Moses, in the first reading, is happy that others are prophesying in God’s name. This is a short reading, but it has a strong point.  Eldad and Medad accepted the Holy Spirit, even though they were not at the gathering. Moses reaction to them prophesying was one of joy, and not jealousy.  We should be the same, excepting the gifts and talents of others, instead of being envious of others.

 

Use Your Wealth Wisely

James, in the second reading, is talking about wealth.   People get the impression that wealth is bad as a Christian, but that’s not necessarily true.  James is talking here about being fair when we are responsible for an other’s salary, making sure we are paying them well and not being miserly.  We must put our love of God above our money, and be a good steward of our blessings.

 

There are two personal responsibility themes in Sunday’s Gospel.  The first is similar to the first reading, where Jesus’ disciples are concerned about others preaching and expelling demons in Jesus’ name.  He says they can do it, as they can’t speak ill of Jesus and still do those things in His name.  Here Jesus is teaching us about how to handle ecumenism.  Yes, we have the original faith handed down from Jesus through Peter and the Apostles.  There is value, although it is incomplete, in other Christian faiths, and we should pray for unity and continue to have dialog on the things we do agree upon.

 

The personal responsibility teachings continue, with Jesus holding us accountable for teaching our youth.  He uses some strong language here, making sure we know the importance of not leading others astray, also known as the sin of scandal.  Next, he is talking about us leaving behind the things in our lives that make us sin.  Whether that is toxic friends, toxic media, or anything else that we can lead ourselves astray with.  Yes, we are forgiven for our sins, but it is up to us to make our lives so we are not tempted to sin more.

 

For more reading, check out this article here.

Sr. Lincy Augustine leads our Pastoral Ministry here at Mother of Perpetual Help. She, along with many of our parishioners, are reaching out to those in need, especially our Seniors.  We have an awesome presentation coming up about life planning, including things like driving when you are older.  We have also received a grant to support the ministry, focusing on reaching out to Seniors who feel isolated and alone.