Daily HOMILY for September 30, 2018: Sunday in the 26th Week in Ordinary Time

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26^thSunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Terranova Hermitage

September 30, 2018

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato 

Hopkins Buildings

One day several years ago, I was leaving Johns Hopkins Hospital after visiting a person who had major cardiac surgery. 

I noticed something at Hopkins that really caught my attention. I was leaving the Sheikh Zarad building. 

This building is for patients who are in critical care, including heart surgery. It is named after Sheikh Zarad who was the major donor. 

He is from the United Arab Emirates. And, of course, he is a Muslim. 

What caught my eye is that the ground floor hallway connects the Sheikh Zarad building to the Weinberg building. That building is a cancer center and the major donors are Harry and Jeannette Weinberg. 

They are a Jewish couple from Baltimore. And then, not far from these buildings is the Anne Pinkard School of Nursing. 

Anne Pinkard was a Catholic, a member of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Parish in Baltimore where I served as pastor for 6 years. She and her husband Walter – an Episcopalean – were major donors to this building. 

“Whoever is not against us is for us.”

Well, today’s Gospel triggers my memory of these buildings at Hopkins and this is why. 

The apostles are upset because someone, who is not part of their group, is helping others and invoking the name of Jesus. So, the Apostles try to stop this man for just one reason: he is not part of their group. 

But Jesus says:“Let him alone. Whoever is not against us is for us.” 

Jesus’ point is that he wants us to recognize good wherever and by whomever it is done. 

He doesn’t want us to be exclusivist and think that only those who are part of our group are good and can do good. 

He doesn’t want us to think that only Christians or only Catholic Christians or only those who agree with us on everything can do good. He wants us, as I said, to accept good wherever and by whomever it is done. 

Jesus is calling us to embrace this open attitude and mindset. And if we do, there will be good results. 

The Effects in General

This is why I am remembering those buildings at Hopkins. 

Muslims, Jews, Catholics and other Christians are all cooperating in the mission of Johns Hopkins Hospital. The results are good – and that word is an understatement! 

Hopkins is one of the finest hospitals in the world. This happens because of openness to the good that everyone can do – even though there are major differences among those involved. 

And besides doing great good, this openness to the good that others can do and collaborating in doing it brings people closer together. It prevents differences from becoming a source of division and it helps to melt some of the divisions that we have allowed differences to create. 

The Effects for Our Church

Jesus’ words today – “Whoever is not against us is for us”– are a good caution for our Church. 

We as a Catholic Church and any religious group can easily slide into the attitude of the Apostles in this passage. In fact, historically, we have done that very thing at times. 

In the name of God and of what we believe to be true, we can slide into a kind of exclusivist mindset. We can fail to see the good in those who are not part of our group – our Church. 

Sometimes we have done this because of disagreements – maybe on issues of faith or morality. 

And connected with that, sometimes we have done this out of fear of watering down our faith – I have heard that expression used – the fear of watering down our faith if we recognize the good and cooperate with others with whom we disagree.

In truth, we water down our faith when we fail to do this. We are not living the Gospel.

Conclusion

The truth is that Jesus calls us to recognize the good that others do regardless of who they are. 

If we do that, much good and more good will be done. If we do that, we not let differences become a source of division. 

In fact, we will melt some of the divisions in our relationships, our community, our country and our world that we have allowed differences to create.