Living the life of Grace
“What brings joy to the heart of God is when we are fully alive in Him, when we live the life of grace. Anything that prevents us from living fully the life of grace God wants us to eliminate from our lives.”
It seems to be a human trait to organize people in categories and place labels on them. We speak in categories of liberal and conservative, left and right. We formed closed or semi-closed circuits around our groupings. Sometimes we think that God operates according to our neatly define categories. But today’s first reading and Gospel suggests otherwise.
The first reading comes from the Book of Numbers. The Book of Numbers is a loose collection of accounts that focuses on Israel’s journey to the Promised Land. The Book includes several census lists. It also makes reference to several incidents about the trials Israel endured, clashes with various people the Israelites encountered on their way to Canaan. Immediately before today’s passage Moses had grown tired of Israel’s complaining. He laments to God about his own perceived ill treatment, pleading that he can no longer carry the burden of the entire people by himself. God turns and offers aid to Moses, instructing him to gather seventy elders around him at the meeting tent.
When Elad and Medad, two of the seventy who had been chosen but were not present at the meeting tent, yet also received a share of the divine spirit, Joshua objected. Whether it was jealousy or some other reason Joshua wanted to prohibit the men from prophesying. Moses tells Joshua not to restrict any sharing of God’s Spirit. He says to Joshua, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all.”
My friends, there is a spiritual lesson communicated in this incident. No one has a monopoly on God. No religious group has an exclusive claim on God. God’s grace works in many places.
A similar scenario plays out in the gospel. John complains about a man who was driving out demons in the name of our Lord. John was angry that someone outside of the circle was acting in our Lord’s name. Just last Sunday we heard the disciples arguing over who was the greatest among them. In today’s passage they seek to protect their turf. Our Lord responds by saying to his disciples “do not prevent him, for whoever is not against us is for us.”
Discerning who was and who was not a disciple was a serious problem for the early Church. For Matthew’s community ethical conduct was an important indicator. For John doctrinal confession was an indicator, for Paul, confessing Jesus as Lord and service of others was critical. But one thing they were all clear about is that labeling a person as not being in our circle, or not being one of us was no ground for excluding them as a follower of Christ. Our Lord goes on to offer some challenging words to his disciples about sin.
If there is one thing that God hates it is sin. God loves the sinner, God loves everything that he has created, because it reflects God in some way and is therefore good. But the one thing that God does not like is sin. And that is because sin separates us from God. It disconnects us from the source, does not allow us to live fully the way God intends. There is perhaps no passage in the Bible that emphatically captures God’s disdain for sin than today’s gospel. Listen to what our Lord says: “If your hand causes you to sin cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye cause you to sin, pluck it out.” These words are not to be taken literally but their spiritual implication is to be taken seriously. Our Lord focuses on three things; our hands, feet and eyes. The question for all of us to ponder; in the course of our lives what are we grasping at? What are we grasping for?
Many dioceses have a discernment day for young men and women contemplating a vocation in the Church. It is called Quo Vadis Day. Quo Vadis is a Latin phrase that means were are you going. My friends this is the great question the gospel asks each of us: Quo Vadis? One of the sad realities of life is that we sometimes choose paths that can take us away from God. My friends, Jesus is asking us to take a long hard look as to where we are heading.
The final image our Lord makes reference to is the eye. The spiritual life is meant to be a process of seeking and looking for the things of God. My friends if we have been looking in the wrong places, looking to the wrong things for life, joy and peace, then we are challenge to shift our gaze.
The strong language in the gospel is our Lord’s way of saying to us take the life of grace, the spiritual life seriously! Let nothing stand in the way of God’s offering of salvation.
The language of cutting off and plucking out is harsh. The reason why Jesus placed such stress on our being ruthless against sin is because, to quote St. Ireneaus, “The Glory of God is a human being fully alive.” What brings joy to the heart of God is when we are fully alive in Him, when we live the life of grace. Anything that prevents us from living fully the life of grace God wants us to eliminate from our lives.
My friends, living the life of grace does not leave us empty. Instead, it leads us to the One in whom we find joy, meaning and abundant life.
