She has always taken her faith seriously. As a teenager and then a university student she was involved in parish youth groups. Once she met a wonderful man and they fell in love. He had no religious background whatsoever, but she strongly hoped to lead him to faith in God. With that hope she decided to move in with him. But soon she got frustrated as he didn’t show any interest in her religion. Saddened and broken she took part in a weekend retreat for students. On Sunday morning she was late and I assumed it was a ‘standard student oversleep’. But in fact she had talked to her boyfriend as she had radically decided to leave him and end their sinful relationship. It must have been extremely difficult for her. A few days later that devastated man asked me a lot of questions in his email. I didn’t manage to reply – my computer had crashed and I’d lost his address. One year later he sent me another email, this time full of joy and happiness. It turned out he’d been pondering on his girlfriend’s decision and decided to find out more about God that made her leave him. He’d found his way and was being prepared for baptism. Her radical decision subsequently brought the result she couldn’t get in giving him her body.
Jesus in today’s gospel seems to be radical to an unacceptable extent: ‘if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out.’ In the history of the Church there have been people who followed this piece of advice quite literally, introducing all those mortifying practices that from our perspective look rather creepy. Another sort of radicalism we might have observed recently in reports about Muslim protests, including a Pakistani government minister pledging a bounty to anyone killing the author of the infamous film. This sort of radicalism is appalling and repulsive, and with the exception of a few fundamental groups, rather alien to modern Christianity.
In fact, in our politically correct western culture and society radicalism of any sort is unwelcome and perceived as suspicious and dangerous. Seemingly all sharp divisions in our society have been eased and consequently disappeared. However we are witnesses to some radical changes happening now. The absence of rough, divisive language doesn’t mean the absence of radical ideas in the current social, cultural and political climate. Their heralds have learnt that smooth, peaceful and non-aggressive approach can win for them much greater support than a noisy and confrontational one.
Should we, as Christians, be radical? If so, what sort of radicalism should we accept? The one associated with violent Muslim-style protests, or the smooth one adopted by the heralds of the Brave New World? None of them; although seemingly they are on the opposite ends of the scale, they are very similar – they are directed outward and want to set the lives of other people, regardless of their willingness. Today’s gospel is very clear on this matter. Let’s look carefully at it again.
Firstly, the Apostles see someone behaving differently to them, and they request Jesus to forbid him doing so. But Jesus’ response is simple: ‘You must not stop him. Anyone who is not against us is for us.’ And then Jesus speaks about radicalism directed inwards: ‘If your hand, your foot or your eye should cause you to sin, remove it.’ This is the only kind of radicalism acceptable to Christians, and the only one not repulsive to non-Christians. You must be radical concerning yourself – and understanding to others.