An excerpt from “FROM CHAOS TO CHRIST: Out of Noise, into Truth” by Fr. Christopher Metropulos.
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A few moments in my life have been truly pivotal, and meeting Mother Teresa was undoubtedly one of them. Years ago, I served at the Assumption Cathedral in Denver, Colorado. The bishop, who oversaw the Diocese of Denver, asked me to meet Mother Teresa at a prayer service. He had a scheduling conflict and couldn’t attend. To be honest, I tried to avoid the request, but in the end, I felt a strong sense that I needed to be there. The service was at McNichols Arena, the large stadium where professional sports events were held in Denver. I drove across the city, expecting to have a private moment with someone I had only read about in newspapers and online. To me, she was a towering figure, despite her small stature, and I began rehearsing in my mind what I might say when we met.
All of those thoughts disappeared the moment I saw her. I walked into the room wearing my Orthodox Christian black cassock, and there she stood across the room in her blue and white sari and sandals. She smiled and motioned for me to come and stand beside her. I crossed the room. After we were introduced, she reached for my hand. I took it, curious about what she had in mind. She then quietly admitted that she was uncomfortable in large crowds and a bit nervous. I reassured her that I felt the same, though there were only five of us in the room at that moment. I had no idea what was about to unfold in just fifteen minutes.
Mother Teresa told me we would be praying together with others. She suggested we use the petitions from our liturgical services: I would say them, and she would respond in liturgical Greek with “Kyrie Eleison”, Κύριε, ἐλέησον, “Lord, have mercy.” I began: “For the peace of God and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.” She responded, “Kyrie Eleison.” “For the peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy churches of God, and the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.” Again, she responded, “Kyrie Eleison.” We continued through about eight petitions. Then, having practiced enough, we agreed it was time to begin the prayer service.
Mother Teresa motioned for me to join her as we climbed a small flight of stairs and passed through a black curtain into the Arena. It was an experience I will never forget or, for that matter, ever experience again in my life. As soon as we went through the curtain holding hands, the response overwhelmed us both, applause, gasps, and flashbulbs going off. Above all this, the deafening sound rang out of people calling her name, “Mother Teresa! Mother Teresa!” It seems it would never stop. Everyone was so happy and blessed to see her.
And there I was, holding her hand, just as moved by the moment as everyone else. The only difference was, I hadn’t expected to be sharing it with over 17,000 people. If you feel you had heard enough of this story, I am sorry; there is more to come. Following the introduction of the guests on stage, Mother Teresa and I began praying as we had practiced earlier. I was still in shock, not just at the crowd, but at the sheer gravity of what was unfolding. Then Mother Teresa pointed to the front rows of the arena. “Look,” she said. I glanced down and could hardly believe what I saw.
In the first forty to fifty rows sat parents with disabled children, many with congenital conditions I had never encountered. The sight was deeply moving. Without hesitation, Mother Teresa beckoned me to the stairs and invited me to join her in blessing them. As tears welled up in my eyes, I followed her lead. Together, we prayed, we cried, and we kissed each of those children.
This is what it means to live in a Christian relationship: to love and care for others, especially those we do not know and may never meet again. That is the essence of what it means to be a Christian. We are called to see the image and likeness of God in each person, to honor it, to serve it. I was deeply moved by the parents and siblings who had placed their lives on hold to care for these children. Their selfless dedication was a profound testimony to the love God asks of us. They had committed their energy, their time, and their hearts to care for a member of their family.
As you reflect again on St. John’s vision of the great multitude in white robes praising the Lamb, consider these words:
The house of love is the house of Christ, the place where we can think, speak, and act in the way of God, not in the way of a fear-filled world… The house of love is not simply a place in the afterlife, a place in heaven beyond this world. Jesus offers us this house right in the midst of our anxious world.
I believe the experience of Mother Teresa holding my hand beautifully exemplifies the kind of relationships we can have within God’s Church. Although we were total strangers, she and I instantly bonded in Christ. We supported one another, prayed together, and served hand in hand.
Such is the blessing of the fellowship of believers, a reflection of the fellowship within the Holy Trinity. Created in God’s image, we are made for communion. As Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I explains:
There is a direct link between the oneness of Christians, after the image of the Trinity, and the missionary dimension of the Church. The Church looks not inward but outward. It exists not for the sake of itself but for the sake of the world’s salvation. The Church, as a mystery of mutual Trinitarian love, is true to itself only if the circle of love is being constantly enlarged, only if new persons are continually being brought within it. Faith in the Triune God means that each of us is a missionary, dedicated to the preaching of the Gospel.
Therefore, through our daily relationships, with strangers, acquaintances, peripheral friends, close friends, neighbors, and our Church family, we proclaim Christ and reveal the image of God within us. We live out the gospel as we engage with those around us each day. St. Maximos the Confessor offers insight into the source of strength for this life of love:
The person who loves God cannot help loving every man as himself, even though he is grieved by the passions of those who are not yet purified. But when they amend their lives, his delight is indescribable and knows no bounds.
To love in this way requires a shift in perspective and the indwelling energy of the Holy Spirit. His presence turns our focus outward, from selfishness to selflessness, from isolation to connection. Let me close this chapter on relationships with the words inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa’s children’s home in Calcutta, India:
“Do It Anyway”
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.
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