Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”…

Being a disciple of Jesus is not a personal privilege to be kept away from others. We do not have exclusive rights to on Jesus. The end goal in the circle of people following Jesus is always the same: sanctifying one’s soul, that is, achieving the perfection of virtues, and setting an example of your faith through action, through which we aid others in achieving salvation. There is no room for power struggles and competition in the kingdom of Jesus: they are obstacles and causes of stumbling. Everyone who is invited to follow Jesus and spread His Kingdom is judged according to the truth of His Word and according to the standards of Christian morality. The call to the ministry of sharing His Word stems from the foundation of receiving Holy Baptism, and it is not a position of authority, because this belongs only to Christ. This work is done in the name of Jesus, that is, with His authority and power, and it will be rewarded.

Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. … If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.

Another very important lesson from today’s Gospel shows that everything we do in this life will have eternal consequences, even such a small thing as giving a cup of water to a thirsty person. On the other hand, Christ’s words about the need to cut off an arm and a leg or to gouge out an eye are not an invitation to mutilation, but a call to radical severance from the evil that threatens salvation and from everything that leads to sin. Jesus points out that human sins occur in distinct circumstances as well as relations with others. This is also a significant appeal to addicts.  It is necessary to steer away firmly from such circumstances, people, and places where there is an opportunity to fall to temptation so that we can save the purity of our hearts. Many times it can be painful, but one must completely break off sinful relationships or abandon certain practices, such as using the Internet. The radical fight against sin and weakness is also of great importance concerning the salvation of other people. Here we can see the responsibility of parents who must have the courage and prudence to remove children from unconverted environments and save the seed of truth sown in their hearts, which is the Word of God, which, as St. James writes “has the power to save our souls.” We need to control what values, ways of thinking, and beliefs are embodied by the environment, school, sports groups, and friend groups in which our children spend their time because their salvation is imperative.

Roman Harmata PA