Memory of the Saints and the Prophets

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Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people acquired by God
to proclaim his marvellous works.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Mark 9,38-40

John said to him, 'Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.' But Jesus said, 'You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in my name could soon afterwards speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

You will be holy,
because I am holy, thus says the Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

This Gospel passage sounds particularly pertinent in our present world where we see walls and barriers opposing peoples and nations be built again. The Gospel helps us to understand and recognize what is good and beautiful in the world and in the hearts of men and women. And the disciples should appreciate it. Anyone who works with charity is welcomed by the Lord, as is stated also in the Gospel of Matthew 25 about the universal judgment. Jesus links salvation to the offer of a simple glass of water to the thirsty. This means that charity is the way to salvation for all, even for non-believers. The apostle Paul follows the same line of thought when he writes, "Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, ....in that I rejoice" (Phil 1:18). This openness and availability do not mean at all underselling Christianity, endorsing an attitude of indifference and even less giving up one's own identity. The Word of God is demanding and calls all to conversion, but it is also deeply sympathetic with the good that may sprout in every human being. In a world like ours, in which people race to differentiate from others, thinking that we are better and despising our neighbours, Jesus' teaching is particularly meaningful and countercultural. Starting from the strength of our Christian faith and identity the Gospel makes us able to discern and appreciate the good that people do, so that it may be supported and contribute to a better world.