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“Would that all the Lord’s people were Prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”  Isaiah 11:29

If we took time to give it some thought, we could all probably think of the person or persons in our lives who have told us about God.  For most, I think our parents would be the first to have introduced God to us by teaching us our prayers and encouraging us to call on God for help.  In my home, while it was Mom who taught us our prayers and tucked us in at night making sure we said those prayers before going to sleep, it was my dad who modeled for me the Christian attitude.  My mom was the traditional Acadian Roman Catholic, and if it didn’t come from a priest’s mouth or from the teachings of the Church, then it carried no weight.  And, looking back, that made perfect sense because that’s what she was taught by her mom.  My dad had a different upbringing as parts of his extended family came from other Christian traditions and so, when the family was gathered around the table, he heard many different points of view.  And just as Mom was shaped by what she saw and heard, so was Dad.  For Dad, there was lots of room in God’s house and no one denomination had more access than another.

In looking at our readings this week, I was reminded of this stark contrast.  In our first reading, Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous that people outside of the group were prophesying.  Similarly, in the gospel, Jesus told his disciples not to stop someone who was outside their circle, yet casting our demons in his name.  We can be very quick, at times, to dismiss a teaching or a belief from a tradition or faith outside our own as being misguided or misinformed.  I think this is common in many Christian churches as I have sat in a few Protestant churches, being invited by friends, and listened to ministers preach on where the “Catholics” have gone wrong, and have also listened to many homilies, telling me about the mistakes of the “Protestants”.

I have been blessed over the last 30 years to be involved with the R.C.I.A. process and have met many people who have come to us from other religions, or even no religion.  One thing that has become very apparent to me is that no matter where life has taken them, God has been a part of that journey.  Whether they were aware of it or not, God has always been at their side.

I have come to believe that we, as Christians, are all singing from the same hymnal, no matter which denomination we belong to.  I can remember a co-worker saying to me that because I was Roman Catholic, and she was Pentecostal, we probably shouldn’t be talking to each other.  I asked her if she believed in God, creator of all.  She said, “yes”.  I said, “so do I”.  I then asked her if she believed in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Same answer from both of us.  I said, “I really don’t see where we are so different.  At our core, we believe the exact same things, we just have vastly different window dressing.

I think every Christian church has the mission of pointing its members toward Jesus Christ and his message of acceptance and equality for all.  I also think we can unite in bringing this message to a world which so desperately needs to hear it. But for our message to resonate and carry any weight, we need to stop arguing about who has the best finger.  I have recently attended a couple of services at Hillside Baptist Church, as that is where my son and his family currently worship.  It is different than what I am used to.  Not better or worse, just different. I left there with the same feeling I leave my own church with.  That God loves me and that I never walk alone.  I believe this is the biggest truth of our faith.  And truth is truth, no matter who tells it to you.

Mark Mahoney, Pastoral Associate
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity