Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Readings: Numbers 11:25-28; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-48
True faith binds us in human solidarity and propels us to a better future
Dear friends,
Recently, Pope Francis created a stir with his impromptu remarks to a group of young people of different faith traditions in Singapore. “All religions are pathways to God,” he said spontaneously. “They are like different languages that express the divine.” Similarly, some years ago in an interview, he also raised eyebrows among his own flock when he said that he believes in God but not a Catholic God, because there is no such a thing as a Catholic God.
Many critics of the Pope accuse him of playing down or relativising the uniqueness of the Catholic faith. However, the belief that God in Christ works through the Church and also through other religions, indeed, through people of good will is indeed inherent to our tradition. The Second Vatican Council taught that the doors of salvation are open to whoever seeks God and does his will through the dictates of their conscience. Pope John Paul II affirmed that the Holy Spirit is active in every human heart in the world. Therefore, without fear of compromising the truth of our faith, we can recognise and celebrate whatever is true and holy in other faiths. We can then operate not out of fear and antagonism against others, but out of a desire to share the fullness of the joy of the Gospel with them.
This Sunday, the Word of God also challenges the notion that God only acts within the interest of one’s group at the expense of others. It presents us with the inclusive and boundary-breaking way of Jesus. We are to learn to encounter him, the living Lord, beyond our fixed boundaries and narrow confines. More importantly, we must learn to serve him in the least of his brothers and sisters.
In the first reading, we hear the unusual story of God acting outside the established boundaries. Eldad and Medad were not inside the tent when the spirit was given to the 70 elders. As such, they were considered rogue prophets and Moses was asked to stop them from prophesying. But not only did Moses let them be, he surprised the gate-keepers with this response: “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.” In other words, Moses challenged the people not to put God in a box, not to think small, but to allow God to act freely and beyond their narrow circle. This was a giant leap for a small group of Jewish nomads who were fiercely protective of their tribal identity.
We find the echo of this challenge in the Gospel story. The disciples tried to stop someone who was outside their group from healing in the name of their master. They thought they alone had the brand name of Jesus. They thought they alone had a corner on the market. How mistaken they were! How surprised they were to hear Jesus say “Anyone who is not against us is for us.” The disciples received a sobering lesson that with God there are no insiders and outsiders but only the openness that recognises goodness wherever it is found.
This openness to divine generosity is illustrated by the real-life story of a young Turkish couple. They invited not only relatives and friends but also strangers to their wedding party. Their village was near the Syrian border and they decided to share their joy with the refugees. In fact, at one point, the newlyweds even got behind a counter and served up meals to the guests. They might not have been Christians, but what they did remind us of Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast where the poor, the crippled and the blind are invited. The Gospel today is at pains to tell us that whoever does good belongs to God and the greatest enemies are not so much outside as inside us. Hence, we should do well to recognise and deal with the parts of ourselves that cause us to sin, be it the eye, the foot or the hand.
When we survey Jesus’ interactions with the people, those who showed great faith, openness and receptivity to him were not always the standard bearers, not always those who were of his race, religion, or even kindred. Instead, we found to our surprise, they were the unlikely characters: the lepers, the beggars, the foreigners, the tax collectors, the prostitutes and sinners.
It was a reality check for the disciples to know that God acted outside their narrow confines of religion, race, ethnicity and culture. Today, we too need that kind of reality check. We need to know that we do not have a monopoly on salvation. More importantly, it is our humble service to the needy and the vulnerable that is the hallmark of Christian discipleship.
The Word of God today speaks to us about the God of surprises. It challenges us to broaden our minds, widen our horizons, enlarge our hearts and stretch our capacity to love. We need to be alert and open to God’s saving grace even in the most unlikely places and people. Our Christian ID card contains not our blood type, gender, nationality, status but the mark of our love and service to others. As St James admonishes us in the second reading, let us not be blind to the needs and sufferings of others. May true faith in Christ bind us in human solidarity, overcome division, drive out fear and build up God’s reign on earth.
