AUTHORITY AND PERSON OF JESUS

Introduction
The letter of Jude is close to apocalyptic literature and rather severe toward those who are worldly, unspiritual and causing divisions. Yet, at the same time, he asks that mercy be shown to those who are wavering.

1 Reading Jude 17, 20b-25
Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;

save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.

To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our saviour,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.

Responsorial Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Alleluia Colossians 3:16a, 17c
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Commentary:
These are the last days of Jesus on earth. Jesus feels hungry, as when he was in the desert and the Devil tempted him. He is a fully human being, with his needs, fatigue and fragility. He approached the fig tree, symbol of the Temple, looking for fruits but only found leaf litter. The prophetic gesture of expelling the merchants shows that the time to bear fruit for the Temple has passed.

However, today the authorities, determinedly in running battle with Jesus, confront him and ask from whence comes his authority (his miraculous power and life-changing teachings). The prompting is to disregard him as impostor who has no divine power – power from God. The backline is that the Jewish leaders feel challenged in their own authority. Jesus does not give them an answer because they are not willing to accept him anyway because they only try to justify themselves. That means, their question is not to believe Jesus and in his pastoral actions. They and we cannot understand Jesus unless we encounter and welcome and love him as a person. Are we sincere with the questions we ask Jesus and his Church? What is the motive behind our questionings in the prayer meetings? Ours must be St Augustine/Anselm’s fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding).

Blessing
Thank God that we believe in Jesus. May we also accept those who speak in his name. We ask the Lord to increase our faith. May God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!

• St Marcellinus…Pray for us!