There isn’t
really a good transition from plucking eyes out to anything else, so I won’t
try. But, I’m not going to start by
preaching about eye-plucking. I’m not
going to ignore that bit like it’s some kind of a dead letter, but let me start
somewhere else, and then we’ll get there.
Let’s start
with the fact that pretty much every news network in this country for the past
week has been giving us wall-to-wall Pope coverage. The joy he exudes has been contagious, but I
think what’s really captured people’s hearts is who he’s prayed with and who he’s
taken time to listen to. A few days ago
he gathered with leaders from 12 different religious traditions to pray at the
9/11 memorial. He frequently asks those
who gather to see him to pray for him, whatever their religious background. At one point on this trip, he even said that
for those who feel they can’t pray because they don’t believe in any god who
hears prayers, he asks for their good will.
I don’t think
he does that to be nice, or to give people warm fuzzies. Maybe I’m projecting here, because I don’t
normally go out of my way to give people warm fuzzies if I think something’s pointless,
but I do know how much I need prayer.
And Pope Francis does too. This is
the man who when asked “who is Pope Francis?” by a journalist replied without a
moment’s hesitation: “a sinner.” I’d
expand: a sinner being redeemed, a loved sinner, but a sinner still, a mortal,
fragile, finite, limited sinner… who needs prayer. And he asks for it from everyone, because we
believe that the Spirit can be active in everyone. Even in those who don’t quite know what they’re
doing, whose heads distrust the very notion of prayer, he asks them to get as close
as they can (with the benevolent thoughts) out of hope that God will count those
just the same. Because the most
surprising of people can be powerful sites of the Spirit’s action.
That’s what
ties together our first reading and the gospel.
In the first reading, Eldad and Medad didn’t show up to the proper spot
to receive the outpouring of the Spirit.
And the unnamed youth, and Moses’ most trusted confidant, Aaron, are
scandalized by this unauthorized prophecy.
But, Moses knows better. Moses
who has an intimate relationship with the creator of the universe knows that
God’s word knows no bounds and does not dare to shut out the voices that
challenge. God pours out his Spirit so
freely and so abundantly that any attempt we make to neatly delineate who’s in
and who’s out quickly collapses.
John the
apostle is even bolder than Aaron: rather than asking Jesus’ permission, he
comes to Jesus hoping for praise at how he shut down this unauthorized healer,
who’s using Jesus’ name without having joined the club via the official channel. John was one of Jesus’ closest disciples: he’s
seen Jesus’ raise the dead (which most haven’t at this stage) and he was at the
Transfiguration, but still he doesn’t get it.
He sees undocumented exorcist and scowls at the lack of authorization
rather than rejoicing in the exorcism.
There might be a tinge here of jealousy: we didn’t read this part at
Mass, but shortly before this episode, the apostles were sent out on ministry
without Jesus and came back to him to report about an exorcism they’d failed
at. Jesus told them, “this kind only
comes out with prayer.”
Jesus doesn’t
try to control or limit his power. In
fact, he’s probably rather glad, that it’s leaking out in these unexpected
ways. It makes you look at other people
differently, if you know that God could choose anyone as his mouth-piece as a
prophet, or anyone as the conduit of his power to liberate people from what
binds them. And God does ensure his word
is spoken, and God does ensure his people are freed. And who he does that through will never cease
to surprise us. And that very power to
surprise keeps us on our toes, heals us from our prejudices, frees us from our
desires to kick out the people we don’t feel belong.
Which brings me
back to eye-plucking part that I didn’t want to start with. It’s no accident that these two parts of next
to each other in the Gospel. The disciples
want to throw the misfit out. And Jesus
says, no. Stop looking at who else to
throw out, and look to yourself. Look at
what in yourself causes you to sin. Look
at what in yourself binds you, makes you less than free. That’s what we need to throw out. That’s what God will heal us from, quite possibly
in the way we least expect it.
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