Friends,
In my sermon this coming Sunday, I will be addressing the subject of compassion and I will be asking if we can celebrate a person’s compassion if that person a)expresses his or her concern in ways that don’t do much good, b)holds religious or political views that we find repugnant, or c)both.
In particular, I will be looking at Mother Theresa, and at criticisms of her work, her theology and her political affiliations that have come to my attention in the context of her canonization by Pope Francis. St. Theresa of Kolkata (that’s her new name) was, by most accounts, a well-intentioned and genuinely compassionate (if also somewhat dictatorial) person whose commitment to modern medical practices (like not reusing syringes) was less than robust. She doesn’t seem to been very good with money, she had a disconcerting willingness to pal around with dictators, and her theology was the kind of staunchly traditionalist Roman Catholic dogma that was more Opus Dei than, say, Dorothy Day.
And yet her work with the poor of Calcutta, providing dignity and comfort to the dying poor, was transformational. It inspired a lot people to give a bigger damn, and it’s hard to discount the importance of that inspiration, which touched people of every religious tradition, of every race, in every country.
So given her yin and her yang, can we join with the Roman Catholic Church in considering Mother Theresa a saint? I think we can, but only after thoughtful consideration, and that’s why I hope you will come to church on Sunday.
Cheers,
Ben