25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

INTRO:

I’ve got to say I grew up with a more tolerant MOM than DAD! MOM could let things slide, but not DAD. If we had certain chores to do, they had better be done.

But you know how it is… I knew in my head I can get to the chores, and I can do them real fast…
Even at the last minute.
But as reality has it….9X out of 10 though……….something happens and I don’t get them done!!!

AGHHHHH,
Now I am in trouble with DAD… and he would always say…”You don’t have your chores done again????

“Will you just grow up already????”

“Will you just grow up already????”

My father wanted me to be MATURE! And that’s a good thing!

What about…????? being MATURE in the CHRISTIAN ways of the world?
What does it mean to have CHRISTIAN MATURITY???

I hear Jesus telling us of one way, through the TWELVE, through the Apostles, that CHRISTIAN maturity involves:
INCLUSIVITY!!!

So how MATURE are you and I??? According to Jesus’s definition???

INCLUSIVITY is a BIG THING for JESUS.

MARK, our Gospel writer, has recorded the desired inclusivity of Jesus in our story today …… with JESUS…… taking a child and putting it in their midst and putting his arms around it.
The CHILD was a NON-entity in society; CHILDREN were ignored, not paid attention to!!!

It cannot be that way for the MATURE CHRISTIAN. We are never to ignore, not pay attention to anyone because of their age, their race, color, or creed.

In Christ’s time there were territorial factions, societal boundaries, if you will, and both you and I know that unfortunately they exist today, simply in our own families, but also in the wider world. For whatever reasons there is difficulty in embracing all relatives, and/or all peoples.

JESUS tries to lift us up with this story,
Making us aware of this possible lack in our Christian maturity, but,
Also to APPLAUD those of us who have grown up with a Christian maturity that embraces “INCLUSIVITY”!

JESUS did S T R E T C H the ways of His society… You have heard it:
HE TOUCHED THE LEPER… NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT
HE ATE WITH SINNERS… NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT
HE HEALED ON A SABBATH… NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT

He challenged the LAW with his HEART and tried to impress upon the Apostles and US into his ways of CHRISTIAN MATURITY.

You and I have that same HEART as we are made in his image and likeness. We all can embrace inclusivity and CHRISTIAN MATURITY.

I remember in my days and I still see it today:
There are the “cool” kids
There are the “jock” kids
There are the “brainy” kids
There are the “rich” kids…………….. And so on……..

And the immature tendency is to keep thinking this way ABOUT OTHERS, separating people because of THIS, THAT, OR THE OTHER THING.

CONCLUSION

AS Christians, we are never finished GROWING UP. There is always more room for becoming better in His image and likeness.

“Whoever receives one child in my name, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives NOT ME, but the One who sent me.”