THE VIRTUE OF TOLERANCE 'He who is not against us is for us'
First Reading: Numbers 11: 25-29
Second Reading: James 5:1-6
Gospel Reading: Mark 9: 38-43, 45 and 47-48
*First reading is from the book of Numbers. The Lord God's Spirit descended on seventy elders of Israel and they were empowered to prophecy. However two men who were not in that group - Elad and Medad - too received the gift and they too were able to prophesy. Joshua who was ministering to Moses was upset and he wanted Moses to forbid these two men from prophesying. But Moses told Joshua that it is not right to be jealous of God's gifts. He took a more positive approach that 'if only all the Lord's people were prophets that the Lord God would put His Spirit upon them.'
*Second reading is from the letter of St. James. The Apostle warns us that our ill-gotten wealth gained by oppressing labourers and harvesters will be an evidence against us before the Lord. He further adds that everyone who lives in luxury and pleasure will be answerable if they do not share their wealth with the poor and the needy.
Respecting people of various religious traditions Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mark. The theme is tolerance as explained by Jesus. John, one of the twelve Apostles, told Jesus about a man who was casting our demons in the name of Jesus and that he had forbidden this man because he was not a follower of Jesus. After listening to John, Jesus expressed His disapproval about John's action. He corrected him and told him, "He who is not against us is with us." Hence Jesus took a more positive and tolerant view that instead of discouraging that person, he should be encouraged. We have a very important lesson from this incident. We should appreciate and encourage all those who do good in the world around us, no matter whether they belong to our community/ ethnic group or belong to different faiths. We should be open to the Spirit of God and recognize the work of God through them. In the second part of today's Gospel Jesus warns us that anyone who leads the little ones to sin will be severely punished. Crimes against children are on the rise. Jesus further adds that even if an essential organ of our body like the eye or the hand is a cause of sin, we should not hesitate to get rid of it rather than face eternal damnation.
"On our part there must be no pride or arrogance, no contempt or lack of reverence for people of different beliefs." II Vatican Council
"The love of one's country is a natural thing. But why should we stop at the border?" - Anon
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