Valuing the Other
September 27, 2009
Fr. George Smiga
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
A man and a woman in their eighties fell in love and married. On their wedding night as they were both excited but also a bit afraid. The woman came to the doorway of the bedroom and saw her husband standing by the bed. She said, “Honey, how do we begin this?” He said, “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine, but I’ll need a few minutes to get ready.” So having said that he took out his glass eye and put it in a box at the side of the bed. Then took out his teeth and placed them into the box. Then he sat on the bed and unscrewed his prosthetic leg and took off is toupee. Those ended up in the box as well. Having done all of this, he climbed into bed and said, “Honey, I’m ready.” Still standing in the doorway the woman responded, “Thank you. But I’m not sure whether I’m supposed to get into the bed or the box.”
Parts of our bodies are parts of ourselves. That is what makes Jesus’ words so challenging in today’s gospel. Jesus says that there can be an advantage in plucking out our eye or cutting off a hand or a foot. Now of course, Jesus is not speaking literally. He is not asking us to maim our bodies. He is saying that there can be certain things which we need to remove from our lives. And the things which need to be removed can be very close to us, almost a part of us. Therefore removing them can be difficult, perhaps as difficult as cutting off a hand or a foot.
What are these things that we should remove from our lives? There can be a long list: a habit of sin, a destructive entrenched attitude, a desire for revenge, or a false and unhealthy pride. We could go on and on. But today’s readings emphasize one particular thing to be removed: an attitude of intolerance. Intolerance is an attitude that sees no value in the action or the ideas of another person. Our scriptures speak against it. In the first reading, Joshua complains to Moses because some people who were not under Moses’ authority were nevertheless prophesying. Moses rejects Joshua’s intolerance and says that God is free to grant God’s spirit, even if it does not come through Moses. In today’s gospel, John complains to Jesus because there were some people who were using Jesus’ name to cast out demons and they were not Jesus’ disciples. Jesus rejects John’s intolerance and tells him, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”
The attitude of intolerance flourishes whenever people adopt an “Us vs. Them” mentality. There are sure signs that this kind of thinking is growing among us. Internationally we see more and more examples of one country vilifying another. In our country politicians who disagree with one another are more frequently turning to personal attacks. In our own family and relationship this attitude of “Us vs. Them” can also take a foothold and hurt us. I found an effective description of this attitude in a passage called us “Us Versus Them.” I would like to read it to you.
There’s us. And then there’s them.
We’re all right. They’re not.
We’re justifiably concerned for our family’s livelihood. They’re in it for the money.
We’re resting. They’re self-indulgent.
We’re pragmatic. They’re manipulative.
We’re teasing. They’re mean spirited.
We know the truth. They don’t understand. They’re ill-informed.
We’re concerned for the common good. They’re out to grab whatever they can get.
Don’t ever question our good intentions, our values or our patriotism.
But watch out for them.
You can trust us. But be afraid of them.
We’re all created equal. But some of us are more equal than others.
We are all children of God. But we’re God’s favorites.
We’re the people of God. We pray for them.
Now when we try to push intolerance away, we are not saying that all ideas, all intentions, or all lifestyles are equally good. What we are saying is that there is a value in listening to another person’s opinion, in reconsidering another person’s action, in understanding another person’s motivation. If we are unwilling or unable to extend that tolerance to others, we will never be able to cooperate with others. If we cannot cooperate with others, we will never make progress in our families, in our country, or in our world. Without that progress there is little hope for peace. This is why Moses and Jesus speak out so loudly against intolerance. It is why we must make every effort to avoid that attitude—even if it’s difficult—even if it’s like cutting off a hand or a foot.
God calls us to cooperation, to progress, to peace. But we cannot respond to that call as long as we buy into an “Us vs. Them” mentality. We cannot build the Kingdom of God unless we are willing to see value in the person who is other.
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