Tlwenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Whoever is not against us is for us” (Mk. 9:40). When I was growing up we got that scriptural verse backward. “Whoever is not with us is against us.” The world we live in is extremely complex. If we continue to put up barriers between “us” and “them” demanding uniformity of expression, we will never attain unity of mind and heart. As we progress in our faith walk, we keep looking for guideposts pointing us in the right direction. We have lost our ability to dialogue because we have turned every exchange into a debate. Yes, we need to be discerning. We must test the Spirit but we should never stifle it.

As he did in times past, God continues to speak to us in various ways (CF. Heb. 1:1). He uses instruments of different shapes and sizes. It is the breath of the Spirit that produces the sound. Our task is to open our hearts to all that God has to say to us. There is only one God who is the maker and sustainer of the universe. He made us, one and all, in his image and likeness. He breathed His life-creating Spirit into us and placed in us a longing to be in communion with him. Each human being responds to that longing in different ways. The ultimate goal is to find Him for whom we long (CF. Acts 17:27).  In the process, we grope in the darkness, plodding along trying to find the source of the sound that calls to us. We have to keep paying attention and responding to the familiar voice calling our name (CF. Deut. 6:4).

As fellow pilgrims, we need to support one another throughout our journey and share the word we have heard. The message is meant to be shared. We all know the Christmas carol, Do You Hear What I Hear? It tells the story of how the gospel of salvation spread through the land. It starts with a question: Do you hear what I hear? God has something to tell us. It came as a gentle night wind speaking to a little lamb. The lamb innocently spoke it to the shepherd. The shepherd bravely repeated it to the king. Finally, the king heralded it to the nations. The message was echoed over all the earth because each step along the way, someone was willing to share what he had heard. We can be enlightened and enriched by listening to one another’s testimony.

Our world is saturated with negativity and cynicism. It needs to hear the message of peace and reconciliation. God has planted the seed of this message in every human heart. That seed needs to be nurtured and allowed to bear fruit. As the seed puts forth roots our knowledge grows and our consciousness deepens. The prophet Isaiah reminded us that this process springs from God’s desire for the human race. “I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me. I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said ‘Here I am, Here I am’ to a nation that did not call on my name” (Is. 65:1). Our knowledge of God is expanded as people share the testify to the wonder they have encountered.

Pope Francis said: “Let us get used to listening to each other, to talking, not cutting someone’s head off for a word. We need to listen and discuss in a mature way.” After reading about the wars and the violence in the world, I am convinced that we have a lot of growing up to do. We need not be afraid because there is a remedy to all this pain and suffering. We have only to open our eyes and see the person in front of us as a brother or sister in the Lord. We need to put down our weapons and open our arms to embrace one another in peace. We need to open the ears of our minds and hearts to hear what God is saying to us through the heart of our neighbor. God is always ready to make all things new, but we have to get out of His way.

We cannot make the journey alone, we need one another. These are challenging times. We need to build bridges, not construct walls. We need to foster heart-to-heart conversations, not close-minded debates. We need to discover the path to peace and reconciliation, not retribution and revenge. We need to look each other in the eye and listen to what they have to say. It is only then that we will be able to hear what the Spirit is saying. Everything will change once we begin to have genuine encounters with God and with one another.

Lord, fill our hearts with your love. Open our hearts to love the way you love. Help us to accept people who are different from us, whom we find difficult, and who have hurt us. Give us wisdom so that we might be critical thinkers and authentic discerners of the truth. Make us beacons of unity and hope and instruments of peace. Open our eyes to see your Spirit at work in the events of our lives. Expand our hearts and make them your dwelling. Give us the courage to walk arm-in-arms with one another along the path that will lead us to our heavenly homeland. Keep us united to You and one another.