Who’s Way is Best?

The Church Community can be a difficult experience for even the longest standing members of the Church. It isn’t always for lack of communication, although Churches do many times lack proper communications techniques. The most common cause of our struggles is explained in today’s Gospel Reading:

Mark 9:33-41 (RSV) - At that time, Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"  But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."  John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me.  For he that is not against us is for us.  For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ, will by no means lose his reward."

It isn’t because we don’t talk to each other. It is because when we do speak with each other, we are always fighting for OUR way rather than someone else. We expect OUR Church to serve OUR needs rather than the needs of others. We expect OUR goals to be the goals of the Church rather than the goals of Christ.

Christ compares our spiritual life to that of children. It is common for children to be selfish. In fact parents spend much of their time teaching children to be less selfish. What is it that we cannot teach ourselves to be less selfish like we teach our children? We solve that....and we will solve our community struggles. By the way the same logic works for our politics as well.