Editorial
Salute to Two Brave Hearts
Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 15-Mar-2022
As the war between Russia and Ukraine assumes a threatening proportion, with the Russian onslaught causing a humanitarian disaster by the day, the news of two Missionaries of Charity (MC) nuns from India’s north-east state of Mizoram, refusing to leave the war-torn country so that they could serve people in trouble, has stolen the hearts of many in India and across the world. Reports suggest that on March 2, Sisters Rosela Nuthangi and Ann Frida were asked by the Superior General of Missionaries of Charity to leave for a safer place in view of the impending danger of being caught between the warring fires. But the Nuns were learnt to have told their Superior General that they would prefer to remain in Ukraine "to help the people in whichever way possible.” How noble indeed!!
Sister Nuthangi, the second woman to become a MC nun from the Mizo community professed her religious vows in 1984. She was sent to the former USSR as a missionary and worked in Moscow’s St. Petersburg for over ten years. The veteran Nun had completed a missionary stint in Latvia, Astonovia, before moving to Ukraine in 2017. Likewise, Sister Frida hails from the state of Mizoram too, with her family now settled in capital city Aizawl. She became a nun in 1998 and after working in India for a few years, she too was sent to Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv – a city now in the eye of storm, waiting to be ravaged by Russian aggressors.
True to their professed vows, the two Nuns have chosen service to humanity ahead of their own lives, and therefore did not show interest to avail the Indian government’s plan to evacuate its citizens. As consecrate women, they decided to care more for the lives of their fellow men and women than their own. The commitment to serve others, as exemplified by the two Nuns, especially at a time like this when people are not only subjected to physical harm but mentally traumatized too, is commendable. We must remember that though they are Nuns, in flesh and spirit they are human beings like any other.
Ironically, their act of service to humanity and self-sacrifice comes during the Holy season of Lent - a period of self-discipline, reflection and prayer. For Sister Nuthangi and Sister Frida, this is perhaps the ultimate way of reverencing the sacrifice of Christ’s journey to the cross. The bloodshed and despair around them reminiscent of time our Lord Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross. Even the common practice of almsgiving, which is the act of giving to neighbours and the needy during Lent season, has been amplified manifold by the exemplary act of these two Nuns. This will, without a doubt, further deepen their relationship with God.
As the war rages on in Ukraine, we pray for the safety of Sister Nuthangi and Sister Frida and the people they are with, and seek God’s grace on those who can put this misery to end. While we salute their burning desire to serve, we also pray that the exemplary courage these Nuns demonstrate inspire many more, in the region, country and the world.
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