The readings this Sunday have at least two messages for us. The first is a subtle yet important reminder about the power of the Holy Spirit. The people in both the first reading from the Book of Numbers and the Gospel selection from Mark claim the power of the Holy Spirit as limited to certain people "of their group". Moses and Jesus set them straight: the category of 'the select" is much, much wider! The predicament of a fine line, perhaps even a dotted one, seems to beset all of us when we believe what we know is true. Many times, intentionally or not, we, too, cross it and devalue the beliefs and good actions of those who do not share our "flavor" of faith or other commonality of ours whether it be gender, race, economic status or even physical place in the world. This kind of spiritual superiority complex may be common... but we know, down deep, it does not find favor with God. God includes all in His Plan for the Kingdom. There is much food for thought here as each of us considers how it might apply to specific incidents and people in our lives. The Holy Spirit graces many people, not just those we think should be counted among the blessed.
The second message concerns the wages of sin. How powerful are the words about scandalizing and leading the young astray! These Gospel words echo in my ears many times as I see then turn off certain TV shows or witness really bad adult behavior in front of children. We have all heard some "cute" remark from a child that seriously embarrassed the child's parent and then realized it really wasn't so cute at all but very, very sad. How we act does give others, both children and adults, an impression of us as followers of Jesus. That sobering thought, too, should encourage us to see if that impression is a positive or a negative one. How do we sin? What can we do, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, to change such actions, short of cutting off the offending part of our body? The act of reflection itself can help each of us be more authentic Christians and help us to grow closer to Jesus. All of that is well within the power of the Holy Spirit for all of us.
(Comments to Lanie at lanieleblanc@mindspring.com.)