1. RADICAL Christianity. "Radical" is a "get your attention" kind of word. My generation always links it to the 60's. Historically, whatever is outside the norm and to the extreme is labelled "radical". Mother Teresa's Christianity is outside the norm and to the extreme. My friend, Tony Campolo, has a new book, Red Letter Christians, that dares us to live the words of Jesus. In many Bibles Jesus' words are printed in "red letter". They stand out on the page. If they stand out in our daily Christian life people would call us "radical". Mother Teresa applies Jesus' red letter words to ministry with the poor, needy, oppressed, and vulnerable. She prioritized the need staring her in the face just as Jesus did. Are you like me? I often spend too much time coming up with excuses not to help rather than with ways to help. Jesus had good reason not to help the lepers, the demon possessed, the Roman Centurion, the bleeding woman, the Samaritan woman. But he helped. He was outside the norm, extreme. A radical.
2. CONTROVERSY. Even "do-gooders" have their camps. One camp says, "there's a need in front of me, let's meet that need." The other camp says, "Let's figure out what causes that need, and get to the root of it." You've heard the slogans "Give a person a fish, he can eat one meal. Teach a person to fish and they can eat forever." Or, "feed the hungry, you're a Christian. Ask why there's so much hunger, you're a Communist." An activist friend, after hearing about our Church's 20 year old soup kitchen in Bridgeport, said, "Doesn't it make you angry to still be doing it?" My Indian partner, Azeriah, said, "See a need, meet a need."
As the saying goes, "it's complicated". Yes it is. Mother Teresa knew that the world's problems need to be tackled on many levels - from root causes to structural changes to society to urgent, personal response. Her work, like our church's, is mostly personal and urgent. And we thank God for those working deeper.
3. SOFT-Radical. Radicalism is often associated with protests, especially protests that turn ugly, even violent. Harsh language, vandalism, etc. Not Jesus. Not Gandhi. Not Dr. King. Not Mother Teresa. These people (and millions of others!) live their faith radically, with a love that is so soft and gentle. Mother Teresa calls it "fragrance". It is never hurtful, never ugly. Her Fragrance Prayer (taken from Cardinal Newman) is a model path for all of us, no matter what level of need we are tackling.
Fragrance Prayer
Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly,
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us, and be so in us,
that every person we should come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us, and then we shall begin to shine as you shine;
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light, Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best,
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching;
not by words, but by our example,
by the catching force,
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear for you.
Amen.
