DO NOT STIFLE GOD’S/GOOD WORK
Numbers 11:25-29; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
Some years ago, during Cricket Australia’s tour of India, Matthew Hayden was to return home after the test series.
But he performed brilliantly in the tests, and the selectors added him to the ODI squad. Some argued that he shouldn’t have been included because he wasn’t in the original ODI squad. But that didn’t matter for Cricket Australia. What mattered was that Hayden was a good player in good form. They didn’t stifle Hayden, and it paid off.
This event happened some years ago, but it gives a sound principle to build the team for God’s Kingdom. It shouldn’t matter whether one was part of the original team or not. All that matters: how good is a person and is God’s Spirit in him/her?
The liturgy invites to recognize that God’s Spirit works in all people of good will, and to co-operate with it.
In the First Reading, Joshua asks Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying because they were not part of the “in-group”. In the Gospel, the Jesus’ disciples stop a man driving out demons in his name because he was not one of them.
Moses’ and Jesus’ responses are instructive! Moses tells Joshua: “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets!” Jesus tells John: “Do not forbid him… for he that is not against us is for us.” Jesus challenges the disciples’ tendency to feel that they are the sole owners of his message.
Moses and Jesus taught their followers to recognize the work of God inside and outside the immediate community. Kingdom work is not reserved to a few chosen ones; it is for all people of good will.
This does not mean that we should apologize for our beliefs and water down our faith. Moses did not tell Joshua to leave the tent and join up with Eldad and Medad, nor did Jesus tell his disciples to follow the man driving demons out in his name.
But to refuse to recognize that people of other faiths are doing the work of God or to stop them is denying the presence of the Spirit working in these people.
The world is saturated with the Spirit of God.
Do I look at the church as an exclusive club? Can I open my eyes to the good that others do, recognize God’s spirit working in them, and co-operate with them?
May I cooperate with (and not stifle) the Spirit and every person doing God’s work and good work. May I believe that there is place for every person of goodwill in “God’s Squad”!
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