Amalia Frances Rose Streitel aka Mother Frances Streitel, Foundress of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, and, as a Maria Stern Franciscan, known as Sister Angela. Yesterday we left you with the fact that Sister Angela’s transfer, at the request of the Board of Directors of the Marian Institute, to be administrator of that institution was foiled, initially that is. The priest who gave the position to another person quickly regretted his decision and reversed it, begging Sister Angela to take the position. The details of the transaction are not perfectly clear but, in some way, seems to have leveled accusations at Sister Angela that cut to the bone. She writes to the Superior General: “…this half year has taught me to withdraw interiorly and be silent. Fortunately,…I am innocent if accused of loving to gossip….I would certainly ask pardon if I had had an evil motive or had let myself be used as a plaything [she seems to have taken initiatives concerning the new position and actively prepared herself for the transfer—those actions could have been misinterpreted, perhaps, as hankering for the position or being manipulated by the persons involved in the request. Some people seeking the position could have perceived Sister Angela in a negative light and believed she was pursuing selfish ambitions]. However, whatever really happened that she was accused of being “used as a plaything,” and “loving to gossip,” is not obvious but the pain caused is (Walk in Love, p. 26). Sister Angela, again, emerges a stronger person whose heart is purified and strengthened in the suffering. When you are falsely accused, does the way you handle it lead to deeper faith, deeper trust or to greater suffering? How do you surface freer than before the conflict? What do you do to stand up for yourself?
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