All Good Comes From God The Father
Saturday 25th September 2021
(Mark 9.38-43, 45, 47-48): The apostles witnessed an outsider casting out demons in the name of Jesus. They were resentful and jealous and felt threatened because the outsider was doing their work and was not part of their group. He had no right to be using the name of the saviour. John made a complaint in the hope of having this unlicensed preacher silenced. But Jesus refused to stop the man from doing good work in His name. Jesus made it clear that all good comes from God the Father and that doing charitable work was not the exclusive right of His followers. His spirit is at work beyond the confines of established religion.
We can also have this type of thinking if we have the misguided view that only the church can contain truth and only its members can perform spiritual works. It is a temptation we all have. We are inclined to turn the church on herself and deny that great works can be achieved outside her influence. We forget that an action can be good and godly without being performed by a Christian. Goodness in the world comes from God. Even within the church there is the temptation to form our select groupings, to promote the club mentality which is basically about being in and keeping other people out. We have all witnessed unhealthy rivalry. It seems groups are very worthwhile but sometimes tactics are feel edifying, giving the impression that goodness is a closed shop in their name and not in the name of Christ.
The gospel tells us that any person of goodwill doing their best to follow Christ’s footsteps, graces the world. Every good work contributes towards the battle against evil. Remember that God's action is not limited to any class of people. He may be sending His message to us in the most unexpected of ways. Goodness is where we find it.
Stay safe and well!
God bless you all.
Fr. Arsenio