Sunday 29th of September 2024 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Numbers 11:25-29/ Psalm 18(19)/ James 5:1-6/ Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48

It seems today that we are required by society to pick a stance on one thing or another. We are for something or against something. Someone is either good or bad, right or wrong, if you follow a particular political persuasion, or are of a certain religion you will be either accepted or rejected. Tolerance, it seems, is in short supply.

The readings of today talk variously into tolerance and acceptance. The first reading reveals an incident during the Israelites wanderings in the desert. Initially it was Moses alone who was the recipient and interpreter of God’s spirit but finding this too great a task it was shared out amongst seventy elders of the community. There was then a disagreement after two others, apparently from outside of the accepted group, were found also to be sharing the duties of those designated. Moses was alerted to the situation but instead of telling the two outsiders to stop prophesying he admonished the tell tale saying that he wished that the whole people were prophets filled with the spirit of God. There is no room for elitism, we are all called to be filled with the spirit and to be prophets in our time. The danger for humanity is that we institutionalise things, even religion, to the extent that we try to limit God’s free gift of his spirit.

The letter of St James is also admonishing elitism in society. It speaks of those who have as opposed to those who have not, the rich and the poor. The rich grow wealthy on the work of the poor who they cheat out of a fair wage. The corrosion of wealth eats into the very soul of the selfish who exploit the weak. The cries of the suffering are heard by God, injustice and wealth used for selfish purposes leads to a corrosive sentence.

The gospel passage continues the theme of openness and tolerance to all. The person who responds to the needs of others responds to God, and the Christian does not have a monopoly on doing God’s work. But there is a harsh admonishment for those who block the journey of those seeking the way to God. The gravity of sin, especially sin towards the most vulnerable, is put into sharp focus by the actions described to stop a sinful behaviour. The language used is typical of the exaggerated terms used in the days in which this passage was written. Of course, we do not throw sinners into the sea tied to great stones, neither must we cut our hands or feet off or tear our eyes out, that would be sinful itself. The terminology used serves to highlight the seriousness of sin and how we must take serious and sometimes drastic action to prevent us continuing in or falling into sinful patterns of behaviour.

The tolerance that we are called to is not a tolerance of passive acceptance of all things. It should be understood as taking a stand against bigotry, racism, sexism, and anything that sets itself in opposition to others in an aggressive manner. Tolerance should produce in us a breadth of vision that results in inclusiveness and not elitism. There is no restriction on God’s actions, mere human rules, boundaries, and thinking, cannot even begin to restrain the ways of the Lord.

We strive to recognise the presence of God in all people, in all faith communities, and within our own church. While still acknowledging the authentic line from Pope Francis back to Peter on whom Jesus founded his church, not denying there are important differences, we still must recognise that God can and does work through and with all and as such we can learn from each other regardless of background. Tolerance of each other in this way becomes an active virtue leading us to draw closer to each other as we search for God in a spirit of inclusiveness rather than division. All people have a place in our social and economic structures. We must not become the selfish rich of James’ letter growing rich through the work of the poor particularly those in other countries. We are all equally valued and cared for by God and we must not put differing values on fellow human beings. We might need to broaden our vision and open our hearts towards those who are not socially, economically, religiously, or geographically close to us.

A failure to work in an atmosphere of active tolerance can lead to dangerous intolerance. We have seen through history, and sadly we continue to see, where this intolerance can lead. It leads to hate and bigotry, wars and discrimination, death and destruction. These intolerable situations are not caused by religion as so often claimed, but by the intolerance of those hiding behind a religious banner for their own aims rather than God’s purpose. Intolerance divides, while active tolerance unites. As clearly stated during the Second Vatican Council, God is present in all the world religions.

Along with active tolerance of others we need to heed the warnings our readings give us about sin and the seriousness of its consequences. Sin is not spoken about much these days, but it is why Jesus had to die on the cross, to make reparation for our sins. We must, without becoming guilt ridden, recognise when and how we sin, and that the consequence is a separation between us and God. This separation can become an ever-increasing chasm unless we do something to stop it growing and repair it. We need a realistic look at the world, our own weaknesses, and the need for the freely given forgiving grace from God.

God’s power and influence cannot and will not be limited by human made rules or boundaries. The spirit of God blows everywhere and works with and through anyone no matter their race, culture, or religion. With God there is no elitism, we have a God who became one of us and humbled himself even to dying the death of a pitiful criminal. In a spirit of active tolerance we can recognise where God is working and build upon it, not trying to restrict it in some way by becoming an obstruction between God and those who seek a way to him no matter what route they may be on.

God Bless Brendan.