26th Sunday: YearB

                            DOCTRINE  AND  FAITH
(Numbers 11,25-29; James 5,1-6; Mark 9, 38-43.45.47-48; 26th Sunday: YearB)
         
 The lessons from today’s readings are very rich and variegated. One can continue to meditate on Saint James condemnation of wealth and riches. If one should literally, he/she will have to burn up all he/she has including his bank savings. James is rather describing the lot of the rich people who hoard their wealth for their selfish ends and do not care for the needy neighbours. James seems to say that such selfish people’s wealth will turn into ruin. Another issue one can reflect upon is the point Jesus makes about scandal. Last Sunday, Jesus took a child in his arms and today he warns against scandalizing any of the little ones. The little ones include those among us whose faith are weak. A person causing the alienation of a believer from Christ should understand the gravity of his offense. The enormity of scandal is shown in the suggested punishment that such persons should be drowned, a death that the Jews considered so shameful that they forbade the burial of the corpse. Jesus goes on to warn us about the form of scandal that comes from our hands, feet and our own eyes. In the Jewish culture, these organs manifested the evil instincts, lusts and all other dispositions that lead us away from God and induce us to immoral actions. Whenever we realise that some of our attitudes are wrong or that our ideas are incompatible with the Christian principles, we must have the courage to cut away where necessary, even if it causes pain and heart-rending anguish. Our consideration should not stop at occasions and situations of sins of sexuality but should include our inclinations and dispositions towards arrogant attitudes, thefts, envy and jealousy. They should also include such harboured suspicions that lead us to quarrel with our neighbours and sometimes prevent us from forgiving and reconciling with our brothers and sisters. Jesus is telling us today that it is better to amputate or eradicate, from our lives, all the occasions of sin, lest one causes the ruin of his own life and incurs on himself the loss of eternal life with God the Father. These and other lessons can be gleaned from the readings of today.
          One discovers a close resemblance of the theme of the first reading and the one that the first part of today’s gospel presents.  The theme is that God can bring his plans to fruition in many and unexpected ways. No one can influence how God would react in a given situation. His actions, though always providential, are unpredictable. Our duty as Christians is to discern the Spirit of God at work within and outside the Church and nod Amen to it. In the first reading two people, Eldad and Medad, were not among the group of people who received a part of the Spirit formally endowed on Moses. They, however, were given to prophesying in the same manner as those who shared in the gift of Moses’ prophecy. This did not go down well with Joshua, son of Nun Moses’ personal and trusted assistant and he wanted Moses to stop them. Moses was able to discern the hand of God in the event and wished that all Israel were prophets. In the Gospel, John stopped a man who worked miracles from continuing to do so, just for the simple reason that he was not one of the disciples’ group. Jesus took the stand that John should not have stopped him. The Disciples of Christ were annoyed someone was doing something good without belonging to their group. For them, driving out evil spirits from possessed persons was their right and prerogative and nobody else should dare attempt to do so without their expressed permission. These two biblical incidents wish to impart to us some important lessons. First, we should condemn and avoid all types of fanaticism, be it religious, political, ideological or social. A fanatic is the one who does not stop at not accepting any person who does not belong to his or her group but  also goes on to attack and injure him/her. He shuts his eyes to whatever good others do and condemns it. He holds his opinion and ideas to be right always. Fanatics within the Church think that they are the only recipients of the Holy Spirit. Another lesson that we are supposed to take home from the readings is that the Spirit of God blows freely and manifests his gifts within and outside the Church. We need to be open to this fact so as to appreciate the workings of the Spirit especially when He manifests himself “outside our group”. We should therefore, be able, especially if we are imbued with the real Holy Spirit to rejoice in the good works of love He does even among and through non believers. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye