Mark 9:38-40

James 4:13-17

Psalm 49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

Mark 9:38-40

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my mind to know what I can do better, what I am doing wrong, and what I am failing to do. I choose to be on your side today, to imitate your Son, and to be guided by your Holy Spirit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Salvation Comes to Us Through Christ: God’s will for us is salvation and holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3). God’s will is that Jesus Christ, his only Son, would redeem us after the fall of Adam and Eve from grace and into sin. Jesus Christ is for us the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through him. This truth is recalled in the Gospel. Someone, who was not a follower of Jesus, was able to cast out demons by invoking and using Jesus’ name. This episode reminds us that all salvation comes through Jesus and his Church. Even though there are men and women outside the visible confines of the Church, they are directed and ordered to the Church, the Body of Christ. Every element of religious truth and holiness, found outside the visible Church, belongs in some mysterious way to Jesus Christ, who is the Truth. Jesus is the perfect Image of the Father, the Word of the Father, and the Son of the Father. All human beings are called to share in that image, in that knowledge, and in that sonship.

2. God is in Charge: In the First Reading, James invites us in his letter to reflect on our lives and understand that God is fully in charge. The rule and measure of our lives is not our will, but God’s will and divine plan. Despite our efforts, we really do not know what our lives will be like tomorrow. And if we look at the whole of our lives – 70, 80, 90 years – in the light of eternity then James’ teaching rings true: “You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.” By recognizing that God watches over us and will guide us to salvation if we are humble, we see how foolish it is to trust in something other than God. The Psalmist sings that “the wicked trust in their wealth; the abundance of their riches is their boast.” However, they, like all men, will pass away and their wealth will not accompany them to the grave. The Psalmist also notes that man is incapable of redeeming himself. The price of redemption is too high. This truth opens up to the marvelous event of the incarnation: Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is able to pay the price and does, in fact, redeem all men. Jesus Christ himself was innocent and had no need of redemption; but as the innocent Lamb of God, he takes upon himself the filth of our sin.

3. Two Types of Sin: In his Letter, James mentions two types of sins. The first is that of pride, of boasting in arrogance, of choosing not to live according to God’s will. The second type of sin is more subtle: these are sins of omission. Sometimes we know what is right, yet we choose to do evil, committing venial or mortal sin. Other times we know what is right and we choose not to act, we do not do what is right, and commit sins of omission. At the beginning of Mass, we ask God for forgiveness both for the sins that we have committed and for what we have failed to do (sins of omission). The recognition of our sins of omission, should not lead us to scrupulousness or to despair. We know that we cannot redeem ourselves; for apart from Jesus we can do nothing. The recognition of sin is always an opportunity to implore God's mercy and entrust ourselves more fully to him.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my savior. I cannot save myself no matter how hard I try. I need you. I cannot do anything meritorious without you. Show me how to work with you and your grace today so that I may come to enjoy eternal life with you and the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Living the Word of God: Do I truly act like God is in charge of my life and human history? Do I realize that God knows everything and guides all things? Where are the places of resistance to God’s will in my life? Where am I flourishing as an adopted child of God?