Twenty-Sixth Sunday Oct 1^st, 2006

Numbers 11:25‑-29 Psalm: 19 James 5:1‑-6 Mark 9:38‑-48

Theme: Whom do we include and whom do we exclude in the leadership of the community as we seek to bring order, continuity and order in the community.

1. One of the popular hymns of the Charismatic Group is “Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on us.” The Spirit of God has been coming down on the people of God as far back as we know.

for Joseph (with his coat of many colours) - it came in the form of dreams

for Moses - it came in the form of a brilliance after he met face to face with God.

for the prophets - they spoke even when they were afraid (Ezekiel), did not have the talent of public speaking (Jeremiah), tried to run away (Jonah).

for Mary, the Mother of God - it was the Word becoming flesh and dwelt in our midst.

2. The Spirit is a Gift given by God and it is given freely. Unfortunately we try to put limits around the Holy Spirit and try to determine the parameters in which the Holy Spirit will operate. These boundaries just do not work. In our first reading we find two men: Eldad and Medad. Today these are not names that are common among men. We would probably call them Tom, Dick or Harry. They are filled with the Holy Spirit, but they were not card bearing members of the Confraternity of Prophets. Rules and Regulations are important to avoid confusion and chaos. But the Spirit of God is not limited to man made regulations. Moses who is inspired by the Spirit will be filled by the Generosity of the Spirit. The fervent desire of Moses is “Would that all the people have the fullness of the Spirit”. However, if we grow up with hearts the size of a prune, we are not comfortable with this generosity. WE have the tendency to say: What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine.”

3. The reality is that the Spirit rests on those whom the Spirit chooses. When the Spirit does this, the person speaks in the Lord’s name. The Person is a prophet. However we know that as God’s people we have been anointed at baptism as prophets and priests. It is our vocation to speak in God’s name, it is our vocation to prophesy. The problem is that there are many in our midst who will insist as in the time of Moses on the ritual of being properly accredited and properly affirmed. There are many who will insist that Women cannot preach. When the Spirit comes down the Spirit does not look at your sexual make up or orientation.

4. We see the Spirit working so easily and well in every day and even mundane settings. One must be caught up with the Spirit. However, the Spirit does not use force to be established. Not everyone is open to the Spirit in the same way, nor does the Spirit call everyone to act in the same way. Right here within the parish, if you only keep your eyes open you will see the Bustling activity of the Spirit in all sorts and forms.

There is a Canadian who has not lost her thick Scottish brogue, who invites people to say the Rosary with her. She is shy and diffident, but it is that very quality that makes people less intimidated and eager to cooperate.

 

My mother believes in the Divine Mercy, and she promotes that in her own way.

There is man in the parish who loves pilgrimages to shrines, he is constantly organizing buses and with his broken English - he gets more people to come on trips to Holy Places than a seasoned sales person.

There is a Team that regularly visits the sick. These men and women are carefully chosen to make sure that the sick enjoy their visit, not endure the visit. They bring a sense of comfort, a spirit of prayer, a connection with the Parish.

Each of these are moved by the Spirit. The result of their encounters are people are filled with a sense of joy and peace. They are less impatient, they are generous. This indeed are the fruits of the Spirit as Paul describes them in the Letter to the Galatians Ch.5.

5. The inclusiveness of all, the openness to all is the very heart of the message of Jesus. He said, there is one shepherd and one flock, but there are many that do not belong to the flock. In John ch 10: 16, Jesus says, “There are other sheep which belong to me, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them too; they will listen to my voice and become one flock with one shepherd.” If Jesus wants to include everyone, who are we to say this man or that woman has no right to be filled with the Spirit, no right to prophesy in God’s name? It is Jesus who calls, not you or me.

Our challenge to invite all is in the advice of Jesus, “if anyone is not against me, he is for me.” These words are grounds for much comfort, strength and support in our ministry of being prophets of the Kingdom of God.

Maggie Kuhn tells us some interesting things about sandhill cranes. These birds fly in formation. However there are three qualities that keep them together. First they rotate the leadership, there is no One Crane that is always in front. Second, they chose a leader that can handle turbulence. Third, druing the time the Crane is leading the rest of the birds are honking, signalling their affirmation. That is not a bad model for the church. We certainly need leaders who can handle turbulence, we need leaders who are aware that leadership should be rotated, but most of all we need “honkers” who can affirm those who are leading us. As Moses would pray, “Would that all the people have the fullness of the Spirit”. God bless you all.

APPENDIX

The Gospel also deals with other themes, but it would confuse our reflection to comment on all of them. Here however are two stories, which might help us if we rather choose to reflect on the Gospel words, “whoever gives a cup of water to drink.. will by no means loose his reward.”

Even a Cup Of Cold Water Makes a Difference

For months the chapel was decorated with artificial flowers. While they looked pretty they lacked one vital thing they emitted no scent. Then one day someone brought in a small bunch of fresh bluebells and placed them on the altar. As soon as you walked into the chapel you noticed the difference. The fragrance given off by the little bluebells filled the entire chapel. How the genuine article shines out, how it quietly makes its presence felt. It doesn’t have to be big. Even the dew lessens the heat. ‑-Jesus said that anyone who gave one of his disciples even a cup of cold water would be rewarded. The ‘cup of cold water’ is a symbol of the small kind deed.

- Flor McCarthy in ‘New Sunday and Holy day Liturgies’

- and the other theme: “If your hand makes you lose faith, cut it off!”

Ready For Sacrifice?

Thomas More was a teenager in England when Columbus discovered America. Thomas attended Oxford University and, after graduation, entered public life. He rose rapidly as a government official. In 1529, King Henry VIII honoured him by appointing him Chancellor of England. Then tragedy struck Thomas More’s life. Here’s how it happened. Henry divorced his queen and remarried unlawfully. To combat opposition to his marriage, Henry ordered certain dignitaries of the state to sign a document, swearing under oath that his marriage was lawful. Henry passed word along to the dignitaries that if they refused to sign the document, they would be arrested for treason. A dramatic scene occurred when Lord Norfolk brought the document to Thomas More. Thomas refused to sign it; no amount of persuasion would change his mind. Finally Lord Norfolk lost his patience. He said to his friend: Oh confound all this. I don’t know whether the marriage is lawful or not. But damn it, Thomas, look at these names . You know these men! Can’t you do what I did and come along with us for friendship? Thomas More still refused. He wouldn’t swear to something that he knew in his heart was wrong. Thomas More was eventually arrested. On July 6 1553, he was executed for treason. -The story of Thomas More illustrates what Jesus says about sacrifice: If your hand makes you lose faith, cut it off! In the case of Thomas More, this meant sacrificing his life.