Keep Your Eye on the Ball
by Fr. David M. Knight
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Twenty-Sixth Week of the Year
Lectionary 137
Numbers 11:25-29/Jas 5:1-6/Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Inventory
Is any goal so important to you that to achieve it you just refuse to get distracted by lesser concerns? So important you are willing to overlook insults or times when you think you are treated unfairly, and just keep working for the goal? What in your life is important enough to you to make you do this?
Single-minded focus
In Numbers 11: 25-29 Moses gives an example of single-minded focus on the goal. Two men who didn’t show up for roll-call when Moses took the elders up the mountain with him received the same gift of prophecy the others did. Joshua thought this was unfair and wanted Moses to silence them. He answered, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would bestow his spirit on all of them!”
How many times does our work for God’s kingdom come to a halt because the workers are bickering among themselves over who is being treated more favorably than another? This was the most frequent source of argument the Gospels report between Jesus’ own disciples. Jesus had to keep telling them not to be concerned about being treated with respect or even treated fairly. They should just devote themselves to the work of the kingdom and rise above all other considerations.
The Responsorial Psalm invites us to “lift up our hearts” above the ground-level distractions of this world and see how “the heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” If we focus on what God teaches we will find our own happiness in “telling the glory of God” and “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom.” (See Matthew 4:23; 18:1-10, 23:1-13; Mark 9:33-42; Luke 9:46-50, 22:24-30.)
Signs of divine life
In Mark 9: 38-48 the disciple John, who held a special place with Jesus as Joshua did with Moses, said he tried to stop a man from casting out demons in Jesus’ name, “because he is not of our company.” Jesus answered, “Do not try to stop him…. No one who performs a miracle using my name is about to speak ill of me.” For Jesus, what counts is the good that is being done and the spirit that inspires it. He does not get hung up about technicalities of membership or “good standing” in the Church.
Jesus did not say it was unimportant whether someone was visibly one of his disciples or not. He just did not let that question keep him from recognizing in people the signs of live union with himself; that is, of the “grace” of sharing in the divine life of God that lets humans do the works proper to divine life. He established the principle, “You will know them by their fruits.”
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (Matthew 7:20; John 15:5.)
It follows that, if someone appears to be living the life of grace, acting out of divine faith, hope and love, we should presume that the person does in fact share in the divine life of God as we do.
Not to do this is to embrace the spirit of the Pharisees, which is legalism: a primary focus on law-observance, with the attendant habit of judging others by their conformity to the rules. Those infected with this spirit — who were the most bitter adversaries of Jesus, and later the militant opponents of Paul and of what has been called the first Church “council” in Jerusalem — do not look for the signs of grace in others, but focus first (and usually last!) on whether or not they are professing orthodox doctrine (narrowly understood) and keeping all the rules of the Church (rigidly interpreted). All those who are not “within the boundaries” of the official (and sometimes just current) position Church authorities are taking on faith, morals and the application of Church rules, would be excluded by the “Pharisee party” from Communion at Mass on the assumption they have excluded themselves from the “communion [koinonia, also translated “fellowship”] of the Holy Spirit.” The Church herself is much more open and accepting about this. (See Acts 10:1 to 11:18; 15:1-29; 16:1-3; Romans 4:9-14 and context.)
All the faith of the Church requires for Communion is Baptism and endowment with God’s life (“grace”). Church law, although recognizing that sins, even “mortal,” can be forgiven without sacramental confession to a priest, adds certain restrictions—which circumstances, however, can remove. Generally speaking, legalists do not ask about these circumstances, or accept any but the most dire. For example, legalists would interpret the words “no possibility of going to confession” in the Catechism, no. 1457, absolutely. In the mind of the Church, however, there might be “no possibility” if anonymity were not possible, or the only priest available were known to be harsh and rigid, or were one’s own son! These examples just establish the principle that Church laws, when interpreted and applied according to the mind of the Church and the heart of Christ, are not discouraging but life-giving. Because St. Paul was very aware that “the authority the Lord had given” him was “for building up and not for tearing down,” he did not want to “be severe” in using it. Church laws, like God’s, should “give joy to the heart.” (See Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1415, 1244, 1457 (note: “unless”), 1401, 1483; 2Corinthians 13:10.)
Servant Leadership
In the context of the whole letter, James 5: 1-6 is a counterweight to the spirit of legalism. It is a call to a single-minded wisdom that is “pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” If we stay focused on God’s goal, our “works” will be done “with gentleness born of wisdom.”
James says our observance of laws must not be selective, but focus above all on love of neighbor and social justice, not “defrauding workers” of the kind of wages they need and deserve. We must be full of concern for “orphans and widows in their distress,” and for all who are suffering, not distracted by riches that put us in danger of living “in wanton luxury” and money that can “devour our flesh like fire.”
Whoever “speaks evil against another or judges another” by an application of the law that is too severe, by that very fact “speaks evil against the law and judges the law” by making it oppressive. We should “speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty,” conscious that God’s “judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy.” James’ advice is “be quick to listen, slow to speak,” hesitant about presuming to teach, because those who do “will be judged with greater strictness.” Teachers need to know God.
Anyone who brings back a sinner” will “save the sinner’s soul from death,” and this is enough to “cover a multitude of sins.” On the other hand, anyone who “puts a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me,” would be better off “drowned in the depth of the sea.” The goal and focus of pastoral ministry is, “Feed my sheep,” not to drive them away! (See Matthew 18:6; John 21:17.)
Insight: What am I trying to change in the Church? Do I want it more open or closed?
Initiative: When people do not receive Communion, do you judge they are in “mortal sin”?
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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