20240128 THE AUTHORITY OF TEACHING
28 January 2024, Sunday, 4th Week of Ordinary Time
First reading |
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 © |
I will raise up a prophet and put my words into his mouth
Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among yourselves, from your own brothers; to him you must listen. This is what you yourselves asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the Assembly. “Do not let me hear again” you said “the voice of the Lord my God, nor look any longer on this great fire, or I shall die”; and the Lord said to me, “All they have spoken is well said. I will raise up a prophet like yourself for them from their own brothers; I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all I command him. The man who does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name, shall be held answerable to me for it. But the prophet who presumes to say in my name a thing I have not commanded him to say, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9 © |
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 © |
Give your undivided attention to the Lord
I would like to see you free from all worry. An unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord; but a married man has to bother about the world’s affairs and devote himself to pleasing his wife: he is torn two ways. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit. The married woman, on the other hand, has to worry about the world’s affairs and devote herself to pleasing her husband. I say this only to help you, not to put a halter round your necks, but simply to make sure that everything is as it should be, and that you give your undivided attention to the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt4:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.
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.
THE AUTHORITY OF TEACHING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DT 18:15-20; PS 95:1-2,6-9; 1 COR 7:32-35; MARK 1:21-28]
The theme of today’s scripture reading is simply this: that teachers must teach with authority. To teach with authority, we must be appointed by God. In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses was recognized as the authorized prophet of God. But it took time for him to win the confidence of his people. Initially, he took it upon himself to be God’s prophet by delivering one of his fellow Israelites from being beaten by an Egyptian. He defended him and killed the Egyptian instead. Next day, he tried to settle a quarrel between two Hebrews fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?” He answered, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Ex 2:14f) As a consequence, he had to flee to Midian. He had to spend time reflecting, praying and listening to God before he could return with confidence to lead the people. Indeed, when God called him to deliver His people, this time, he learnt his lesson and was not too impulsive to go without being given the credentials. He said to the Lord, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Ex 3:11-13)
We, too, must remember that when we assume a position of authority, especially when we did not vie for it but was appointed to it, it is an appointment from God. Regardless, when we are in a position of authority, we do not represent ourselves. We always represent someone else, an organization or our superior. People in authority are always under authority themselves. We are not supreme monarchs. Even then, monarchs, presidents, prime ministers, even the Pope, govern according to the conditions placed on them. They cannot act according to their whims or fancies. That is why those in authority must be humble and remember that we are acting on behalf of someone. Ultimately, all authority must serve the plan of God for humanity.
Secondly, a teacher must teach with authority by his or her very life. Moses was a selfless leader and teacher, judge and prophet. He was the messenger of God who gave the Law to Israel on Mount Sinai. He journeyed with them through difficult times in the desert for forty years. Through his prayers, God provided the pilgrims with manna in the desert, water from the rock and protection from their enemies. He was a mediator between God and His people. He was their intercessor when the people sinned against God. He was willing even to be punished on their behalf. Indeed, he was the greatest teacher and law-giver. He was regarded as the greatest teacher of the law for all time. He led the people into the Promised Land but was forfeited from entering it himself. Even then, he was contented just to see it from afar.
But as the scriptures foreshadowed, someone greater than Moses would come after him. Moses said to the people: “the Lord said to me, ‘I will raise up a prophet like yourself for them from their own brothers; I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell all I command him.” The Second Moses would restore the kingdom of Israel. He would be the perfect teacher and God’s eschatological prophet. For this reason, the evangelists portrayed Jesus as the New Moses, teacher of the Law. Like Moses, He would teach on the mountain, just as Moses was given the Law on the Mountain. Like Moses, He would give the people the bread of life. At the synagogue, He would teach with authority, as we read in today’s gospel. St Matthew even paralleled the life of Jesus to that of Moses who was persecuted by Pharaoh, just He was persecuted by King Herod. Like Moses, Jesus too had to flee for safety and went into exile. Like Moses, He had to die first before entering the Kingdom.
Indeed, in the gospel, we read about the growing authority of Jesus. When He called those destined to be His apostles, they followed Him immediately. He had such a commanding authority that in spite of the fact that He was a total stranger, there was something in Him that commanded obedience. Even the evil spirits sensed in Jesus a divine authority that made the unclean spirit remark, “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.” The evangelist also noted that Jesus not only exuded authority in His personality, but “his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught with authority.” Unlike the teachers of His day, who would quote from authorities to substantiate what they taught, Jesus was a master of the Law and what He taught was God’s law. In other words, He spoke with a personal authority.
To confirm His personal authority, He proved it by His deeds. He confirmed His authoritative teaching by not allowing the Unclean Spirit to control Him, and the way He understood how He should exercise the ministry. He silenced the unclean spirit who revealed Jesus’ identity in order to jeopardize His ministry in human lowliness, appealing to faith and love, not through the use of force and might. For Jesus, authority implies the way of the cross. It is the way of self-sacrificing love. It is the way of humility in service. As teachers too, we do not simply impart knowledge but we impart our conviction, our values and our passion. If it is merely knowledge alone, one can read from books and from the internet. But if we want to know how our teacher integrates that knowledge into his or her life, and how that person lives with conviction and passion, we need to hear and see the person in action. Our way of life, our passion, our conviction will inspire those around us; less by what we teach.
To teach with authority, we need to be focused. St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is not a matter of whether marriage or celibacy is a better life. What is important is that in whatever we do, we remember to give ourselves wholeheartedly to what is most important. If St Paul considered marriage as second to a celibate life, it was because he was writing at a time when Christians thought the Second Coming of Christ was near. In view of the shortness of life on earth and His imminent coming, it would only be wise to put their focus entirely on preparing for His coming because that was the ultimate goal of life, to be with the Lord. In this sense, celibacy was valued not for itself or for one to live an independent life but because it helped a person to be focused on giving himself or herself entirely to the work of the Kingdom of God and witness to others the eternal values of the gospel compared to the passing value of material things and achievements on earth.
However, marriage life is no less sanctifying. In fact, it could be more difficult to keep our eyes focused on God and the eternal values of the gospel because husband and wife have to fulfil their earthly responsibilities in providing for the family, giving security and fulfilling the needs of the family so that they can live in peace and contribute to the Church and society. At the same time, they must do all these without neglecting each other or taking each other for granted. They have to learn how to be patient, forgiving, giving and loving. However, if they also subsume all these apparently mundane and worldly matters into what is eternal, to God, they too will be sanctified. A home is where God must be truly present and felt, since the home is the domestic Church of God. Marriage is indeed also a means to be purified in love.
Thus, regardless what we do in life, if we all do it for the greater glory of God, for the love and service of our fellowmen, we will find true happiness and sanctification. So, as teachers, we too must learn to sanctify ourselves in the process of serving others and teaching those under our care. A teacher must also be a good student by learning from those under his or her care. By journeying with them, walking by their side, mentoring them, the teacher will not just be an inspiration to his or her students but will also mould himself or herself to be a better person, and in that sense find his or her true vocation, which is to lead everyone to God and to live a life not for oneself but for others and for the glory of God. As teachers too, we must remain focused by hearing the Word of God daily, inspired by Christ as our teacher, so that we will never give up hope in times of struggle and challenges, but ready to carry the cross of humble and selfless service with Christ. By so doing, we find ourselves!
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment