Twenty-sixth Sunday

Twenty-sixth Sunday
October 1, 2006

"Would that all God's people were prophets. Would that God might bestow his spirit on them all." (Numbers 11: 25-29). "Your wealth has rotted away... your gold and silver have corroded" (James 5:1-6). "There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me..." (Mark 9: 38-48)

The first reading recounts an event in the life of our ancestors in the faith, as they wandered in the desert guided by the presence of Yahweh. Seventy elders are chosen, and anointed with the same divine spirit which had been given to Moses. Two of them had not been there for the actual anointing, so the others claim that they have no right to speak in Yahweh's name because of this technicality. Moses corrects Joshua's mistake. The same sentiment is echoed in the gospel when Jesus cautions John not to judge those who are doing good, using Jesus name, but are not officially one of his disciples.

The Spirit of God apparently cares little for our credentials when it comes to speaking words of truth and performing good deeds. Neither Moses nor Jesus were impressed with claims of formal authority. Jesus often cautioned his disciples about being too exclusive with who should be included in the Kingdom of God. Religious traditions often begin with individual charismatic authority and only later create formalized rules, roles and rituals. It is difficult for us to keep both going at the same time. Formal designation to a prophetic role does not guarantee authentically spiritual life or words. Nor does every self-appointed prophet speak the truth.

We need more people, not fewer, living prophetic lives regardless of their affiliations. "Whoever is not against us is for us." We have been inclined over the centuries to think that we have some exclusive right to the possession of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and the right to speak the truth. How can we possibly afford to continue with this illusion that we possess all spiritual correctness? We have a great treasure in the tradition of faith and ministry going back to the apostles. But it is not exclusively our possession. Our theological tradition in the Constitution on the Church is clear on this matter. All of us who are actively seeking God, the spirit of truth and goodness, are "linked to the Church" whether or not we call ourselves Christians, or are officially within the Church.

St. James and Jesus both are clear on a second point, again this week. The rightful heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven are the "little ones", the poorest, the weakest, the least respected. If we do not stand with them, we persecute the body of Christ, the Church. How long can we support public policies which exploit the poor, dispossessed, and the earth and its resources to preserve our affluent lifestyle before we face the day of reckoning?