Gospel Reflection for Sunday September 26th : 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Br Michael Moore OMI

Welcoming and accepting others

The gospel today begins with the disciples of Jesus giving out and complaining. They say to him; ‘Teacher, we saw someone healing in your in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ They don’t want to recognise the good that this person was doing, and they even want Jesus to approve of their actions and to accept them. The disciples are clearly threatened by this person’s success. They seem to be jealous and perhaps even insecure that someone who is not part their group is doing what they are meant to do and may be better at it than they are! But Jesus will not collude with their closed hearts and narrow minds. He plainly states his disapproval of their exclusive mentality and intolerance. He invites his followers to a much larger vision of God’s Kingdom when tells them; ‘Anyone who is not against is for us.’

Following Jesus is not private personal privilege that is to be carefully protected. We do not have a monopoly on Jesus. Rivalry, power-seeking and jealousy have no place in the teaching of Jesus, the message of the gospel or what is to be a Christian. Acceptance of others and appreciation of their gifts, talents and achievements are essential. The challenge today for all of us from Jesus is to embrace difference, variety and diversity. Religious intolerance has been the cause of terrible suffering and discrimination for centuries and is still sadly present in our world and society today. We are called to do all we can to eliminate intolerance of all sorts, whether this is political, religious, racial or cultural.

It is all too easy for each of us to dismiss, disrespect and ignore others because they are different than we are. We can all take the religious and moral high ground to justify our actions. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for the behaviour. They felt that they were better than others and frequently judged and dismissed others for being sinners and not being as religious as they were. They said and believed on thing and then did the very opposite; they were hypocrites.

The message and warning that Jesus gives his disciples is also meant for each of us today. As his followers today, we too are called and challenged to be welcoming and accepting of those who are different than we are. We are asked to embrace and promote difference and diversity. We will not be able to share and proclaim message of the gospel by rejecting others because they pray or worship in ways that are different than ours. We will never be able to promote God’s Kingdom if we dismiss those who faith and religion are different than ours.

‘You must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another…let your words be for the improvement of others…never hold grudges against others or call each other names. Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as God forgives you in Christ.’ (Ephesian 4.25,29-32)

Br Michael Moore OMI

Who are those that I reject because they are different than I am? Can I rejoice when others succeed when I am unable to? As Jesus says to each of us today, ‘Anyone who is not against us is for us.’

– Br Michael Moore OMI