(For the audio version of this blog, please visit: https://brothersinchristcmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mass-Blog-for-the-26th-Sunday-of-Ordinary-Time-2024.mp3)
Rebecca Knill is a 21st Century survivor of the same kind of evil Moses and Jesus exorcised from the minds of their disciples. Knill grew up deaf in a hearing world, yet achieved career success, not despite her disability, but because of her God-given ability.
In her new book, Radio Head Gal (a title related to the cochlear implants that would eventually help her hear in a new way), she offers employers and their HR departments fresh insights into defeating the ancient evil that evolved into a modern prejudice: “Ableism.”
That means favoring someone with typical abilities over someone who might have achieved atypical abilities through adaptation. In her book, Knill salutes the boss who had the insight to perceive the vision that deafness gave Rebecca.
“I think differently because I’m deaf,” Knill writes. “Having to navigate life through anticipation, based on a fine-tuned sense of probability, is a valuable skill set. In the context of my job, that meant thinking ahead ten steps. … I could foresee and accommodate future [system] modifications by tweaking the initial design request, eliminating the need for a full-blown systems project next time.”
In Biblical times, such an ability was called prophecy—and only certain people were supposed to have it. But as believers have come to realize, with God, ALL things are possible, and by God’s grace, probable. This Sunday’s readings illustrate the kind of ancient ableism Rebecca Knill continues to fight. Let’s start with Moses in our first reading (Nm 11:25-29).
The LORD bestowed the prophetic spirit he gave Moses on seventy elders at a gathering. Eldad and Medad were not among them, but they received this prophetic gift nevertheless—and started applying it. Moses’ assistant, Joshua, suggested he stop them, because they weren’t present when this miracle happened.
“Are you jealous for my sake?” Moses asks Joshua. “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!”
Our gospel reading from Mark offers us some prophetic déjà vu, as we read how Jesus’ disciple John gives his Master a similar warning (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48).
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replies, “Do not prevent him. No one who performs a mighty deed in my name can at the same time speak ill of me. … [He] will surely not lose his reward.”
The title of Knill’s book reads like the name of a new superhero, and that’s on purpose. As a child, she fantasized about helping others by doing the mighty deeds her super powers enabled. As an adult, she realized we’re all called to be the superheroes we read more about in Scripture than in comic books: angels.
Being small in stature, she explains, she’s been on the receiving end of the angelic super power of kindness as applied on her behalf by strangers around her.
“Whenever I run into trouble, angels emerge, like celestial Lyft drivers, providing help when I need it most,” She writes.
She concludes that angels have been a recurring theme in her life, and tells her reader of a childhood friend whose sole purpose in life was to play tuba for God. That struck young Rebecca not only as an original goal, but indicative of the responsibility-driven superhero within both of them. And all of us.
“It left a strong impression on me, and I knew I would write her story someday.”
To paraphrase Moses: “Would that all people were superheroes.”
–Tom Andel
We all have the ability to be a hero to someone. It could be family, a friend or a complete stranger.
Being kind or even aware of another person can bring a big lift, or make a deposit in their emotional bank account.
We are all in need of connecting or being connected with others. it’s a basic human need.
Who can I connect with today?
Our soul is our superpower.