Numbers 11:25-29; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-48
We are One, despite our differences – Let us Build our Oneness!
One Hallowing night, a lady who thought she had had enough of her alcoholic husband, set out to teach him a lesson of his life. She wanted him to quit drinking by scaring him to death. So, she bought bright-shining dresses for Hallowing; and, on Hallowing night, she hid herself in the hedges by her home, waiting for her drunken husband to return from his usual drinking spree. In the dead of the night, behold he comes staggering home; and she jumps out of the bushes and yells out – stop right there! He turns around in his drunken stupor and asks: who are you? She yells back: I am the Devil, ready to kill you! He retorted – please come home with me because I live with your sister!
There is a huge “holier, than thou” or “better than you” attitude in our society today, not least, when we live with those whose behaviors we disapprove of. Beginning with the divisions among Christians, denominations among Moslems, to the differences in political affiliations, and that between the haves and have-nots: people are intolerant of one another, thinking they are better than others. This Sunday, our readings lead us to the realization of our common brotherhood and sisterhood in a common fight for a better world, where the differences of race, gender, ethnic and social status are overcome by what John Paul II calls “the civilization of love.”
Today’s first reading epitomizes God’s unencumbered invitation to whomever he chooses for the ministry of leadership: he takes the “spirit” on Moses and distributes it to other members of the assembly of Israel, even those absent from the assembly did not escape God’s gift. At our baptism, Paul would say, “One spirit was given to us all to drink” (1 Cor 12:13). In other words, the presence of the “Spirit of God” says far more than the gift of leadership – it speaks fundamentally of unity – the oneness of the children of God!
This point of unity of humanity is clearly put forward in today’s gospel: “John said to him, Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us” (Mark 9:38). Being a disciple of Christ was about to become a political party or caucus, but Jesus refuses: “Jesus said, do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:39-40).
It is only the realization that our differences serve the purposes of unity, just as the different keys of a piano jointly produce melody, only then will we cease to harp on differences and get to work for unity. The flip side of emphasizing differences is seeing in the second reading: “Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries” (James 5:1): punishment!
Punishment awaits every person who promotes any kind of divisions: racial, gender, social and ethnic. The Spirit of God in you and me is ready and willing to create a wonderful symphony whereby every human being receives dignity, respect and recognition as an image of God, created out of love and destined for happiness. In our dealings with our brothers and sisters who may be different, we need to show God’s compassion, instead of holier than thou attitude which may boomerang like in our opening story.
Assignment for this week
Could you go out of your way this week to make somebody feel good?
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