First Reading
Numbers 11:25-29
The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, the Lord bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; yet the spirit came to rest on them also, and they prophesied in the camp. So, when a young man quickly told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, ” Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” But Moses answered him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!”
Second Reading
James 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.
Gospel Cycle Cycle B
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
At that time, John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'”
Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all! — this quote from the first reading today is such a wonderful statement of Moses. It speak directly to the understanding that Jesus has in the New Testament. The Book of Numbers can sometimes seem irrelevant for today and then we find such a wonderful statement as this!
Even today we can find ourselves a bit nervous when someone unexpectedly speaks with a clear spirit of love and forgiveness and acceptance. We need to listen profoundly, to open our heart and our minds, to listen with God’s own love. Such openness and listening in no way rejects the teachings of our Church nor does it endanger in any way the authority of our Church.
Rather. Listening with the Lord increases the credibility of the Church. In our own time we have had incredibly holy Popes in Rome who have made the Church believable once again by their love and openness. We need to do that in our local Churches so that we too participate in this testimony of God’s love for all peoples.
The Letter of James today expresses the complete opposite experience: what happens when we are concerned only about ourselves, our power, our possessions and our authority. Our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be recognized in such lack of love for others.
Perhaps today we can view ourselves as we look to others. Do we look uneasy when people speak about God? Are we ourselves willing to speak about God and His actions in our lives? Are we able to be self-critical and see our own mistakes and failures? Are we able to rejoice when we see others doing the work of God with joy—even when those people may not be part of our Church?
God wants to pour out His Spirit on all of us. Are we open to being transformed by His Spirit? Are we will to become fools for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
This Sunday, we are invited to open our lives completely to the Lord. It does not matter what our past is: whether we have been pious or liked piety. It does not matter if we have tried to do good or have been less than good. Always the Lord continues to invite us. As long as we are alive, we can respond to His call. May His Spirit be poured upon us.