Have you ever lived with someone who thinks there is only one way, one style, one method of doing something - and that one method is what they are familiar with? Jesus in our gospel today is dealing with a similar situation. The Pharisees and Scribes confronted him about why his disciples didn’t follow the devotional practices that everyone else followed. To them, there was one road to holiness and his disciples weren’t following that path, and that was a huge problem!
The bottom line of Jesus’ answer is that God’s Spirit works in multiple and diverse ways. Some of the ways may be new to us, unheard of, and even shocking. He encourages the Pharisees, the Scribes, and all His listeners to be attentive and open to the promptings of the Spirit because the Spirit sometimes works in ways that are unexpected.
Guidance of the Spirit
Are you aware that in this Great Nation of the United States, Black people were not allowed in Catholic Seminaries? How could God call a black person to become a priest? How could God call a black person to preside at a Mass and call upon the Holy Spirit to sanctify the bread and wine to become the real Body and Blood of Christ? It was simply unimaginable. That was the understanding then of how God worked. However, when the Spirit of God – the Spirit of Knowledge, Good Counsel, Wisdom insistently convicted and purified the conscience of the nation, there was openness and matters changed.
Within our own Church, there are people who think their devotional practices or spirituality are the only ones that need to be promoted. Everything else needs to be shut down. While those devotional practices are good and support the spiritual lives of many people, they are not the only ones. God uses so many other devotions and associations to lead people to Him.
Allow the Lord to Work
The Lord in our readings cautions us about being too quick to judge the methods and the interior dispositions of others. He encourages us to delay judgment and allow Him to take lead on judging people and their motivations. Light and the truth in the end rise to the top in every situation. For this kind of thing to happen, it calls for great humility that there might be other things we don’t know or are yet to see.
Today is a good day for us to ask ourselves: In what ways can I be less judgmental of other people, especially of their spiritual lives? It is a good day to ask ourselves: In what ways can I be more attentive to the diverse ways the Spirit of God works in our world, in our Church, and in our families?
Believe it - sometimes God works in ways beyond our understanding. May we allow ourselves to be surprised by God’s grace.
- Father Pinto's inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center this morning. You can view the Mass (and Rosary) at the 30-minute mark on the Family Rosary YouTube page.
- To join the Rosary and Mass Livestream, visit the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, Monday – Friday. Consider inviting others to join too! (*If you are not a member of Facebook and a signup window appears, simply select the X at the top of the pop-up message and continue to the livestream.)
