Mark 9:33-41

“Then John said to him, ‘Master, we saw somebody driving out evil spirits in your name, and we stopped him, for he is not one who follows us.’ But Jesus replied: ‘You must not stop him. No one who exerts such power in my name would readily say anything against me. For the man who is not against us is on our side.’”

The writer of the gospel does not explain Jesus’ reasoning, but I immediately struggled and began to reflect upon the meaning of forgiveness, tolerance and love for one another. I thought about Our Lord’s Prayer: “forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” I wonder about the meaning of forgiveness and the fact that Christians read the Gospels and read the Lord’s Prayer many times. It appears that the words of Jesus, even those who claim that by faith we will be saved, did not prevent many wars and the death of millions. So, forgiveness, love and tolerance must be always in our innermost hearts. Let us all unite in prayer to be always aware of the true meaning of this passage of Mark’s gospel.

~Edmond