20180930
UNIVERSALITY AND
INCLUSIVITY OF THE SPIRIT
30 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Sunday, 26th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Numbers 11:25-29 ©
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If only the whole people of the Lord
were prophets!
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The Lord came down in the Cloud. He spoke
with Moses, but took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the
seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied, but not again.
Two
men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The
spirit came down on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names
were enrolled among the rest. These began to prophesy in the camp. The young
man ran to tell this to Moses, ‘Look,’ he said ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying
in the camp.’ Then said Joshua the son of Nun, who had served Moses from his
youth, ‘My Lord Moses, stop them!’ Moses answered him, ‘Are you jealous on my
account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets, and the Lord gave
his Spirit to them all!’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm
18(19):8,10,12-14 ©
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The precepts of the Lord
gladden the heart.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.
The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.
The precepts of the Lord
gladden the heart.
The fear of the Lord is holy,
abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth
and all of them just.
The precepts of the Lord
gladden the heart.
So in them your servant finds instruction;
great reward is in their
keeping.
But who can detect all his errors?
From hidden faults acquit me.
The precepts of the Lord
gladden the heart.
From presumption restrain your servant
and let it not rule me.
Then shall I be blameless,
clean from grave sin.
The precepts of the Lord
gladden the heart.
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Second reading
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James 5:1-6 ©
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The Lord hears the cries of those you
have cheated
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An answer for the rich. Start crying, weep
for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your
clothes are all eaten up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding
away, and the same corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body.
It was a burning fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days.
Labourers mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages
that you kept back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have
reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort
and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s
content. It was you who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered
you no resistance.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn17:17
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48 ©
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Do not stop anyone from working a
miracle in my name
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John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man
who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not
one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one
who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not
against us is for us.
‘If
anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ,
then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
‘But
anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have
faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his
neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for
you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the
fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it
off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be
thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is
better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two
eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go
out.’
UNIVERSALITY AND INCLUSIVITY OF THE
SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ NUM 11:25-29; PS 19:8, 10, 12-14; JAS 5:1-6; MK 9:38-48 ]
In both scripture
readings, we have the theme of inclusivity and recognition of the universality
of the working of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. The world is becoming a global village.
Through migration, interaction and exchange of cultures, appreciation of other
religious practices and doctrines, collaboration in the work of social justice
and assistance of the poor, we are realizing more and more the mission of the
Church, which is to be a sacrament of unity, peace and love for the world.
But this work of
fostering unity through inclusivity and a real recognition of the universality
of the work of the Holy Spirit is constantly being threatened by narrow-minded people who cannot
accommodate the diversity of cultural and religious values of peoples in the
world. There is this tendency towards superiority in our attitude towards
others, whether in faith or in culture. We want to impose our values on
others. We think that our culture is the best and others must follow what
we do, just like some nations that want to impose their understanding of
democracy, freedom and human rights on others. We want to restrict
the gifts of the Holy Spirit to ourselves. We think that only Christians
can do good works, perform miracles and possess the truth. Others,
if they do good, are working by the power of Evil Spirits and whatever good
they do are questionable.
However, the first
reading and the gospel in no uncertain terms speak of the inclusive attitude of
Moses and our Lord.
When Moses was told that two men among the seventy elders who stayed back in
the camp prophesied and received the Spirit as did those who were in the Tent,
he was not disappointed. When Joshua wanted him to stop them from
exercising the gift of prophecy, Moses saw the bigger picture and said, “Are
you jealous on my account? If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets,
and the Lord gave his Spirit to them all!” Moses never claimed to be the
owner of the gift of the Spirit. He was not the controller of God’s
gifts. He respected the sovereignty of God and His choice. He was a
recipient like the rest. He did not merit the gift that God gave
him. So who was he to hinder the Lord from giving His Spirit to whom He
chooses?
In the gospel, Jesus had
a similar experience as well when some people who were not part of His group of
disciples were exorcising using His name. John said, “‘Master, we saw a
man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was
not one of us we tried to stop him’. But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no
one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is
not against us is for us.'” The response of Jesus was open-minded
and accommodating. The Lord was not jealous of others who had gifts that
He had. He was not territorial or parochial-minded. He did not seek
to restrict others from doing good even if they came from other groups.
