Sometimes we get carried away with a person’s status (or lack of status) when deciding if we support that person or not. Other times, we might set the bar so high for others that we are unable to appreciate their best efforts because those efforts do not meet our expectations. It seems to me that someone who puts in the time and effort and who achieves good results should be commended regardless of his or her status and even if those results were not perfect.
In this weekend’s readings from the Book of Numbers and from Mark’s Gospel, we are told about individuals who were doing excellent work on behalf of Moses and Jesus. Yet, in the case of Moses, the two men were criticized because they had “missed the meeting” at which prophesy credentials were handed out. In the case of Jesus, some men showed great faith in Jesus by performing mighty deeds in His name, but they had not officially signed on as followers of Jesus. In both cases the followers of Moses and Jesus wanted these “imposters” to stop their work. In both cases, Moses and Jesus said, “No. Let them continue to do the good work that they are doing.”
Why would we ever want to stop someone from doing good work? I sometimes encounter folks who carefully scrutinize what goes on at the parish and within the Church as a whole. They are quick to point out rules and to disqualify those who are acting with good intentions, but who fail to meet their standards of perfection. They criticize the hierarchy of the Church, the priests of the Church, and their fellow lay people. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters religious leaders who have this level of intolerance. He demonstrates little patience for this approach.
In a homily about this passage from Mark’s Gospel, Pope Francis said, “The disciples were a little intolerant.” They proudly relied on the fact that they possessed the truth and they were convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good…This was wrong…Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis went on to say that, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation…We must meet one another doing good.” Let’s approach one another with open minds and pure hearts.
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