Yet unfortunately this kind of attribute is something we’re all too familiar with. It happens wherever human beings gather, and our parishes and church organisations are not immune from it – in fact, sadly they can be worse!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals and exposes the dangers of exclusivity even among his followers. The disciples have come across someone performing exorcisms in Jesus’ name. Because they don’t recognise him as one of their number, they seek to prevent him. Jesus’ response mirrors that of Moses when dealing with Eldad and Medad, two ‘unregistered’ prophets: in the face of the prejudice shown against the outsider, Jesus’ attitude is of tolerance and acceptance. ‘Do not forbid him…He that is not against us is for us.’ The Spirit is not the preserve of any one person or group, but ‘blows where he wills. God is free to act as, when, where and in whom he wills – he isn’t bound to act only through ‘official channels.’
We too must be open to receive from unexpected sources. The Church must be open to receive from those outside. We may be irritated by the disciples’ narrowness of outlook but should stop before we become too critical. How much of them do we recognise in ourselves? All they could see was that the man was an outsider, ‘not one of us.’ He was not of their tribe, their family, their little group and they were quick to write him off.
But how do we respond to outsiders in our society? How do we react to refugees, asylum seekers? What do we think of those whose faith is different from our own? How do we relate to members of other Churches or parishes or organisations? The disciples’ failure has deep roots which we all share; it’s a failure in faith, a failure to see and acknowledge the power and the freedom of God’s Spirit. The Spirit works wherever he wills. We need to look at how we welcome those on the outside. How eager are we to open ourselves to them?
