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.” Jesus replied, “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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I wonder why the disciples tried preventing a person from doing good work. Casting a demon out of a someone is an act of charity!
The disciples should’ve rejoiced that a stranger had access to Christ’s power. It was a sign that the kingdom was growing!
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Maybe they were afraid of sharing their authority – of losing their power.
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Fortunately, Jesus is not. “Whoever is not against us is for us,” he says.
Jesus intends to widen his circle of followers until it includes everyone. All Christians have access to him – and we are called to do good deeds in his name.
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Our community is designed accordingly. While I may be the “pastor,” each of us is called to share in the yoke of Christ’s ministry.
Many of you, for example, are involved in parish ministries: the Knights of Columbus, the Soup Kitchen, Welcome and Hospitality, and so on.
Others serve on staff.
Still others bring communion to the sick, wash the linens for Mass, care for an ill spouse, pray for our church, or keep a close eye on the SPX café, making sure the pots are filled and the coffee is stocked.
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Like the anonymous Christian in today’s Gospel, how do I build up the kingdom of God?
Or what’s one good work I can do in Christ’s name today?
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Image credits: (1) Bridges for Peace (2) Buckhannon Alliance Church (3) Doing Good Works, Wholeness/Oneness/Justice
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose Peter to be the rock of the Church?
Why not John, the Beloved Disciple?
John stood faithfully at the Cross while Peter was somewhere else cowering in fear.
Why not Mary Magdalene, whose devotion to Jesus was undeniable?
She was the first person to approach the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, and the first to see the Risen Lord.
Why not John or Mary? Why Peter?
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Peter was embarrassingly human – a man filled with courage, and at times, cowardice.
He was the first disciple to profess his faith in Jesus, saying rightly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”
Then three times he denied ever knowing him.
Peter walked trustingly towards Jesus on the stormy Sea of Galilee – but quickly sank in fear.
Jesus names him the “rock” in today’s Gospel, but later rebukes him, calling him “Satan.”
More than any other disciple, Peter experienced both success and failure.
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Maybe that’s why he was chosen.
Peter could be any one of us. He wasn’t perfect, but he loved the Lord and knew he was saved.
He reminds us that some days we succeed, and other days we fail. But God’s love and plans for us never change.
The invitation is always there: “Come, follow me.”
Saint Peter, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) Saint Peter, Peter Paul Rubens (2) The Delivery of the Keys to St. Peter, Perugino (3) Zion Lutheran Church
As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s a saying among priests, “You either say the Mass… or pray the Mass.”
I’m sure all of you have seen the difference. Sometimes Catholics leave church feeling exhausted. Maybe the sermon was out of touch, accusatory, or flat. Maybe the priest rushed through the prayers.
Other times, we leave feeling inspired or comforted.
At least part of the difference lies in that distinction – whether we “say” the Mass or “pray” the Mass.
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At the moment of ordination, every priest is given the same unique, divine gift: the opportunity to act in the name of Christ – to forgive sins, to celebrate Eucharist, to baptize, bless, and bury.
But these gifts only remain attractive, and in a human sense, “effective,” when the priest stays close to the source of his ministry: Jesus Christ.
In other words, he must pray.
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We see the difference this makes in today’s Gospel.
The disciples have just returned from healing the sick and casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Yet now they’re confronted with a boy who suffers from an unclean spirit and they cannot cast it out.
“Why?” they ask Jesus.
“This kind can only come out through prayer.”
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Herein lies a lesson for all of us: God has given each of us unique gifts and talents.
While they may be exercised to some degree of success on our own, they are set on fire – in a holy sense – when we give them back to God.
Spend a moment in prayer today. Allow the Spirit to ignite all that is good in you. Just like “saying” the Mass versus “praying” the Mass, you will notice the difference.
