September 30, 2012
Numbers 11:25-29;
Psalm 19; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-48
Similar disputes arise in the Book
of Numbers and Mark’s Gospel. Joshua, the longtime aide of Moses, is miffed
because Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp and he wants them to stop.
These two men are not in the prescribed gathering when the spirit of God
descends on those chosen by Moses, but they receive a share in the spirit just
the same. The spirit does not conform to their ideas. Moses prudently responds
to Joshua, “Would that all be prophets? Would that the Lord bestow his spirit
on them all.” Moses sees that Eldad and Medad are taking responsibility for
their faith and are acting with good stewardship.
In the Gospel, John brings up the
same concern. He and others see another person driving out demons in the name
of Jesus and they try to stop him to no avail. This other man is not initiated
into discipleship in the same way as they have been and they feel their
authority is usurped. Belonging to a group means that one has power to include
and set parameters for membership or to exclude and set conditions for joining
an enterprise. The disciple John is perplexed because he knows the man is doing
what is good and right, but he is still “the other.” Jesus replies, “Whoever is
not against us is for us.” He views the larger strategy in terms of building up
the kingdom of God rather than being concerned for his own authority.
A major question raised by these
readings is, “how well do we let other people be themselves?” It is good for us
to learn to let ‘the other be other’ and it is not easy. It is natural for us
to make others extensions of ourselves. In fact, we often want to control
another person’s behavior to such a degree that we deprive them of their
essential independence. For instance, if we delegate a task to someone, we are
annoyed if the other person does not do it as we would or on our same schedule.
We want the person to value the task as highly as we do and we want it done according
to our methods because it has worked well for us before.
This is not a healthy way to
proceed. Jesus tells us in the second paragraph of the Gospel that we are not
to cause another person to sin. Sin is caused by the attitudes we hold towards
others. It is a failure to even bother to love. No one likes to feel
manipulated, criticized, and fixed. When we narcissistically make someone
conform to our thoughts and identity, we generate ill will and negative
responses towards us. We cause the person to get angry with us because we heap
impossible expectations upon them. In other words, we cause them to sin.
We
begin to succeed when we allow others the creative freedom to carry out their
responsibility as they see it. We have to let them communicate their visions
and schemes to us while we listen anew. We can learn to credit the other
person’s abilities and give them rewards and compliments. We can celebrate the
talents others bring to the enterprise, if we are courageous enough to respect
the other person’s good intentions. By helping others reach their potential, we
quicken the way to meeting our own. We have to understand that we are mostly on
the same page with one another; our task is to step back and let the good
actions unfold.
Joshua and John had to step out of
the way and allow something greater to play out. As hard as we try to define
boundaries, the spirit is going to act without regard of our plans and
expectations. The church realizes it must do this, but we cannot criticize the
church when we have our personal work to do. Find a way this week of respecting
another person’s autonomy and story by letting the person truly be a completely
other person made up of his or her own life experiences, thoughts, and
feelings. Sincerely ask them about their lives and you will find you will
authentically care for them with great ease.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First
Reading: The church turns to the Book of Job to describe
the ways of God in the midst of great suffering. Satan appears to God with other
angels and asks God to put the righteous Job to the test. If great calamity
comes his way, he will surely blaspheme the Lord. God agrees to the test, but
declares that while everything around Job can be destroyed, no harm is to come
to Job. His livelihood is destroyed; four of his children are killed in a freak
accident. Job laments his suffering and questions why he was born in the face
of such a horrible life. Job speaks to his friends about the cause of his
misfortune in the face of God’s wisdom. Job will not put God to the test. He
questions God’s mysterious ways and he knows deeply that his vindicator lives.
God will come to his aid. After Job’s many complaints, God addresses him
forcefully. Job is quieted in the face of God’s omnipotent knowledge. Job
repents in defeat. He will never know the reasons why a just, innocent person
suffers before an all-knowing, all-powerful God. As the days go on, Job’s
fortune is restored.
Gospel:
As Jesus is teaching his friends how to
be the best servant-disciple, he picks us a child and instructs the disciple on
how to live like the most neglected ones in society. When told of an
unauthorized person casting out demons in his name, Jesus says to let him be.
