Breath of the Spirit

Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by DignityUSA.

Breath of the Spirit is our electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.

Unless we turn our value systems upside down – experience a “metanoia” – we’ll never benefit from the good news.

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SEPTEMBER 27TH, 2015: TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

One of the most difficult things for God’s followers to learn is that their task on earth is simply to proclaim God’s message, not to control God’s message.

The difficulty arises because, in most situations, we proclaim God’s message against the background of an institution. Institutions normally have membership lists, informing us who’s in and who’s out. Some individuals are in the institution’s good graces; others aren’t. Not only do we have to be familiar with the membership regulations, those who play footloose with such stipulations, might lose their own membership.

That’s one of the reasons many of us are taken aback when Scripture scholars, like the late Raymond Brown, correctly insisted, “The historical Jesus had no intention of founding a church as we know it.” The Palestinian Jew who lived in the first third of the first century CE, whom most Christians regard as the founder of their “religion,” never formed an institution. It wasn’t, as some of us presumed, that he just didn’t have time to get around to it; he never planned to do it in the first place.

As we know from his initial proclamation of the good news back in chapter one, Jesus of Nazareth revolved his ministry around announcing that God’s kingdom is right here and now. He was convinced that God is present, working effectively in everyone’s daily life - no exceptions - in the lives of those who are in and those who are out.

He clearly states that conviction in today’s gospel pericope. John begins the narrative by informing him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Expecting a nod of approval, John must have been totally surprised by Jesus’ response: “Do not prevent him!” The reason is simple: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” In other words, “Why are you trying to stop someone from doing good just because he or she isn’t following the rules you’ve artificially created for doing good? God’s obviously able to work through a person who ‘does not follow us,’ just as well as through people who do follow us.”

More than 1,200 years before Jesus’ birth, Moses dealt with a similar situation: how can Eldad and Medad have received Yahweh’s spirit when they weren’t in the group designated to receive that spirit? Doesn’t Yahweh have to obey the institution’s rules and regulations? Once again a major biblical figure challenges an informer’s frame of mind. “Would that Yahweh might bestow his spirit on them all,” Moses responds.

For our sacred authors a frame of mind consistently trumps membership in an institution. That’s why Jesus’ proclamation of the good news always includes a demand for “repentance.” Unless we turn our value systems upside down – experience a “metanoia” – we’ll never benefit from the good news. Along with getting rid of any obstacles which stop us from achieving the life Jesus offers, we’re to begin experiencing people and situations from Jesus’ viewpoint, as James does in today’s second reading. No longer, for instance, is wealth something to be desired or achieved.

One more point: we’ve traditionally misunderstood the identity of the “little ones who believe in me.” According to Marcan experts, Mark’s Jesus isn’t referring to actual children here; he’s talking about Christian believers, those who’ve already given themselves over to the risen Jesus. He reserves one of his worst sins (and punishments) for those who subvert the original fervor and dedication of his followers; who change or obliterate the frame of mind he initially instilled in them.

Could some of us “institutional” Catholics be guilty of such a sin?