26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

The reading is part of a narrative about God’s care for Moses and for the people of Israel. They have set out from Mt. Sinai to begin the journey to the Promised Land. But soon the people crave the kind of food they enjoyed in Egypt; they are dissatisfied with the bread from heaven. Moses’s initial response is to complain that this people has become too burdensome for him. He ends up asking God to take his life (Nm 11:11–15).

What kind of group was the community of disciples to be? John, and most likely all the others, understood Jesus and his followers to constitute a closed community: There were insiders and outsiders. Only those who were officially insiders (called by Jesus) were to be treated as such. People who acted like insiders, but actually were not, were to be confronted and rejected. Such was the case with an outsider who was attempting to cast out a demon in Jesus’ name. Imagine the shock the disciples experienced when Jesus told them not to prevent the outsider from expelling the demon.

An open community. Jesus holds to the principle that those who act from the same motive and for the same goals as himself cannot be considered opponents. He articulates this principle as follows: “Whoever is not against us is for us.” This does not mean that whoever is not opposed to Jesus is automatically considered a disciple. But it does bespeak an openness which could facilitate the spread of the Gospel in word and in deed. In order to allow this to happen Jesus understands his broader community to be an open one. The disciples are not yet of the same mentality as Jesus. They believe in small group affiliation that provides a clear identity for each member. This is what is called a sectarian mentality. This will be challenged big- time when the early Church has to face the influx of gentiles into these small Jewish Christian communities.

Avoid scandal at all costs. This section is only loosely connected with what has gone before. Here Jesus is portrayed as having very strong feelings about anyone who causes little ones who believe in him to sin. The Greek word translated “little ones” is mikros. It is used to describe people who are considered insignificant, powerless, and lacking in importance. Some commentators think it might have referred to catechumens who were still very tender in their faith. The language Jesus uses to condemn those who cause the little ones to sin is harsh, violent, and shocking. Few interpreters think Jesus meant this language to be taken literally. It expresses how much he cares for these little ones. This is consistent with how Jesus cares for all the little people, the marginalized, the oppressed. They all belong to Christ

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius