20200114
LEADER
WITH AUTHORITY
14 January,
2020, Tuesday, 1st Week in Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Samuel 1:9-20 ©
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The Lord is mindful of Hannah and she gives birth to Samuel
After they had
eaten in the hall, Hannah rose and took her stand before the Lord, while Eli
the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
In the bitterness of her soul she prayed to the Lord with many tears and made a
vow, saying, ‘O Lord of Hosts! If you will take notice of the distress of your
servant, and bear me in mind and not forget your servant and give her a
man-child, I will give him to the Lord for the whole of his life and no razor
shall ever touch his head.’
While
she prayed before the Lord which she did for some time, Eli was watching her
mouth, for she was speaking under her breath; her lips were moving but her
voice could not be heard. He therefore supposed that she was drunk and said to
her, ‘How long are you going to be in this drunken state? Rid yourself of your
wine.’ ‘No, my lord,’ Hannah replied ‘I am a woman in great trouble; I have
taken neither wine nor strong drink – I was pouring out my soul before the
Lord. Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; all this time I have
been speaking from the depth of my grief and my resentment.’ Then Eli answered
her: ‘Go in peace,’ he said ‘and may the God of Israel grant what you have
asked of him.’ And she said, ‘May your maidservant find favour in your sight’;
and with that the woman went away; she returned to the hall and ate and was
dejected no longer.
They
rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord and then set out and
returned to their home in Ramah. Elkanah had intercourse with Hannah his wife
and the Lord was mindful of her. She conceived and gave birth to a son, and
called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 ©
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My
heart exults in the Lord.
My
heart exults in the Lord.
I
find my strength in my God;
my
mouth laughs at my enemies
as
I rejoice in your saving help.
My
heart exults in the Lord.
The
bows of the mighty are broken,
but
the weak are clothed with strength.
Those
with plenty must labour for bread,
but
the hungry need work no more.
The
childless wife has children now
but
the fruitful wife bears no more.
My
heart exults in the Lord.
It is
the Lord who gives life and death,
he
brings men to the grave and back;
it is
the Lord who gives poverty and riches.
He
brings men low and raises them on high.
My
heart exults in the Lord.
He
lifts up the lowly from the dust,
from
the dungheap he raises the poor
to
set him in the company of princes
to
give him a glorious throne.
For
the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
on
them he has set the world.
My
heart exults in the Lord.
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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
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.
LEADER WITH
AUTHORITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SM 1:9-20; 1 Sm 2:1, 4-8; Mk 1:21-28 ]
People of the world seek
authority and power. They
want to be recognized, respected and obeyed. They like to be addressed
with titles and honors. They want to be served them and have others at
their beck and call. They want to be given special treatment wherever
they go. But the irony is that those who seek authority in this form lose
their authority, at least their personal authority, even though they might have
legal and juridical authority. This was the case of the religious leaders
during the time of Jesus. They did not command the respect of the people
even though they were religious leaders.
In fact, we often act in
the same manner as the religious leaders during the time of Jesus and in the
Old Testament.
In the first reading, we have the story of Hannah who was in despair over her
barrenness. “In bitterness of her soul she prayed to the Lord with many tears.”
There was Eli the high priest and judge of Israel. He “was watching her
mouth, for she was speaking under her breath; her lips were moving but her
voice could not be heard. He therefore supposed that she was drunk and
said to her, ‘How long are going to be in this drunken state? Rid
yourself of your wine’.” Eli was quick to judge her without
inquiring from her what she was doing.
Indeed, how often as
religious leaders, we act arrogantly and prejudge without having the
facts. We
are insensitive to the sufferings and needs of people who come to our churches
and rectories for help. Many have left the Church because of harsh and
insensitive words spoken by priests, religious and lay leaders or ministry
members serving the community. We think we can push people around using
the authority invested upon us. If we were Hannah, in that state of
depression and sadness, we would have reacted strongly, either by leaving the
faith or given Eli a good piece of our mind. Putting people down when they
are wrong, using destructive words, scolding people, will not bring about
change or command respect from people. Rather, they will become resentful
and angry with us because we are not feeling with them in their predicament.
Jesus in the gospel
teaches us that true authority is something which must be earned, and not
something that is solely dependent on the office we hold. We might have legitimate authority
invested upon us but without personal authority, no one will respect what we
say. Jesus in the gospel presented Himself as one who taught with
authority. Indeed, “his teaching made a deep impression on them because,
unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.” What was it
that Jesus said that left an imprint on them? Or rather, it was not just
what He said but how He said it that would have created a deep impression on
them. What and how we deliver our content will determine the
response from our audience.
To teach with authority
presupposes that we are utterly convinced of what we say. The weakness of our teachers today
is that they teach from what they have studied, and from knowledge acquired
from books and the internet, and lesser still, from personal experience.
Some speakers seek to impress their audience by displaying their knowledge,
quoting from great teachers and philosophers, politicians and religious
leaders. But they themselves are not convicted in their hearts, the truth
of what they have studied and read. They remain intellectual knowledge,
detached from the heart and their lives. Unless what we have discovered
through study is linked to our own personal experience or the lives of our
fellowmen, they remain just beautiful words and ideas but they will not move
people to respond because such abstracts and ideals seem impossible to be
attained by ordinary people. People today are not interested in
truths and doctrines per se, unless the truth that is taught is encountered in
events. In the final analysis, truth is not a word but an event.
If what we say is what
we also believe, then we will deliver our message in a passionate, clear, calm
and measured manner. Because
we know what we are speaking about is not a theory but something felt by us, we
will naturally be able to connect with others as well. All of us have
common aspirations and we are moved when people can connect with us. When
we speak of daily life struggles, we can connect with everyone. That is
why when a leader shares his weaknesses and failures in a prudent manner, it
touches the lives of his listeners because they find hope and encouragement
from him. Of course, a leader does not just share his weaknesses and then
wallow in self-pity. If that were so, he is blind and cannot lead the bind out
of the land of the blind. He, too, must be able to make sense of life, the
mystery of suffering, and the challenges facing us each day.
Jesus was a great
teacher simply because He did not teach from books but from the book of life. Nor did He quote from great leaders
of the past to gain authority and credibility. He taught from His own
personal experiences in life and His own inner convictions. That was why,
in His teaching, He did not use bombastic, theological terms and sophistry to
deliver His message. Rather, He used daily life examples that every
person could identify with, such as fishing, sowing, cooking, farming,
shepherding, investing, resolving debts, greed over inheritance, servants
waiting on their masters, etc. All these daily life examples were used by
the Lord to help the people understand God in their own terms which they can
relate with.
But His words were not
just taught with conviction but with power. He demonstrated His awesome
authority when He commanded an unclean spirit from a possessed man to come out
of him. “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.” Such was the authority of our Lord. He was not speaking His
own words but the Word of God. He knew that He was not just acting by
Himself. He was acting in the name of His Father. Jesus was always
conscious that because He spoke the Word of God, that Word carried power.
Jesus said, “The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but
the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of
the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f) The Lord said, “so shall my
word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but
it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I
sent it.” (Isa 55:10f)
Indeed, “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.” What does it
mean? It means that if we want to have the authority of Jesus, we must
teach the way He taught us. Jesus assures us, “Very truly, I tell you,
the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will
do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I
will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the
Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” (Jn 14:12-14) If we believe in Jesus, He
will give us the same Holy Spirit and the authority to teach with power and conviction.
That was what happened to the apostles. St Paul said, “I came to you in
weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation
were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but
on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:1-5)
Authority of a leader
and a teacher depends on his or her faith in Christ. If we do not rely on ourselves but
on the Lord, we will also allow Jesus to teach through us. Like St John
the Baptist, we must decrease and He must increase. This faith, unlike
that of the devil, must not be just an intellectual faith but that of a
personal faith expressed in love and submission to His divine authority,
believing in His word and living them out in our daily life.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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