A book of the diaries and letters of Mother Theresa of Calcutta has just been published, and people seem surprised that she had what sound like pretty major crises of faith at various points in her life. It’s funny how people like to see things as absolutes. She was a famous woman of faith, so she must have had a constant internal belief that was guiding and self sustaining in spite of all the terrible things she saw each day while working with the urban poor of calcutta. All this really does is make her seem more remarkable, because in spite of her periods of doubt and uncertainty she continued on her path, and did what was right, and needed doing.
The whole thing should serve as an inspiration to others, although I also think this should serve as a little guidance for anyone of significance in the catholic church. She asked that all her letters and documents be destroyed after her death, but just as they later did for John Paul’s letters, they church ignored her wishes and forbade their destruction on the grounds that they may provide insight to assist in the process of her becoming a saint.
I think that you simply have to take a leaf from Hermes’ book on managing your affairs after death. (“Like my granny used to say back in her tar paper shack on Montego Bay “If you want a box hurled into the sun, you got to do it yourself”, (God rest her zombie bones).”).