Memorial of St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr
(Sirach 4:11-19; Mark 9:38-40)
In Robert Duvall’s movie “The Apostle” an evangelical preacher from Texas observes a Catholic priest in Louisiana blessing a fishing fleet. He does not betray any anger or envy. He merely reaffirms his own mission saying something like: “They do things their way; and I do things my way.” Jesus shows this same kind of tolerance in the gospel passage today.
The Acts of the Apostles records another incident of men trying to exorcize demons in Jesus’ name without authorization from the apostolic community. It may have happened just as frequently then as free-lance preachers tell of Jesus today. Like John in the passage today we want to shut them up or, at least, turn them off. Such actions, however, would not only short-circuit a speaker’s right to free expression, but they may also violate Jesus’ principle of toleration.
It is perfectly legitimate and may even be a duty for priests to warn the faithful of imposters who give the impression of speaking for the Church. But generally when we hear non-Catholic preachers talk of Jesus, we could listen a bit to what they are saying. They probably are not speaking against the Church and quite possibly have insights that may help us better appreciate the Lord.
