20220111 SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP WITH AUTHORITY
11 January, 2022, Tuesday, Week 1 in Ordinary Time
First reading | 1 Samuel 1:9-20 © |
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.’
Responsorial Psalm |
1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | Jm1:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.1Th2:13 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message, and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:21-28 © |
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.
SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP WITH AUTHORITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Sm 1:9-20; 1 Sm 2:1,4-8; Mk 1:21-28]
What is the primary difference between the spiritual leadership of Eli and that of our Lord? One taught without authority while the other with authority. Indeed, it is spiritual authority that distinguishes spiritual leaders. There are many spiritual leaders in the world today but we know many fall short of what spiritual leadership entails. In reality, we have spiritual leaders who are mediocre, incompetent and some even scandalous in their conduct. Then we have spiritual leaders who lack the virtues and holiness of Christ but are very efficient and competent running their organization. People cannot see the love, compassion and goodness of Christ in them. They can hardly be considered as spiritual leaders. They conduct themselves more like CEOs and managers.
This was the case of Eli. He was the High priest of the sanctuary at Shiloh, the penultimate judge of Israel to be succeeded by Samuel before Israel became a monarchy. He was the protector of the sanctuary, which explains why he was “sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.” Observing what was happening in the sanctuary when Hannah stood before the Lord in prayer, Eli showed his incompetence when he misinterpreted her as being drunk. He was presumptuous. “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 going to be in this drunken state? Rid yourself of your wine’.” He could not tell whether a woman was in prayer or was drunk. Hannah responded, “No, my Lord, 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.”
His inability to discern the Word of God was also seen in his response to Samuel. The author noted, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” (1 Sm 3:1) The situation in Israel had become so bad that God had abandoned the people to their sins to punish them so that they could be awakened to the truth. Even Eli could not discern the voice of God initially when Samuel came to report to Him when the Lord called Him. Only at the third time, was he able to understand that it was the Lord who was calling Samuel. Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” (1 Sm 3:9)
Yet, it must be said, he sought to conduct himself professionally as a High Priest. He encouraged Hannah when he was corrected and blessed her too. Eli answered her: “Go in peace,” and may the God of Israel grant what you have asked of him.” She responded by saying, “May your maidservant find favour in your sight.” Indeed, we must give credit to Eli. He did have a kind heart and was humble at being corrected instead of being defensive, unlike some religious leaders when they are criticized.
His humility and acceptance of his weakness and mistakes was again seen in the way he brought up his sons. His kindness was both his strength and also his weakness. He had no control over his sons. This was his biggest failure as High Priest and parent. We read that “Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.” He advised them that it was wrong to do what they did, and that they would not be able to conduct themselves as priests with integrity. “But they would not listen to the voice of their father.” (1 Sm 2:21-25) Still, the saving grace was that he was ready to accept punishment from God. When he asked Samuel what the Lord said to him and was told that the Lord was going to punish him and his sons for blaspheming Him and for not restraining them, he accepted graciously the will of God.” (1 Sm 3:11-18)
In the gospel, the scribes were not much better. The evangelist noted, “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.” How is it that the scribes who were the educated class, the intelligentsia of society, the scripture scholars of the day, not be able to leave any impression on the crowd when they taught? Perhaps their authority came from their studies only. It was not a personal authority that came from their personal relationship with the Lord or from their way of life. Hence, no one was impressed by them. Indeed, people can be impressed with our academic and professional knowledge but without personal authority, we cannot command people’s respect.
In contrast, our Lord taught with authority and with power. His authority came from His personal conviction of what He was teaching. Jesus did not attend any theological school. He was not a trained rabbi. He acquired His knowledge from His relationship with His Father and from reading the scriptures. So, He could speak from His personal conviction. Above all, He radiated the presence of God. So strong was His presence that even the devil could not tolerate the divine authority that exuded from Him. He 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.”
However, Jesus was firm in His command because He knew the source of His authority. He was one with the Father in divinity. He never hesitated in His belief that the Father would support Him, as in the performance of the other miracles. He knew the Father would always be with Him. Hence, “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.” Jesus was clear that His authority came from the Father and that the work He did was one with the Father. Jesus asked the Jews, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 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 conclusion therefore was clear. “Here is a teaching that is new and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.”
What about us, what kind of spiritual authority do we exhibit? Are we like Eli and his sons, abusive of our privileges? Have we become complacent in our faith, especially for those of us who hold spiritual authority in different ways? Do people look up to us as faith leaders, whether as parents, catechists, lay leaders in church organizations and see us as mentors, people that they admire and wish to imitate? The sad reality is that many of us lack that authority, like the scribes and Pharisees. We lack a personal relationship with the Lord and so we work with our human knowledge and skills. We do not pray and ask God for help but carry out the ministry as if it is another secular project. Worse still, we are also not properly trained or schooled in scripture or theology.
But above all, what is most scandalizing is when our so-called faith in God does not match our words and deeds, and the life we lead is contrary to what we profess as Catholics or Christians. This is the greatest obstacle to inspiring faith in our children or our fellow Catholics and colleagues. When there is a dichotomy between our faith and the way we live, it leads to scepticism and cynicism. This is why some remain doubtful about our faith. They are not inspired and think that we are hypocritical. To inspire faith, we must learn to be sincere like Hannah who prayed with faith and humility. Although a woman, and having no status in society, she had the courage to stand up to Eli who misjudged her as drunk. This was because she knew her faith, she knew her relationship with the Lord and she was sincere. Let us pray that we might be like her so that we too can inspire our children to walk in the way of the Lord.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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