A Catholic boy and an Islamic boy were talking and the Catholic boy said, "My priest knows more than your Allah." The Islamic boy said, "Of course he does, you tell him everything."
I think it’s a good thing when two little boys can tease each other good -naturedly about their religions. In our increasingly pluralistic culture we’re seeing more dialogue and understanding between different faiths. Within our own geographical area we’re seeing more folks move in of different nationalities and languages.
I think that, on the whole, we benefit from such diversity. We can learn from different cultures, and exposing ourselves to different points of view can help us learn not only about others, but can also expose our own prejudices and presuppositions.
For if we're truly being honest, we must admit that much of the time we struggle to be truly inclusive. As a nation, still not enough attention is spent on reconciliation between settler and indigenous peoples. It’s good for us to wear orange and to work at understanding how colonialism exploits so many – but on this National Truth & Reconciliation Day, we know we still have far to go.
Governments, including our own, has utilized fear time and again as a tactic to convince us to fight more wars and close our borders. We spread fear of Islam to justify our resistance to welcoming refugees desperate for help. We make snap judgments about people based on their occupation, marital status, sexuality and ethnicity. We even spend vast amounts of energy in the church arguing over doctrine, worship preferences, and most often feel great angst when it might seem that OUR needs/opinions aren't being prioritized.
Today we are confronted with a challenging reading from the gospel of Mark (9:38-50). It begins with St. John telling Jesus about the disciples' efforts to prevent an individual from performing exorcisms on the basis of him 'not following us.’ (Interesting that earlier in the gospel the disciples lament their inability to perform such miracles). There certainly seems a whiny tone to their complaint – they are none to pleased that someone from outside their little circle is performing miracles. Perhaps they were worried about someone stealing their thunder – as if their mission might somehow be co-opted by others. Perhaps they were worried about losing their place and influence to the newest/hottest trend.
In any event, Jesus offers a corrective to his tiny band of followers, pointing out that, "Whoever is not against us is for us." If someone is doing a deed of power in his name, then he isn’t likely to start turning on Jesus later on. He’s trying to help his disciples to understand that they didn’t have the patent on the supernatural, nor were they able to dictate who belonged to Jesus. Their Lord was always trying to expand the circle and draw others into the community of faith. But, like most of us, the disciples weren’t really all that keen at sharing their privileged place with others.
Jesus then goes on to warn those (possibly the disciples) who would place a 'stumbling block' on the 'little ones': his new little flock of disciples. I’ve often had difficulty with the rest of the passage – it seems like Jesus is giving license to extreme asceticism and self-mutilation. But if we read it in context of the first part of our reading, I think we might see it as a reminder that we must let go of parts of ourselves to, ironically, become whole. "He who loses his life, will save it," Jesus says elsewhere. Better to lose those parts of ourselves that impede us from being most authentically human: the way God intends us to be. What do we need to let go of: self-interest, arrogance, fear, ego?
I’ve often spoken of how spiritual writer Henri Nouwen was impacted by his time at l’Arche – the community north of Toronto where he and other volunteers commit to living and serving alongside severely disabled people. It was there, amongst many without use of limbs, that Nouwen truly felt most whole. He felt he received more from those he served than what he was able to give and that he finally found the peace and fulfillment that had always alluded him in his academic career.
Have you ever had an experience like that, where you’ve given up something (time, money, preference) for someone and actually found yourself happier and more fulfilled? Can you think of concrete examples of how putting others needs first actually resulted in you having deeper needs met? I’m sure we can all think of examples, perhaps in parenting, or assisting a co-worker, or even seeking to make others comfortable at church by not mentioning that they’re sitting in ‘your’ pew or insisting that things go your way.
It’s hard for us to live like this consistently – we live in a society that praises those who pursue their dreams at all cost. Workplaces often don’t consider the demands they put on employees that have significant costs to family. Businesses treat us like soul-less consumers, and governments make decisions based more on self-interest than on the needs or desires of the people they are to serve. As disciples of Christ, we must listen to Christ’s urgings not to lose our distinctiveness.
Jesus warns his friends (and us): Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
He is urging them: “not to succumb to the pressures to adopt the standards and ethos of the dominant social structure. If the saltiness is gone, then so is the salt’s capacity to season. Only in maintaining their uniqueness as followers of the suffering Son of Man will the disciples be able to influence the surrounding culture. It is by no means an easy assignment, either for the original disciples or for later ones, but it is precisely what the elect are elected for—not privilege, but service.”
What would happen if we spread Christ's message of inclusivity and consistently put the needs of others ahead of our own? Wouldn't the church be changed? Wouldn’t we be seen as those practicing what we preach, instead of hypocrites that can’t seem to ever get along? What would it do to our political landscape if Christians across this land stood up for the rights of others and demanded our politicians do the same? And what would our neighbourhoods like look, if we all took the time to notice what was going on in the lives of those around us? Wouldn’t it make for a better place, a people more in line with the pattern of Christ’s life and admonition?
Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.
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