During ordinary time we get exposed to lessons in discipleship. The lesson this week includes a warning against spiritual jealousy.

"Would that God bestow on all people the spirit of prophecy!” Such were Moses’ words to the faithful but slightly jealous Joshua, and in similar words Jesus reassured John and told him not to prevent unknown others from performing healings, as long as they did those mighty deeds in the Lord’s name.

God is not complicated. At least that's what we're told in The Simple Song included in Leonard Bernstein's Mass. Love is simple to understand, and God is the simplest of all, the lyrics and music conspire to persuade us.

Our track record as a church is, alas, not much better than the rest of society. We have our own sad history of excluding people from our pews, our sacraments, our schools, only because of their accents or the color of their skin.

Big John the Muffler Man was a legend among Midwestern salesmen. During the ’50s and ’60s, he traveled the U.S. highways calling on automotive parts stores in an eight-state area. His customers knew he would try to give them the best deal and he never failed to deliver on a promise.

Blanche and her friends had been in charge of the Mothers’ Club at their parish for years. They’d hosted lots of events, raised a lot of money for the religious education program, and had a lot of fun.

God is always showing us ways to come to truth, both new and old. Let us present our prayers to God, to whom all truth belongs.

Eldad and Medad are prophesying outside the camp. As the nomadic Israelites moved through the desert, Moses would pitch the tent of meeting away from the camp. Here God and Moses communicated. In today’s reading from Numbers, God called Moses to pick 70 elders to help him in leading the people.

The cry of the oppressed is God’s voice. . . . The cry of the voiceless and the hopeless is God’s voice. . . . The protest of the poor is God’s voice. . . . And the voice of the countries who are victims of these injustices is God’s voice. —Dom Helder Camara