This was because He was
clear of His mission, which was to extend the kingdom of God’s justice and
mercy through preaching, healing and exorcism. So if others are doing good and
more so when they are exercising these gifts in His name, all the more, we
should be happy that through their services, more people can come to encounter
God. So long as people are touched by the Lord and encounter His mercy and
love, regardless whether it is through us or not, is immaterial. We
should rejoice with those who rejoice; and thank and praise God for them, for
the gifts that the one Sovereign Lord has given to them as well. There is no
need to be jealous or envious of them or feel insecure because our position is
threatened or our popularity and influence is compromised. By doing good
as we do, they are helping to realize God’s vision for humanity, which is to be
one family of God.
Indeed, we must not only
permit others to do their works of mercy and spread the Good News of their
religions, we must encourage them as well. Jesus made it clear, “If anyone gives you
a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you
solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.” In the eyes of our
Lord, all of us share the same Father and He is identified in every human person.
Indeed, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Mt 5:45) In the parable of the Last Judgement,
the Lord said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:45) And if the world fails to realize
this, it is because, as John wrote, “See what love the Father has given us,
that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason
the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 Jn 3:1) St Paul reiterates this when
he taught, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and
there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are
varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in
everyone.” (1 Cor 12:4-6)
And with regard to the
teachings of other religions, Vatican II says, “Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to
counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by
proposing ‘ways’, comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The
Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She
regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those
precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones
she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which
enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ ‘the
way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness
of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.”
(Nostra Aetate, 2)
What we should be on
guard only are those who are selfish and exclusive. This is what St James said of the
rich. “Now an answer for the rich. Start crying, weep for the miseries
that are coming to you. Your wealth is all rotting, your clothes are all eaten
up by moths. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same
corrosion will be your own sentence, and eat into your body. It was a burning
fire that you stored up as your treasure for the last days.” If we
use our wealth, gifts and position for ourselves, we are going against the
gospel of Christ. What we have are given to us on trust so that we can
use them for others and for the good of the community. Indeed, as St
James says, we cannot take anything with us when we die.
But worse still is that
riches can lead us to act wrongly against our fellowmen. Because of greed and selfishness,
we cheat and destroy others in the process. We have many sad cases of
political, corporate and even religious leaders cheating people of their money
and resources, and using them to fund their luxurious lifestyle. They are
not concerned with the people but with their own. Against this is the
warning of St James to those who ill-treat their workers. “Labourers
mowed your fields, and you cheated them – listen to the wages that you kept
back, calling out; realise that the cries of the reapers have reached the ears
of the Lord of hosts. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in
the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart’s content. It was you
who condemned the innocent and killed them; they offered you no
resistance.” Eventually, those who do not care for others will hurt
themselves by their narrow, inward-looking behavior.
That is why the Lord
urges us not to allow such selfish and protectionist attitudes to destroy us
and the community.
He exhorts us that if our foot, hand or eye causes us to sin, then it is
“better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to
hell, into the fire that cannot be put out.” The foot stands for the
outreach that we must strive at, the hand stands for the assistance we must
give to our neighbour, regardless of race, language or religion, and the eye
symbolizes the way we look at them, whether as our brothers and sisters in the
Lord or as our enemies or people whom we can take advantage of. We must
think of the larger interest and the good of the community instead of our
narrow concerns.
Indeed, the Lord warns
us that “anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who
have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round
his neck.” Let
us not be the obstacles of faith and love to those under our charge.
Those of us who are leaders must also foster unity and inclusivity. We
cannot just be taking care of our groups and our interests only. Rather,
we should encourage those under our charge to reach out to other groups, even
those of other faiths, encourage them to work together for better mutual
understanding so that together we can build a people of love and unity, valuing
our diversity and enriching each other by our beliefs and culture, so that we
grow into the fullness of truth and love.
Let us walk in the
precepts of the Lord as the psalmist invites us. We must encourage everyone to walk in the
ways of the Lord, which is wisdom and truth. “The law of the
Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it
gives wisdom to the simple. The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The
decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just. So in them your servant
finds instruction; great reward is in their keeping. But who can detect all his
errors? From hidden faults acquit me.” Most of all, we must pray that
“from presumption restrain your servant and let it not rule me. Then shall I be
blameless, clean from grave sin.” Let us learn humility when we approach
others who are different from us. We must not be presumptuous but ready
to learn and listen to each other. This is the key to unity in
diversity, truth in love.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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