Roman Catholic Womenpriests : Homily by Roberta Meehan, RCWP

Roberta Meehan, RCWP

Homily for the 26th Sunday Cycle B – 27 September 2009

Numbers 11:25-29
Psalms 19:8, 10, 12-14
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 47-48

Today’s readings have a wonderful sense of unity to them! They also give us a wonderful sense of separation from the frivolous and a sense of total adherence to the essentials of who and what we are as Christians (or even just as God-people or human bei ngs). The frivolous? Yes, watch and see.

In Numbers we hear about the Spirit coming down on some people who were all gathered together. These people received the gift of prophecy and were then prophesying under Moses. But, the Spirit was not limited by the physical location of those gathered and the Spirit also imbued two other people with this gift. They also began prophesying. Joshua began whining to Moses (the Boss), telling Moses to make the others stop! After all, these OTHER prophets had not fulfilled the rubrics of the time.

(Keep in mind that prophesying does not mean “fortune telling” and today prophesying is what we would generally classify as “insightful preaching.”)

Nevertheless, what does this story of Joshua and Moses remind you of? I think it sounds like someone is trying to tell God what to do, don’t you? It always amazes me when people dictate what God can and cannot do. Joshua was essentially saying, “God, you can’t possibly have given your gift to those persons because those persons weren’t in the right place at the right time according to MY rules.” Have you ever heard any modern variations of this script? Of course! We all have! And most of us have probably worked from this very premise on occasion. It is human nature – but we can go one step beyond.

Moses,=2 0being a very wise leader (most of the time), quickly put a stop to Joshua’s complaining by declaring his wish that EVERYONE would be bestowed with the gift of prophecy! Moses definitely did not try to limit God.

Meanwhile, the first line of the Psalm today tells us that the Law of the Lord is perfect. Now we are beginning to see the problem. The Law of the Lord is perfect and some people are prophesying without the permission of the leadership. But, the leadership recognizes the validity of other prophesying – or that the Lord could possibly have given the gift without the leadership’s approval and/or permission.

But, what is the Law of the Lord – the Law that is perfect in every way?

Take a look at that reading from James. James is reprimanding the rich. He is particularly upset with the tendency of certain people to withhold wages from the workers, and to ignore the cries of the harvesters, and to condemn, and to even put to death the righteous one.

At first the reading from James does not seem to fit with the reading from Numbers – or the reading from Mark, which we will look at in just a moment. But, think about it! It does fit! The Psalm tells us the Law of the Lord is perfect. And what is the Law of the Lord? What was their Lord? Not God, that’s for sure! And, what were they telling20God? They were saying (or doing) the same thing as Joshua – only they were using different words. They were telling God that they knew the right answers, that they knew how to do it, that they did not have to listen to the true Law of the Lord – the Law that was/is perfect in every way. Withholding money, ignoring cries, condemning, etc., etc. – all of these things were the right way – even though the Law of the Lord was something different!

And finally we come to Mark. In this passage from Mark we find numerous verses that can be used in or out of context and all of them are extremely powerful. But, let us look instead at a picture of one of the unifying messages of this gospel. The passage begins with, “John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.’"

What does that sound like to you? To me it sounds like a “My god is better than your god” spitting contest!

Now picture Jesus looking with love (and probably a bit of exasperation!) at the disciples and saying, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, a men, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”

Do we get so bound up in legalities (our own human legalities) that we forget the one God-legality? Do we forget the Law of the Lord that is perfect in every way?

Are our churches so bound up in the letter of the law that they forget the spirit of the law? Do our churches forget that the Spirit transcended regulations in the time of Moses and Joshua? Do our churches forget that Jesus transcended regulations? Do we become so entwined with the minutiae of the law – the strict letter of the law – that we forget the law that is perfect in every way? In the opening we heard the word “frivolous” and now it is time to ask if our adherence to the letter of the law might be frivolous in the eternal domain.

Jesus tells us right here that everyone might not be following the official rules exactly – but that does not mean that those people are not madly in love with Him and are not working in His name. Read it again! No one can perform a mighty deed in Jesus’ name and still speak ill of Him. No one can give a cup of water in Christ’s name and loose his reward.

Jesus told us what the only law is – the law of Love. And we wonder about the law of Love??? Where does that come in???

Oh, that is the Law of the Lord, the Law that is perfect in every way! That is the Law that says that the Spirit will give gifts at will – and not at our will but at God’s will! That is the Law that says that we must treat others with justice and fairness because that is the ultimate Law. That is the Law that says that it matters not whether the person has duly followed all of the human rituals and regulations. That is the Law that is perfect in every way. Love God above all things and love your neighbor as yourself. In that are fulfilled all of the Law and the Prophets – even the modern prophets!

-- Roberta M Meehan