuns using the "discipline," meaning flagellating themselves and cinching chains around their arms. I wanted a narrator to draw connections between the two forms of physical punishment and the theology implicit in both. Without this meaning-making, the book reads like a thriller.
Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read it. Few contemporary authors portray the spiritual life with such honesty and accuracy.
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