In the incident recorded by Mark, the apostles expressed consternation that some man who was not of their group was casting out demons just as they would do themselves. In the narrow horizons of their faith then, they could not conceive and accept the fact that those who were not with them could do the works of God. In response to their objections, Jesus’ reply is the clearest indication in the Scriptures that one does not necessarily have to be part of the visible group following Christ in order to partake of the power of God. Jesus told the apostles then that if the “outsider” was casting out demons, he was working against the forces of evil and therefore, he must be on their side: “Anyone who is not against us is with us.” In other words, they and the man in question are united in those crucial bonds of religion – attachment to God and the struggle against evil.

 Discipleship is determined not so much by just belonging to a group of Christians but by doing good works in the name of Christ. In today’s reading the “outsider” is focused on Christ, has faith in the power and efficacy of his name and performs good works because of him. For Mark, such a man is a disciple for “belief in the name of Jesus” is a gift from God that marks the recipient as one of God’s own.

 Today’s Gospel reminds us to drop our prejudices and any pretence at superiority in our faith as Catholics. As Catholics, we are called to be universal and open to receiving and accepting others. In a spirit of unity, we must be prepared to say to others not belonging to us visibly but who are doing God’s will and performing good works in his name, that we are for one another, no matter their affiliation. This does not, however, compromise our own faith as Catholics. We can certainly affirm our own faith and at the same time recognise that all religions share in the divine truth in the works of God.

 Today’s Gospel also assures us that if we focus our hearts and minds on Christ, we will draw power from him to perform our own miracles of love around us. By miracles, we do not mean we will be empowered to go around moving mountains, casting out devils and healing the sick. In our own unique ways and graced by the power of God, we can transform the lives of many people by performing good works such as visiting the sick, accompanying the lonely, comforting the aged and counseling the misguided. When we strive to live in love and peace in the family, we are bringing Christ's love into the lives of those living with us. When we enthusiastically enter into relationship with others in our neighbourhoods, pray with them and meet and build a Christian community, we are helping to bring meaning and substance into the lives of others.
 
If we allow the power of Christ to take over our lives and permeate our whole being, he will continually provide us with the inspiration, the enthusiasm and the courage to do good works in his name for the advancement of God’s Kingdom among us.