The Rose

If you want to smell the aroma of christianity, you must copy the rose. The rose irresistibly draws people to itself, and the scent remains with them. Even so, the aroma of christianity is subtler even than that of the rose and should, therefore, be imparted in an even quieter and more imperceptible manner, if possible. - Mahatma Gandhi

If you have a nose and an eye for beauty , you will recognize the inherent authority of the rose. In fact, it's inner authority might well be so pressing and demanding that you might say to the rose, as did St. Francis de Sales, "Stop shouting!"

If christianity relied on it's inner authority, the weight of it's truth and the sheer power of genuine goodness, the world would also say to christians, "I hear you - stop shouting!" And we would not have preached a sermon or spoken a single word. - Richard Rohr