“By what authority are you doing these things? — Matthew 21:23
SPEAK OUT ANYWAY
“What
you will do is not right,” I told my friends who were about to cut
classes to watch a movie. The reactions I got were some laughs and
stares as if they were saying, “Killjoy! Who are you to lecture us? You
are not our parents.”
In a statement, the Pope said that same-sex marriage is a threat to the
future of humanity. He was branded as a homophobic. His authority was
criticized with comments like, “The leader of the Catholic Church is not
in tune with the times. He is discriminating against homosexuals. He
has no right to say that. If that is where they will be happy, he has no reason to criticize and say it is wrong.”
It is hard to justify yourself to people whose perspective of right or wrong changes with the season, with what’s in or what’s out.
We live in a very relativistic society. Ultimately, the future of humanity will rest on God and on God alone. He is the standard by which everything will be measured.
When you speak out about things that are against God’s will, you will
encounter resistance that will question your authority. Speak out
anyway. God is on your side. Jun Asis
1ST READING
The
joy of the promise of eternal life is something that should not only
give us hope, but strengthen us in our commitment to live lives worthy
of such a reward. I am not saying that we have to earn eternal life, as
that is impossible. However, we should do everything within our power to
show God that we appreciate the gift He offers us.
Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17
2 When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, 4 the
utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High
knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes
unveiled: 5 How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel. 6 They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the Lord. 7 His wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within reach; his king shall rise higher and his royalty shall be exalted. 15 Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, 16 the
utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High
knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured and with eyes
unveiled. 17 I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.
P S A L M
Psalm 25:4-5, 6, 7, 8-9
R: Teach me your ways, O Lord.
4 Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. (R) 8 Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R)
GOSPEL
Jesus
is not interested in an argument that He knows will have no conclusive
end. Thus, He stops the chief priests in their tracks when He counters
their question with one He knows they will not answer because they will
be caught in whatever answer they give. There are times when we should
leave questions alone, especially when it is easy to see that no good
will come of the argument.
Matthew 21:23-27
23 When
Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders
of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what
authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus
said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer
it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Where
was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They
discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly
origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So
they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
REFLECTION
WHOSE AUTHORITY?
Someone once asked me by what way do I exercise power — by way of love
or domination? At first, I thought it was a weird question to ask but
then I found myself reflecting. Yes, I do have authority as a priest,
but how do I exercise this power?
Jesus always seemed to be in trouble with the authorities of the day. He
was never at rest from their complaints and suspicions of His power.
Whenever they were in contact with Jesus, they were forever seeking to
catch Him out for a quick arrest so as to be done with Him. They hated
Him and His ways; they detested the sight of Him. As we near Christmas,
we are reminded of Him who came as light, yet His own would not accept
Him.
In one way or another, each of us has power — power to dominate or power to love. We find this power at play in teachers, parents, professionals, work
colleagues, friends and acquaintances. The question of the elders in
today’s Gospel is meant to be a test to Jesus — to catch Him out on what
He might say. He replies to their test by way of counter questioning — a
popular Rabbinic trait. Since they cannot answer a question concerning
the baptism ministry of John, how much more will they misunderstand the
authority of Jesus? The same arguments they put in reply to Jesus’
question is the same they will place on the part of Jesus’ authority. In
the end, they will be going against God or against the popular response
of the people. They themselves become trapped in their own testing.
Life is often full of misunderstandings. The Cross and Resurrection are
a total misunderstanding on the part of the disciples. The same goes
for Christmas. This third week of Advent, we are leading up to the
greatest mystery of God becoming man. Jesus is the One sent by the
Father to be our sacrifice. In a
beautiful way, St. John of the Cross states that God has spoken His
final word in the sending of His Son. He has nothing else to say. God the Father bestows on Him authority, power and wisdom. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
"Lord, I believe that You are the Son of God. Rule over my life and save me from my sin. Amen."
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