Who Belongs?

Gospel: Mark 9: 41-50

The beginning of this Gospel portion might give one the impression that the works of mercy are only to be done to those who belong to Christ, interpreted by many as meaning only those who are Christians or who belong to the Church.  By this interpretation only those who belong to Christ are those who believe, begging the question as to what constitutes a believer, at which point the category becomes ever more narrow.  

But is that what Jesus actually meant? His entire ministry and example suggests otherwise.  In no case did Jesus ever refuse someone who needed to be healed or fed.  He ministered to all without qualification.  What is more, the parable of the Good Samaritan shows in no uncertain terms that the term neighbor - those to whom we ought to show mercy - extends to everyone without qualification.  Everyone belongs to Jesus - everyone is made in God's image, everyone is another Christ, everyone is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  

Those who would be miserly with God's mercy and sacraments forget the generosity of the seed sower, the width of the net cast into the sea, and the fact that God provides rain and good things for the just and the unjust alike, not to mention the fact that Jesus died for all, not just some.  Throughout the Gospels there were many who bristled at Jesus' generosity to all, a phenomenon that continues to this day. Let us cast the wide net and sow the seed far and wide. God is for all, not just a few.