20190115
EFFECTIVE
AUTHORITY COMES FROM OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH GOD AND MAN
15 JANUARY,
2019, Tuesday, 1st Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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Hebrews 2:5-12 ©
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The one who sanctifies and the ones who
are sanctified are of the same stock
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God did not appoint angels to be rulers of
the world to come, and that world is what we are talking about. Somewhere there
is a passage that shows us this. It runs: What is man that you should
spare a thought for him, the son of man that you should care for him? For a
short while you made him lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and
splendour. You have put him in command of everything. Well then, if he
has put him in command of everything, he has left nothing
which is not under his command. At present, it is true, we are not able to see
that everything has been put under his command, but we do see
in Jesus one who was for a short while made lower than the angels and
is now crowned with glory and splendour because he submitted
to death; by God’s grace he had to experience death for all mankind.
As
it was his purpose to bring a great many of his sons into glory, it was
appropriate that God, for whom everything exists and through whom everything
exists, should make perfect, through suffering, the leader who would take them
to their salvation. For the one who sanctifies, and the ones who are
sanctified, are of the same stock; that is why he openly calls them brothers in
the text: I shall announce your name to my brothers, praise you in full
assembly.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 8:2,5-9 ©
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You gave your Son power
over the works of your hand.
How great is your name, O Lord our God,
through all the earth!
What is man that you should keep him in
mind,
mortal man that you care for
him?
You gave your Son power
over the works of your hand.
Yet you have made him little less than a
god;
with glory and honour you
crowned him,
gave him power over the works of your
hand,
put all things under his feet.
You gave your Son power
over the works of your hand.
All of them, sheep and cattle,
yes, even the savage beasts,
birds of the air, and fish
that make their way through
the waters.
You gave your Son power
over the works of your hand.
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jm1:21
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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cf.1Th2:13
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really
is:
God’s message, and not some human
thinking.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 1:21-28 ©
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Unlike the scribes, he taught them with
authority
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Jesus and his disciples went as far as
Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began
to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the
scribes, he taught them with authority.
In
their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it
shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be
quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions
and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they
started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’
they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean
spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere,
through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
EFFECTIVE
AUTHORITY COMES FROM OUR IDENTIFICATION WITH GOD AND MAN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HEB 2:5-12; MK 1:21-28 ]
In the gospel, we read that Jesus
taught with authority and left a deep impression on the people.
Indeed, we read that even the spirits obeyed Him. With a word of command,
they came out of the possessed man. So much so, “The people were so
astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here
is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives
orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.'” Where did He get such
authority from that even evil spirits had to submit to Him?
Thus, we must begin by
asking the difference between His authority and that of the scribes. The Jewish leaders taught with
institutional authority, an authority based on study and given by man.
Such authority comes from outside and is bestowed. Jesus however spoke
with personal authority, an authority that comes from within Him. What
then is the basis for this authority?
In the first place, after His
baptism, Jesus was conscious that He was the beloved Son of the Father.
The first reading tells us that “At present, it is true, we are not able to see
that everything has been put under his command, but we do see in Jesus one who
was for a short while made lower than the angels and is now crowned with glory
and splendour because he submitted to death; by God’s grace he had to
experience death for mankind.” Jesus knew that He was the glory of His
Father, which was acknowledged by the unclean spirit as well, for it exclaimed,
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.” In the responsorial
psalm too, the psalmist says, “You have given your Son rule over the
works of your hands. O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over
all the earth! What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man
that you should care for him? You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him rule over the works of
your hands, putting all things under his feet.”
But it is not sufficient for Jesus to be identified
with God; he was equally identified with man. Again,
the author of Hebrews instructs us that “As it was his purpose to bring a great
many of his sons into glory, it was appropriate that God, for whom everything
exists and through whom everything exists, should make perfect, through
suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation. For the one
who sanctifies, and the ones who are sanctified, are of the same stock; that is
why he openly calls them brothers in the text: I shall announce your name to my
brothers, praise you in full assembly.” By calling us His brothers, Jesus
is identified with us in our humanity. He knows our struggles, pain and
brokenness.
As a consequence, only He who
knows God and who knows man intimately can lead us to salvation. He
who Himself has shared in our humanity and overcame sin and temptation in His
life is the only One worthy of leading us in sanctification and
salvation. Because He has Himself gone through the depths of hell, He
could empathize with us and be our Advocate before the Father and intercede for
us unceasingly at the throne of mercy. Otherwise, we can excuse ourselves
or even fall into despair because we are not gods and therefore unable to
surmount the struggles of daily life, especially our temptations.
In the light of today’s scripture
readings, we who are baptized in Christ are called to be leaders and pointers
for our brothers and sisters to Christ their Saviour. How can we
be effective witnesses, teachers and leaders unless we too have the same faith
in God and the same identification with our brothers and sisters in their
sufferings and misery?
It therefore behooves us, first and
foremost, to rediscover our true identity in Christ. We must
recognize that we are truly the sons and daughters of God because Christ is our
brother and we have become adopted sons and daughters in Christ, since His
Spirit is given to us at our baptism. Without this conviction of our
sonship in Christ, we would be hesitant in the face of evil and sin.
Perhaps the reason why many of us are afraid of evil spirits is because we
think they are more powerful than us. But the truth is that the power to
cast out the spirits has been given to us by virtue of our baptism in Christ,
provided we are convicted of our identity in Christ. Isn’t that what
amazed the psalmist, that God would even give His authority to man to rule the
earth? If we cannot triumph over evil in our lives, it is because we are
more identified with the work of Satan than with God’s. Hence, before we
can command with authority and lead with authority, we must be more and more
identified with Christ.
Secondly, we must also learn to be
conscious of ourselves, of our own weaknesses and failures so that we can feel
more with our fellow brothers and sisters. If we are judgmental
and lacking in compassion, it is because we fail to recognize that we ourselves
are sinners and are in the process of growing in holiness. The first step
to being a leader is therefore to be with our people. We must get to know
personally those people whom we live with, work with and work for. When
we get to know them as persons, and their struggles, then we will know how to
help them effectively. Otherwise, we only produce theories and high
sounding philosophy which are great for the mind but do not strike the heart or
are relevant in their lives.
Of course, knowing our brokenness
is not enough to help us to act and speak with authority unless we ourselves
have submitted to Jesus and then in His power also destroy sins in our
lives. In other words, we ourselves must have won the battle ourselves,
if we are to inspire others. Otherwise, we who are still blind and
ignorant will be no better than them. If that were the case, then we will
only lead them to despair. How can we be of comfort to them when we have
not been comforted? How can we lead them out of the forest when we
ourselves are still lost? But if we have given ourselves to Jesus and we
have experienced His saving grace, then we can share convincingly with others
that Jesus saves and that whenever we work with and in Jesus, nothing is
insurmountable for us.
So let us exercise the authority
that the Lord has given to us, whether in leadership, in teaching or in
service, but most of all, in dealing with evil in our lives. Show that we
are stronger than the devil because Jesus lives in us. Demonstrate to all
of humanity that Jesus is our Saviour and Leader in salvation by a life of
holiness and surrender to Jesus our Lord.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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