Joke: A pastor was talking with a member of his Church. “You know,” the pastor said, “I wish I had ten members just like you.” “Really?” the parishioner responded. “I’m a little surprised to hear you say that. I realize that I often complain about your preaching, hardly give anything in the offering, and haven’t volunteered my time for any of our ministries. Why would you want ten people just like me?” “Like I said,” the pastor replied, “I wish I had ten members like you. The problem is: I have fifty!”

Unlike the pastor who had fifty members which he wished to have only ten, Jesus had not only fifty, but he had many fifties of those who opposed to his teaching nor followed him. Look at our modern-day, some people go against the Lord Jesus and His teachings. Very close to us, on our dollar bills, there is an inscription on the dollar bills with the words, “In God we trust.” How do we trust God? By allowing abortion? By allowing to end a person's life because of a criminal act or because of a difficult illness and sickness that doctors have already given up?

Recalling one anointing Mass at an assisted living facility, a man kept saying bad words very loudly during the Mass. What amazed me was, that even though he hated the Catholic Church somehow, he always stood at a distance to yell and to curse. At that moment, I believed a miracle happened. Why did I say miracle? The man was only ten feet away, he could come and interrupt the anointing Mass easily, but why did he always keep it at a distance? There might be some forces to stop him from entering, what I called, a holy ground, even though it was not a consecrated place, even though the altar was a dining table which is never consecrated by the bishop, even though the space was not sacred. The man could curse, yell, could use unkind words toward the Church, and yet, the Lord didn’t permit him to approach any nearer. He still allowed him to breathe the air that he created, to see others with the light that he created, and many other good things that the man himself couldn’t bring into this world. Remember the scene that Moses encountered where the burning bush was burning but not consuming reported in the book of Exodus. When Moses saw the bush burning but not consuming, he decided to come closer to check it out. God said to him, “Do not come near! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand, is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). The man, even though he hated Catholicism was in his right mind or not, he couldn’t get closer because it was holy ground. He could curse, yell, and use unkind words toward the Church, and yet, the Lord still allowed him to breathe the air that he created, to see others with the light that he created, and many other good things that the man himself cannot bring into this world.

This is exactly his indescribable love, his marvelous love bestows to the whole human race including those who do not belong to him, Jesus still sought out them and allowed them to use his name which was reported beautifully in today’s Gospel. Saint Mark repeats the words of Jesus saying, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Saint Paul, in his letter to the Philippian community, taught them saying, “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Many people, ourselves included, use his name when we call ourselves Christians bearing the name of Christ, but what have we done in using the name of Jesus Christ?

Why is it that Jesus’ disciples, particularly John, one of the only three apostles who were chosen to experience the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, turned out to get mad when they saw others who did not belong to the group using Jesus’ name to prophesize and perhaps, to do some good deeds? Is it because of jealousy? The jealousy that Joshua, Moses’ aid and the son of Nun, came to Moses and complained to him, reported in today’s first reading written in the book of Number saying, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” The reason that Joshua got mad with these two men, perhaps, unlike the other 70 elders who go out of the tent to receive the Spirit of prophecy, these two men stay back in the tent and prophesize using God’s name. Moses replies to Joshua saying, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” Or “Are you jealous for my sake?” as Moses said to Joshua. Jealousy might not be a story of more than two thousand years ago, but it might still happen in our modern days.

Jesus, his firm teaching described in today’s Gospel, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” If we have to cut off whatever causes us to sin nowadays, heaven might have all those who are missing some human parts. Well, the point is not about losing our physical parts when we sin against the Lord, but it is about our whole being losing in touch with God, losing our union with God, and losing our soul, the very core of our being in the Gehenna.

In the name of Jesus, we might have no problem believing in him, but have we loved one another? Faith might cause differences among us, but love always unites us together. Demonstrate your love towards others, and they will know how much faith you have in the Lord Jesus. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to love one another, even though he or she does not share the same faith with us. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to make Christ present in our Christian life by doing good deeds and spreading the Good News to others. In the name of Jesus, we are invited to sacrifice in following the Lord Jesus, even though at the moment we might have to be tough with our children, that we might have to correct our spouse for his or her misbehavior, or that we might have to step out of our comfort zone to help others so to be Christ for others. We might be all familiar with all these, but the questions are: What actions would we take to make Christ present in our spiritual journey? How would we deliver these actions to make Christ present in our lives? The decision is yours.