Power of Love

In this weekend‟s Gospel, the Apostles are
worried about a man who is trying to help a person in distress.
They see him as an imposter, and they report this to Jesus,
saying, “Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting
out devils in your name, and because he was not one of us we
tried to stop him.” But Jesus says no, “You must not stop
him!” You must not stop anyone who, in imitation of me, is
performing an act of loving service toward another!
Jesus‟ lesson is very instructive, not only for his disciples,
but for us as well. The cause of Catholicism is not served by
the rejection of other ways of Christian or non-Christian
discipleship. The case for Christianity is not reinforced by
those who claim that no real good can happen beyond the
boundaries of a particular expression of faith. We can all take
pride in the community to which we belong without
denigrating the good work of those who are not “one of us.”
Jesus calls on each of us to be tolerant. Christian
tolerance is not weakness or a lazy acceptance of whatever
movement happens to be in vogue. Christian tolerance is a
reverence for the truth that is always larger than ourselves. It
is recognition of the charity that flourishes beyond the reaches
of our borders. It is a profound respect for the freedom of God
to move in his chosen ways. It is a humility before the
greatness of God. After all, if God risks hoping in us, why
should we deny his hope in others?
The disciples were just trying to protect their territory
when they tattled on the man who was using Jesus‟ name to
cast out demons. Jesus tells them not to worry about it. There
were plenty of demons, and the more who were willing to
work with him to combat evil, the better. Jesus did not stake
out turf. Instead, he welcomed all who acknowledged the
power of love to bring about positive change. We can do no
less!