SAINT MARK SEEMS TO
DELIGHT IN PORTRAYING THE APOSTLES IN A BAD LIGHT. LAST WEEK THEY
WERE QUARRELING ABOUT WHO WAS THE GREATEST; THIS WEEK THEY ARE TRYING
TO STOP AN EXORCIST WHO IS CASTING OUT DEMONS IN JESUS' NAME. IF YOU
GO BACK A FEW VERSES IN MARK, YOU HAVE AN EPISODE WHERE THE APOSTLES
FAILED TO CAST OUT A DEMON, SO I'M SURE THEY ARE FEELING A LITTLE
DEFENSIVE. AFTER ALL, HERE IS SOMEONE WHO HASN'T BEEN FOLLOWING
JESUS AROUND, WHO HASN'T BEEN PUTTING IN THE TIME AND EFFORT, AND WHO
PROBABLY KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT WHAT JESUS ACTUALLY TAUGHT – AND HE
WAS SUCCESSFULLY CASTING OUT DEMONS JUST BY USING JESUS' NAME! WE
HAVE TO STOP HIM, LORD!
AND JESUS REPLIES,
“WHOEVER IS NOT AGAINST US IS FOR US.” JUST TO WARN YOU ABOUT
QUOTING SCRIPTURES OUT OF CONTEXT, JESUS ALSO SAID “WHOEVER IS NOT
WITH ME IS AGAINST ME.” WHEN THE PHARISEES ACCUSED HIM OF CASTING
OUT DEMONS IN THE NAME OF BEELZEBUB, THE PRINCE OF DEMONS. SO ALWAYS
STUDY THE CONTEXT.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT
HOW HUMAN IT IS TO CATEGORIZE PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF ALMOST ANYTHING?
WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO DEFINE WHO IS IN THE IN GROUP AND WHO ISN'T.
THE HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS ATTEST TO THAT.
EVERY TIME A NEW CHURCH IS FOUNDED, AND THEY CONTINUE TO POP UP, IT'S
BECAUSE SOMEONE DECIDED THAT THE PARENT BODY WASN'T QUITE AS
CHRISTIAN AS IT COULD BE. HERE ARE SOME REASONS FOR SPLITTING OFF:
THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
FORMED OVER A DISPUTE ABOUT WHETHER TO ALLOW MUSIC IN THE WORSHIP
SERVICE.
THE POLISH NATIONAL
CATHOLIC CHURCH FORMED BECAUSE PRIESTS WERE BEING ASSIGNED TO
POLISH-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES WHO WERE NOT POLISH.
THE SEVENTH DAY
ADVENTISTS DECIDED THAT PEOPLE HAD NO BUSINESS CHANGING THE LORD'S
DAY FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY.
SOME DISPUTES WERE MORE
SERIOUS THAN OTHERS, OF COURSE. BUT A LOT OF THEM REMIND ME OF THE
TWO LITTLE CHURCHES IN A SMALL SOUTHERN TOWN. ONE HAD A BIG SIGN
THAT SAID, “THERE AIN'T NO HELL”. THE SIGN IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
SAID, “THE HELL THERE AIN'T!”.
TODAY JESUS TELLS US THAT
PUTTING UP FENCES AND DRAWING LINES IS NOT THE WAY FOR HIS FOLLOWERS
TO ACT. IN FACT, WE ARE NOT SIMPLY TO COEXIST; WE ARE TO ASSIST EACH
OTHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER IF WE BOTH BELONG TO CHRIST. AND HE
WARNS US OF THE DANGERS THAT DIVISIONS AMONG CHRISTIANS CAN CAUSE –
WE SCANDALIZE THOSE WHO OBSERVE US, THOSE WHO REMEMBER THAT JESUS
PRAYED THAT WE ALL WOULD BE ONE, AND YET THERE ARE 41,000
DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD. HOW MANY PEOPLE LOOK AT US
CHRISTIANS AND TURN AWAY BECAUSE OF THAT? WHO CAN BLAME THEM?
WHEN WE CHOOSE TO BE
CHRISTIAN, REALLY CHRISTIAN, WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT WE WILL LIVE IN A
PARADOX. WHICH JESUS DO WE IMITATE? THE GOOD SHEPHERD, WHO GENTLY
CARES FOR HIS SHEEP, WHO BINDS UP THEIR WOUNDS AND LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE
FOR THEM? OR THE JESUS WHO MAKES AS WHIP AND CHASES THE
MONEY-CHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE? WHICH IS YOUR JESUS, THE SON OF
MAN WHO HAS NOWHERE TO LAY HIS HEAD, OR THE ONE WHO IS CONDEMNED
BECAUSE HE EATS AND DRINKS WITH SINNERS? IS YOUR JESUS THE ONE WHO
DIES HELPLESS ON THE CROSS, A COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE, OR THE ONE
WHO RISES FROM DEATH AND DRAWS ALL THINGS TO HIMSELF?
