26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B
WELCOMING SPIRIT
We live in a world divided and
further subdivided. Just as technology brings the world together in reading the
same news, watching the same films, connecting on the same apps, so also
hardened divisions emerge today among people.
Forces in society and in
government divide the people between colors – the red or the yellow supporters;
camps – the populists or elitists leaders; classifications – the welcome or
unwelcome foreign immigrants, and others. Even in more intimate settings as the
church, neighborhood, schools, or families, there are strong tendencies to separate,
reject and isolate.
The Spirit of God does not mark
boundaries. In the Old Testament, the Spirit descended on people who were not
even expected to receive him. In the gospel, the Lord refuses to join his
disciples in drawing lines of demarcation that would create alienation from
others unfamiliar to the group. “Whoever is not against us is for us.”
It is this attitude of Jesus that
we should pray to learn, imbibe and express in our dealings with people around us.
Instead of dividing, do we make efforts to integrate and reconcile people? In place
of condemnation, do we exercise understanding and compassion? Rather than judging
what we do not know, do we attempt to discover the surprising ways of the
Spirit who works beyond the visible boundaries of our church, community, or
family?
The Lord Jesus knows the power of
unity and harmony. When people come together in one heart and mind, then the work
of conversion begins. We can now start eliminating evil in ourselves and in the
world. We can support one another in resisting temptations and in avoiding
sins. Let us ask the Lord to make us instruments reconciliation and unity in
our world today.
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