WEDNESDAY, 22ND MAY, 2013. 7TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 

SIRACH 4: 11-19/ MARK 9: 38-40

Dearly beloved in Christ, in our gospel reading today, we see the encounter between Jesus' disciples and the exorcist. In the earlier part of this ninth chapter of the gospel of mark, the disciples had hitherto been unable to cast out an unclean spirit from a boy and then here they are today forbidding an exorcist who seem to be doing that successfully. How ironic can that be. I wonder what ran through their minds upon their encounter with the man. They will be like, common, we are his disciples, we are the twelve, that's our job!. As such, they went to report the matter to Christ. They thought they had unearthed a scandal. But Jesus' response to the issue was even more scorching. He replied, "do not forbid him... anyone who is not against us is for us."

Now, what ways does this challenge us as Christians? The response of Christ and his tolerance with the man whom the disciples saw is used to warn his disciples and through them we Christians on the need to banish all forms of exclusivism and cliquishness tendencies.

In a male dominated society, what is our response to females? do we see them as equals or as subjects? how long would the Legion of Mary, block rosary or blue army continually monopolize the blessed virgin Mary? For how long would lectors hold the belief that the word of God is properly proclaimed only when it is done by a lector? how about the sharp distinction between the clerics and laity? This exclusivist and intolerant attitude should therefore not be found amongst us. That way we might be preventing or hindering another person from serving God. As Dave Faulkner puts it, we might be making someone stumble in his walk of faith.

A cursory look into St. Paul's letter to the Philippians might restore us back to default.1;15,17-18 "of course some of these preach Christ because they are jealous... it does not matter so long as Christ is proclaimed in every way possible". As such, it does not matter if it is a legionary who leads the rosary or it is a lector who takes the reading. What is important is that these things are done properly. This gospel, therefore invites us my brothers and sisters in Christ to shun the notion that good is not good unless i am the one who does it. We must as followers of Christ assimilate the teaching of Christ, namely; good is good , even if it is not i who did it. It is only when we have done this that we will gain wisdom and our joys will be filled as said in the first reading. Only then,would we have glory and blessings follow us. May Christ continually bind us together in love and remove far from us exclusivist tendencies. Amen