20240929 BEING INCLUSIVE BY EMPOWERING OTHERS
First reading |
Numbers 11:25-29 |
If only the whole people of the Lord were prophets!
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!’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 18(19):8,10,12-14 |
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.
Second reading | James 5:1-6 |
The Lord hears the cries of those you have cheated
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.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48 |
Do not stop anyone from working a miracle in my name
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.’
BEING INCLUSIVE BY EMPOWERING OTHERS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [NUMBERS 11:25-29; PS 19:8,10,12-14; JAMES 5:1-6; MARK 9:38-48]
Parochial-mindedness is practiced not just in the corporate world but also in our parishes and church organizations. This has to do with human nature, which tends to be insecure and respond to threats to our self-interests. Indeed, whether as individuals or as an organization, we seek to protect our own turf, our authority, our sphere of influence and our popularity. When someone or another organization is doing well, we feel not just challenged but threatened because our existence is at stake. This results in us taking actions that seek to delimit the influence of our perceived competitors.
The scripture readings today warn us against adopting a narrow-minded attitude towards those who are also doing good, but in waysnot necessarily in accord with the paths we advocate to advance the kingdom of God. Before we try to dismiss them or thwart their initiatives, we must assume the bigger picture and be honest in our motives to exclude others who seek to build the Kingdom of God according to how the Lord is calling them. We must search ourselves to ensure that we are not driven by fear, by jealousy and insecurity. This was the case of the two men who stayed back in the camp when the Holy Spirit came down on the seventy elders. Not only did the 70 men prophesied, but so, too, the two men in the camp. So a young man reported to Moses that they were 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!'”
Indeed, Moses did not feel threatened just because they received the Spirit of prophecy even though they were not among those chosen by him. What was important to Moses was that they too received the gift. If the Lord had blessed them with prophecy, Moses saw it as something good. He did not see them as a threat to his position or his work. So long as their gift had been given to them by the Lord and they used it for the building of His kingdom, Moses would not do anything to prevent them from exercising the gift. Such inclusivity of Moses showed the magnanimity of his leadership and most of all, his focus on strengthening the people. He did not feel that they were a threat to his power or position, as was the case of Aaron and Miriam who spoke ill of Moses and were reprimanded by the Lord. Moses was not motivated by the desire to be in office, or for power and leadership. In fact, he was a reluctant leader who took up the leadership of Israel only because the Lord asked him to. Otherwise, he would have gladly given up his position. His motive was clear. He was called to leadership to promote not himself but Israel, and to use whatever gifts the Lord had blessed the community with for the good of all. It was never about himself.
Similarly, in today’s gospel, the apostles too felt threatened in their position. The apostle, John complained to our Lord, “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.” This is how some of our church members feel when they hear of healing miracles taking place in other religious communities or Christian denominations. They sarcastically and uncharitably judge them to be empowered by the Evil One. They think that God should work His miracles only in the Catholic Church. This is narrow-mindedness. Again we see how good leaders are open-minded and embracing. Jesus told John, “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.” Indeed, the person should be tolerated even if he is not within our circle, simply because he is proclaiming and exercising his gifts in the name of our Lord. This is particularly true for those churches outside the Catholic communion and even organizations working for the good of the church and the larger community.
The truth is that anyone who serves Christ directly or indirectly, is blessed by our Father in heaven. Jesus said, “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 Parable of the Last Judgment, 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 25:40) In both instances, the Lord identified Himself with the sick, the poor and the suffering, and especially with His disciples – anyone who serves and helps them is also serving the Lord.
In the second reading the Lord warns those who are inward-looking and only care for themselves and their organization. St James reprimanded the rich and powerful because of the injustices they practiced towards their workers and the poor. They were oblivious to the sufferings of their fellowmen. He wrote, “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.” Indeed, our wealth and power cannot protect us and we cannot find life through them. St James warns us, “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.”
This is why we need to be more welcoming and embracing of everyone. We might not all agree on everything about Christ. But we need to work with those who have something in common with us. Our task is to build a community of love whereby everyone lives under the rule of God, living in mutual respect and caring for each other. We might not belong to the same organization or even the same religion or community. But we are all members of the family of God since God is the Father of us all. We are called to promote the common welfare of all regardless of race and religion. We are called to acknowledge what is good and noble in other communities and religions. Whatever is good should be cherished and encouraged. We must be ready to share our faith in a respectful way and work together with others, not just with church organizations for the common good.
This does not mean we should compromise our faith and values. We have the Word of God to guide us, as the responsorial psalm says, “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.” We who have received the gift of faith in our Lord should follow His way in reaching out to those who do not know Him and to work with those who share the universal values of the kingdom.
Consequently, we must first begin from within the Church. It is important to remember that we are all sons and daughters of Christ. We are called to safeguard each other’s interests. We must not be obstacles to the growth and faith of others as the Lord warns us. “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.” Our task is to empower each other and help each other to enter the Kingdom of God. We must work together for the common good. We must also seek to protect each other from being led to sin and to self-destruction. The Lord exhorts us to do everything possible for our salvation and that of others. He said that if our hand or foot or eye should cause us to sin, then it is better to do with one less than to lose both. So let us place ourselves last for the greater good of others. Let us give ourselves humbly in service to all and include everyone in our outreach so that the Good News is welcomed and received by all. We must find courage and magnanimity to welcome the gifts that God has blessed us all in different ways but always for the good of everyone.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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