AND WE SHOULDN'T BE
SURPRISED. IF JESUS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PIN DOWN, HIS FATHER IS EVEN
WORSE. WE CAN SHOW BEYOND A DOUBT THAT GOD CANNOT BE CONTAINED,
THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN DESCRIBE GOD WITHOUT COMMITTING SOME KIND OF
ERROR. HE IS TRANSCENDENT, HE IS BEYOND WORDS OR CONCEPTS. AND WE
CAN REASON THAT GOD SHOWS A BIT OF HIMSELF IN EVERYTHING IN CREATION;
IF I KNOW ABOUT A BLADE OF GRASS, I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT GOD. GOD IS
IMMANENT, AND REVEALS HIMSELF IN HIS CREATION.
AND PERHAPS THAT IS THE
PARADOX OF CHRISTIANITY. HOW CAN WE BE ONE AND AT THE SAME TIME
MANY? A GREAT CATHOLIC THINKER ONCE SAID, “THE CHURCH INSISTS
THAT SHE HAS THE FULLNESS OF TRUTH; THAT SHE POSSESSES ALL THAT IS
NEEDED FOR SALVATION. IN SOME WAY EVERYONE WHO IS SAVED CAN ONLY BE
SAVED THROUGH A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHURCH, BECAUSE OUTSIDE THE
CHURCH THERE IS NO SALVATION. THE MUSLIM WHO GETS TO HEAVEN IS AN
ANONYMOUS CHRISTIAN. BUT WHEN WE MAKE THESE STATEMENTS, THERE IS AN
IMPLIED OPPOSITE; IF THE CHURCH HAS THE FULLNESS OF TRUTH, THEN OTHER
BODIES DON'T. IF THE CHURCH POSSESSES ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR
SALVATION, THEN OTHERS BODIES DON'T. BUT THAT IS NOT HOW GOD THINKS,
HOW GOD SEES THE WORLD. BECAUSE IN GOD THERE IS NO EITHER-OR; IN GOD
THERE IS ONLY BOTH-AND. GOD PULLS TOGETHER OPPOSITES, UNITES
INCOMPATIBLES, BRINGS LIFE OUT OF DEATH. GOD DOES NOT THINK LIKE WE
DO.
SO LOOK AROUND YOU.
WHERE DO YOU SEE CHRIST BEING ACTUALIZED, WHERE DO YOU SEE THE
TEACHINGS OF JESUS CARRIED OUT? CAN YOU HELP? IF SOMEONE IS FEEDING
THE HUNGRY, WE SHOULD BE THERE. IF SOMEONE IS CHANGING LIVES THROUGH
THE GOSPEL, WE SHOULD BE SUPPORTIVE.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE LIVE
IN PARADOX. WE INSIST THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING PRECIOUS, THAT OUR
FAITH IS BEAUTIFUL AND TRUE, AND HER TEACHINGS CANNOT BE COMPROMISED.
AND WE LOVINGLY OFFER WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO OUR BROTHERS AND
SISTERS IN CHRIST, OUR FELLOW CHILDREN OF GOD.
DO YOU REMEMBER ALICE IN
WONDERLAND? THERE IS A PASSAGE THERE WHERE ALICE SAYS, “I CAN'T
BELIEVE THAT!” AND THE RED QUEEN REPLIES, “I DARESAY YOU HAVEN'T
HAD MUCH PRACTICE. WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, I BELIEVED AS MANY AS SIX
IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST.”
IF WE THINK AS GOD
THINKS, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. AND WE CATHOLICS, WHO MAKE UP ABOUT
HALF OF ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD, HAVE TO TAKE THE LEAD IN
BRINGING ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL UNITY TO WHICH JESUS CALLED US. AND
THAT UNITY CONSISTS OF US ERASING THE LINES WHICH SEPARATE US, THE
WALLS WHICH KEEP US APART. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T WORK TOWARDS THIS
GOAL, JESUS WARNED US OF THE SCANDAL WE CAUSE, AND THE CONSEQUENCES
OF THAT SCANDAL. MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, HOW CAN YOU AND I PROMOTE
UNITY AMONG THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF JESUS CHRIST?
