26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 30th September 2018)
He is the Truth – (Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)
Something in the Gospel for today’s Mass reminded me of something that we find in a statement from the Second Vatican Council. In its document on the mystery of the Church called ‘Lumen Gentium’ or ‘Light of the Nations’, we read something very interesting. The Council Fathers tells us that many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of the visible structure of the Catholic Church. Now they immediately go onto say that these elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward Catholic unity.
It seems to me that this is exactly what we see in this Sunday’s gospel, specifically in the episode involving the exorcist who is not following Jesus and His disciples. There are a few things that I think we should notice here. It is important to notice that this other exorcist is successful. We do not know why but it is not something that we can take for granted. I say that because there is another time in scripture when someone who is not a follower of Jesus tries just this sort of thing. In Chapter 19 of the Acts of the Apostles, we read about seven Jewish exorcists who attempt to drive out a demon in the names of Jesus and Paul. And the demons’ response is absolutely chilling. He says, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?’. The demon then beats up the would-be exorcists and drives them out of the house. So the fact then that the exorcist in today’s Gospel is successful, tells us that he is not just using Jesus as a name of power for his own purposes. And maybe there is some good will here that might indicate some openness to truly becoming a follower of Jesus. Jesus’ subsequent comments to the disciples seem to back this up. He says, ‘…no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us’. Also note here that Jesus does divide the world into exactly two camps – those who are for us and those who are against us. And the decisive point is His very person because ultimately the question that faces all of us is the very same one that Jesus had asked not long before the episode in Mark chapter 8, ‘Who do you say that I am?’.
So what is the takeaway point for us? Look, Jesus did not come so that we could have part of the truth or even most of the truth. He came because He IS the truth and He wants to give Himself to us in His fullness. But at the same time, and precisely because He is the truth, we need to be careful in our evangelism to respect and cherish those elements of sanctification and of truth and that are found among those who do not yet follow Jesus with us in the fullness of His Church. We can trust that the Holy Spirit will use those elements, maybe even through our witness if we are faithful, to draw them too deeper into the fullness of the truth.