AUTHORITY OF JESUS
Introduction
Divine wisdom is a gift from the Spirit. The Spirit gives us discernment. Wisdom does not come from the human reasoning of gnosis and initiation in mystery religions. We should be spiritual people, men and women of the Spirit.
The people and Jesus’ own disciples were often struck by the authority of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was authority in his teaching – he had something to say that challenged men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings. By his authority he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people – it was a power of salvation. Yet it was a power that came in humility and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on to his disciples, and then to leave.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever. Amen!
1 Reading: 1 CORINTHIANS 2:10B-16
Brothers and sisters: The Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God. Among men, who knows what pertains to the man except his spirit that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. Now the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually. The one who is spiritual, however, can judge everything but is not subject to judgment by anyone. For “who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
Responsorial PSALM 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13AB, 13CD-14
R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works. R.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might. R.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendour of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations. R.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down. R.
Alleluia LUKE 7:16
Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LUKE 4:31-37
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee. He taught them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at his teaching because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed and said to one another, “What is there about his word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
Commentary
Dawkins’ God
In 2012, one of the greatest atheists and the “high pope of Darwinism”, Richard Dawkins, had a debate on BBC Radio 4with Rev. Giles Frazer, on a national poll which found that 50% of the British Christians couldn’t even name the gospels. Dismissing the finding as trivia, Frazer challenged Dawkins to name the full title (a long one) of his favoured book, On the Origin of Species. Dawkins fumbled. His attempt to recall went like this: “On the Origin of Species…. uh…with.. oh God… On the Origin of Species… There is a subtitle….” Here is the greatest atheist, in a moment of simple crisis, calling upon God! It is not only the evil spirits who know and recognize God; even the atheists do! As they say, there are no atheists in foxholes. Even when we try our best to deny God, the Holy Spirit that inhabits and probes our depths cannot be silenced.
Intercessions
– That the Church may speak with authority about Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
– That we may be close to Jesus because we try to respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
– That the world may be a little better because we try to live according to the good news of Jesus, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
by the authority you gave to your Son,
this bread and wine will become for us
his body and blood, our food and drink.
Let him share his power with us
that our cowardice may turn into courage
and that we may become liberated people
free to serve and to love
and to verify with our lives the truth
of the good news that he is our Lord for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
May our authority as Christians consist in doing good and serving people in love. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!