September 25, 2021
Click here to view this week's Mass. The video for the 4 PM vigil Mass will be available by about 7 PM on Saturday.
Have you ever looked an MRI image? It is a beautiful picture. It shows an incredible amount of information. And it is produced without using any X-ray or harmful radiation. Dr. Raymond Damadian, a medical doctor invented MR imaging.
Many years ago I had the opportunity to travel to New York City to meet Dr. Damadian. When we spoke, it became clear that the scientists in the community did not care for him. He was a medical doctor, after all, and not a basic scientist/inventor like they were. They had large laboratories paid for by grants and lots of employees, electricians, welders. Damadian was alone and did all of his own electrical work, welding, and everything else, with two students. These inventors did not feel that Dr. Damadian had any business working in their field. He wasn't one of them.
Fortunately, Dr. Damadian persisted in his work despite their disapproval. Eventually, Damadian produced the first body MR scanner and together, they produced the MRI scanners we know today.
I don't like that Dr. Damadian was excluded from the inventor's community. I don't like that you and I often exclude someone else who might want to help us in a good work. We don't let them help us because they aren't part of our group.
In our Gospel this weekend, something similar is happening. And Jesus doesn't like it either! His apostles let him know about a man who was doing good works and telling people that he was doing them through Jesus. Even though he wasn't one of the apostles! The apostles told him to stop. Jesus told the apostles that they should let the man continue doing good works in his name. That even if the man is not an apostle, doing good works in Jesus' name is something that everyone can do, even if they don't belong to their group of apostles.
Because Jesus persisted in allowing everyone to work with him, they were all able to work together to spread the message of Jesus, the Gospel, to the ends of the earth!
I think that sometimes we are bothered by someone doing something, even if it is something good, when they don't belong to our group. We might be jealous that they may get more credit than us.
Years ago when I first visited the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen downtown, I noticed something that surprised me in a good way. It was the fact that while this soup kitchen is a Catholic organization, many of the volunteers are not Catholic! No one worries that they are not Catholic, as long as they are doing the work of Jesus. Also, during our religious holidays like Christmas and Easter, our Jewish brothers and sisters step up and fully staff the soup kitchen so that the Christian's can take the day off!
Frankly, hearing that brought tears to my eyes. That even though we have different religious beliefs, we can work together to do the good works of Jesus Christ.
Clearly, today's Gospel message is understood at the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen! And if you think about it, this kind of setting aside differences and working together is happening all around us. As refugees from Afghanistan are received and welcomed in WNY they are being welcomed by Catholic Charities working along with the International Institute of Buffalo, Jericho Road Community Health Center, Jewish Family Services of Western New York and Journey's End Refugee Services. All are accepted in doing this good work and it will get done.
As our diocese moves forward with the Road to Renewal, St. Andrew will welcome and work together with other parishes. Together we will accomplish more of Christ's work.
This week might be a good time to look for where in your own life, you are including others in the good work you are doing. A good time to make certain that rather than excluding anyone, we are including everyone.
And, together let's see what kind of beautiful pictures we can make in our world.
God's Peace,
Deacon Dave
