This part of Mark’s Gospel is a collection of sayings about following the Lord, and in this Gospel we are presented with a rich insight into two distinct areas of discipleship. The first little story tells us that we must accept good wherever we can find it, not only in our own group and where we expect it to be. It is the same lesson that is presented in this Sunday’s first reading. The Spirit of God is at work not only in Catholics, not only in Christians, not only even in explicit believers. As the Second Vatican Council taught so strongly, the Holy Spirit is at work too in those who are seeking the Kingdom under signs and symbols. They can even be better people and better Christians than we who sometimes rely too comfortably on our membership of Christ’s Church! Secondly, the gospel provides some striking and urgent sayings about ‘obstacles’, literally trip stones which makes people fall over. These vivid and dire warnings are about leading other believers into evil and about the trip-stones in ourselves, the disordered desires, that lead us into evil. Jesus’ sayings here must be taken with the utmost seriousness – but not literally (Jesus is speaking graphically to make us listen, and is not advocating self-mutilation!). What are the qualities of the Kingdom that we need to become models of Christ for other peoples?