Deacon Tom
writes
“Joyful
Hearts”
Both Moses and St. Luke give us
some insight about a serious sin that we all experience from time to time. It
is the sin of envy. We hear today how Moses responds to a complaint brought to
him by two of his tribesmen. What
bothered them was that several others of their group were prophesying even
though they had not been there when they received the “spirit. Moses sensed a
spirit of envy or jealousy was at work with those who lodged the complaint.
Instead of chastising the two who complained he, in turn, complained to them
saying, “Would that all the people of the
LORD were prophets! Would that the
LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"
In a similar way, the Apostles see
that someone not in their group is casting out demons and report that to Jesus.
Jesus wisely cautions his
disciples “Do not prevent him.” Jesus
knows that any good work done in His name will produce good fruit.
Very often our fragile human
nature shows itself in the ugliest of ways. In these two incidents from Sacred
Scripture we notice how one group of individuals is offended because others
appear to have gotten something that they did not deserve: in the first reading the Spirit came to
rest on the men who left camp and so were not present for the imposition of the
spirit; in the gospel a stranger was casting out demons without being an
Apostle. Envy is at work in both these events. Each time one group feels that
they have been cheated, perhaps, like someone else taking away some of the
privilege that was reserved for them alone. Do we really believe the Spirit is
that limited or range bound?
Our sequential, linear minds
constantly seek to put God in a box. We want to control God. We want Him to be
predictable and to be fair; fair, that is, as we perceive fair to be. But God
is above all our thinking and even above our wildest imagination. God’s ways
are simply beyond us and we need to grow into that realization.
God is at work all around us, in
all faiths, in all peoples, in all circumstances. God’s Spirit works in the
hearts of the faithful everywhere. God is the reality through which we live,
and move, and have our being. It is not jealousy that should fill our hearts,
but rather a deep sense of awe at the wonders God is unfolding
minute-by-minute, day-by-day all around us. Even in those who look, act,
believe, and worship differently than we do. And that should fill our hearts
with Joy.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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