Okay - so I get the point of the story...

The entire point is a not-so-subtle dig at the Catholic Church's ways and how they interfere with the business of "doing good."

Sister Luke found out that she was, indeed, a very good nurse.

However, she also found that she was not a great nun: she had too much concern for the actual medical and nursing work she was doing - and this work, for all its benefits to the Africans, still had to remain secondary to her commitment to God and the religious order she joined.

Sister Luke was constantly violating nun standards, like missing vespers to take care of patients. Also, she was so busy trying to maintain her diary of pride violations that her capability as a nurse was being compromised.

If she was going to remain faithful to the religious tenants of those wacko penguin-wannabes, she was simply going to have care less for her patients and work - and more about obeying orders and attending to her own spirituality (in other words, SCREW the less-fortunate in the name of saving yourself).

At the end, common sense - and the physical well-being of other people - prevailed: Sister Luke gave up trying to achieve spiritual perfection and concentrated on actually trying to help the sick and ailing get well.

Maybe the real point of being a nun is: "these sick people are going to die anyway - and you are too - so do what you can for them but always put God and humility first!"

"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"