Mk 9: 37-42
Dear Friends,
Today’s Gospel has two main points: the good that occurs outside the community and the evil takes place inside the community. As always, we are confronted with an invitation into the Mystery. This offer calls us to expand our heart and our world-view to embrace God’s presence in everyone.
It is interesting that when john is telling Jesus of the problem of the “outsider”, he says, “We tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” (Mk 9:38) In the preceding and following chapters of Mark there is ample evidence that the “us”, who are the disciples, do not yet understand what Jesus is teaching. This holds true for much of us in the Church today.
Vatican II captured Jesus’ teaching for today when it proclaimed the universality of grace. This means that God is always active in reaching out and calling every single human being into the life of grace, the Kingdom of God.
In recent times, the Popes have continually stressed the need for evangelization. Part of this proclamation of the good news is bringing an awareness of the divine love active for all revealed in Jesus. This evangelization targets the faithful first. There are three additional groups that need evangelization: those baptized who are living a good life but do not participate in the worship and ritual of the Church; those baptized who are failing to live up to the even minimal responsibilities of their baptism and finally those who have not yet encountered Christ.
Many a parent has struggled in our day with their child who has “left the Church.” The most important thing they need to remember is that God has not left their child. This is a painful mystery of sin and grace. One negative element in talking about those who have left the church is so many in the Church fail to give a witness fitting to our calling as followers of Christ. There is an ever-present pull of all religious persons and institutions to hypocrisy and self-righteousness, a quickness to point the finger at the other. One author describes the incident with John in today’s Gospel as a mirror of “clerical arrogance” in our day. The Church is always in need of reform.
Those outside the church often can see her flaws, the “weeds” of the Church, with greater clarity. In the second part of today’s Gospel, Jesus is calling on all of us to witness beyond the Church’s flaws to the “wheat” of love and inclusion as the reality of the faith community.
One of my friends would share the following insight frequently. He said when he finally sees a one-eyed-person with one arm using a crutch to cover for the lost leg he would be encountering the true believer in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures.
One alternative to this literal view of the Scriptures is what has been described as the “surgical metaphor” for today’s text. Jesus is saying that the ultimate measure of reality is the choice of the Kingdom of God. This choice, according to Jesus, must always be our first priority and include the supportive help for others in our mutual quest searching for God. Nothing should get in the way of this loving and responsible decision to place Jesus above all concerns.
An underlying connecting theme in today’s Gospel message is inclusiveness. Jesus is always challenging us to accept “the other” in all the different forms and shapes. It boils down to letting go and letting God be the distributor of mercy and grace. We need to destroy the false labels of separation and division. We need to walk humbly in the footsteps of Jesus. We are the sinners and he is the Savior. Our task is not to judge but to invite all others into the merciful hands of our loving God.
In the meanwhile, we need do all possible to make the Church a sign of that welcoming mercy and love that is proclaimed in the Gospel. It all starts with ourselves.
