If Job can question the plan of Providence and if Jesus can cry out “Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me”, then Mother Teresa can, without tarnish or shame, be admired in the midst of her doubts and fears. In the matter of fact, such personal struggles may demonstrate proof of the miraculous in her life. Mother Teresa walked on her own Via Dolorosa.

Her personal writings expose the fact that not only did she doubt and question God, but she also doubted and questioned herself. That petite fragile woman demonstrates to all of us, even after death, that her strength came not only from her commitment to God and church, but also in the distribution of provision that a times she lacked.

She gave hope, when hope at times she had none. She gave faith when at night she wrestled with unbelief. She spoke on behalf of peace, when her soul was at war. She took care of the orphans when she felt abandoned by her heavenly father.

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The Religion of the Middle East is War. Religious discord serves the political apparatus in the region. The birthplace of the world’s three most prominent faith narratives compete in the market place of ideas with the assistance at times of bulldozers, Qassam rockets, enriched uranium and improvised explosive devices.

Roadsides in Iraq become memorials, refugee camps in Lebanon function as sanctuaries for extremists and alleyways as monasteries for jihadists. Poverty serves as High Priest while Oil anoints the powerful elite.

Does it matter? Absolutely! To understand the political, moral and socio-economic dynamics that drive the region, one must accept the religious impetus behind the political and military conflicts. However, the real war is not between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The true conflict, under the guise of religion, exposes two opposing forces; poverty and authoritarianism on one end and freedom and peace on the other.

Meanwhile, in the birthplace of monotheism where the name of God is invoked daily, He may very well be a prisoner of War.