He is with us in this important ministry. Humility is a key for effective
discipleship. As people petition Jesus to let them join him on the way, he
cautions them that the Son of Man has not place to lay his head or to call
home. Most people want to be rooted in society, but a disciple of Jesus has to
be prepared to go anywhere in the kingdom. Jesus appointed seventy-two
disciples to go out in pairs for the harvest of souls. He gave them behavioral
instructions when they were received or rejected from a village. If anyone
fails to offer hospitality, they will face a great wrath. Other towns repented
and were converted. God will extoll them. Jesus then receives the seventy-two
who returned from their missions. He listened to their joyful successes and
gave thanks to the Father for revealing his grace to those who were simple and
open-hearted.
Saints of the Week
September 30: Jerome, priest and doctor (342-420), studied
Greek and Latin as a young man after his baptism by Pope Liberius. He learned
Hebrew when he became a monk and after ordination he studied scripture with
Gregory Nazianzen in Constantinople. He became secretary to the Pope when he
was asked to translate the Bible into Latin.
October 1: Teresa of Avila, doctor (1873-1897),
entered the Carmelites at age 15 and died at age 24 from tuberculosis. During
her illness, Pauline, her prioress, asked her to write about her life in the
convent. These stories are captured in "The Story of a Soul." He
focused on her "little way" of pursuing holiness in everyday life.
October 2: The Guardian Angels are messengers and
intermediaries between God and humans. They help us in our struggle against
evil and they serve as guardians, the feast we celebrate today. Raphael is one
of the guardians written about in the Book of Tobit. A memorial was added to
the Roman calendar In 1670 in thanksgiving for their assistance.
October 3: Francis Borgia, S.J. became a duke at
age 33. When his wife died and his eight children were grown, he joined the
Jesuits. His preaching brought many people to the church and when he served as
Superior General, the Society increased dramatically in Spain and Portugal. He
established many missions in the new territories.
October 4: Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) was from
the wealthy Bernardone family who sold silk cloths. After serving as soldier as
a prisoner of war, Francis chose to serve God and the poor. He felt called to
repair God's house, which he thought was a church. His father was angry that he
used family money so he disinherited him. He began to preach repentance and
recruited others to his way of life. His order is known for poverty,
simplicity, humble service, and delighting in creation.
October 6: Bruno, priest (1030-1101), became a
professor at Rheims and diocesan chancellor. He gave up his riches and began to
live as a hermit with six other men. They had disdain for the rampant clerical
corruption. The bishop of Grenoble gave them land in the Chartreuse Mountains
and they began the first Carthusian monastery. After serving in Rome for a few
years, Bruno was given permission to found a second monastery in Calabria.
This Week in
Jesuit History
·
Sep 30, 1911. President William Howard
Taft visited Saint Louis University and declared the football season open.
·
Oct 1, 1546. Isabel Roser was released
from her Jesuit vows by St Ignatius after eight months.
·
Oct 2, 1964. Fr. General Janssens
suffered a stroke and died three days later. During his generalate, the Society
grew from 53 to 85 provinces, and from 28,839 to 35,968 members.
·
Oct 3, 1901. In France, religious
persecution broke out afresh with the passing of Waldeck Rousseau's "Loi d'Association."
·
Oct 4, 1820. In Rome, great troubles
arose before and during the Twentieth General Congregation, caused by Fr.
Petrucci's intrigues. He sought to wreck the Society and was deposed from his
office as Vicar General, though supported by Cardinal della Genga (afterwards
Leo XII).
·
Oct 5, 1981. In a letter to Father
General Arrupe, Pope John Paul II appointed Paolo Dezza as his personal
delegate to govern the Society of Jesus, with Fr. Pittau as coadjutor.
·
Oct 6, 1773. In London, Dr James
Talbot, the Vicar Apostolic, promulgated the Brief of Suppression and sent
copies to Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Jesus was present to other people rather than trying to control or dictate what needed to be done. We need to be present to others and to listen with our hearts. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteRight on! Much good is done if we let other be others.
ReplyDelete