What Authority?

Scripture/Bible:  And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" 29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me." 31 And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But shall we say, 'From men'?" - they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." Mark 11:27-33

Reflection:  We sometimes see lay or itinerant preachers proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God and many of them doing an excelled job. Seeing them we often wonder; by what authority do they go about the work they do.

In the questioning by the Chief priests, scribes and the elders, the highest of authorities in the Jewish power structure that we can think of, we realize that there is more than one type of authority.

In the reply that Jesus gives these men in authority he is revealing to us the two kinds of authority which seem to have some degree of validity.

• The Divine authority      

• The Human authority 

The Divine is God appointed and is ordered towards his glory. It is for humans, especially men in authority to recognize it, encourage and order it towards a particular goal.  It is a responsibility enjoined on them, as men in authority, lest they have God’s wrath coming on them on account of their rejection of God’s mercy and love imbued through such an anointed presence.  

The human authority functions on the basis of democratic deliberations, debates and reflections and God to some extent respects the fruit of such deliberations, if it is ordered on right moral and sound doctrinal principles.

The unfortunate part of the whole situation, as we see in today’s gospel, is this; people recognize God’s action through discernment and the authorities fail to see and recognize God’s action in their midst. 

Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Luke 18:8 Leave aside authorities, will we recognize the prophets and anointed ones of God in our midst as the ordinary people did in Jesus' time?

Prayer: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" Matt 21:9

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Be Fruitful

Scripture/Bible:  And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard it. …. 20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, "Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered." 22 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:11-14, 20-25

Reflection:  When Jesus died on the cross, he cried out aloud expressing his thirst. Many interpretations have been given to this thirst.

What then shall we say of his hunger and more so when it doesn’t spare a fig tree which doesn’t produce its fruit, more so when it is not its season.

The one hunger that God has for his chosen ones is that one bears much fruit, (Jn. 15: 8) and in all seasons.

May be it was unimaginable at one time to think of seasonal fruits being produced in all seasons. But with modern innovations in the field of biotechnology all things are possible.

Similarly, there is no reason why the disciples shouldn’t bear fruit in all seasons to satisfy the master’s hunger, which ultimately has our good in mind.

He provides the right soil of faith through prayer and word so that we bear fruit in all seasons; even if it is not the season to bear fruit. That’s the great miracle soil Christ has produced in himself and shares it with us. He is that eternal oil in us through the presence of his Holy Spirit, whose flame shouldn’t die unless we are foolish virgins.(Mt. 25:1-13)

Prayer: Lord, may I be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in all seasons, and its leaf does not wither. In all that I do, I prosper. Ps 1:3

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Instrument of Holy Spirit

Scripture/Bible: In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechari'ah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." Luke 1:39-56

Reflection:  The great feast of Pentecost is over and we are back to our old grind. I do not know what impact the feast may have made to many of us.  How did we celebrate? Did the Holy Spirit have some remembrance in our life?

But primary to that, we need to ask ourselves this; does the Holy Spirit have any place in our lives. We may have been baptized in the Holy Spirit at baptism and many of us may have welcomed the great gifts of the Holy Spirit while receiving the sacrament of confirmation.  Some of us may even have a devotion to the Holy Spirit.

A right attitude towards the Holy Spirit, and allowing him room in our lives, makes us instruments of him. We cannot be overflowing vessels, like Mary, when the Holy Spirit is quenched, grieved or stagnating, as most Catholics do. (1Thes. 5:19; Eph. 4:30).

In today’s Gospel text Mary was an ideal instrument through whom the Holy Spirit overflowed with life on to Elizabeth and the John the Baptist.

The Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may have abundant life (Jn. 10:10) and also share in the very life of God (1Jn. 1:3). It is an invitation for us creatures to live as children of God by accepting Jesus as our Lord and master. (Jn. 1:12)

Finally, the Holy Spirit is given us to bear witness to Christ Jesus who makes all this possible and this witnessing is aimed at inviting others too into this fellowship with God and with one another. (1Jn. 1)

It is not a human agenda of pure fellowship with each other or building of pure human communities.

Prayer:  Eternal and faithful God, may we who are called into the fellowship of your Son Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, never cease to grow in him as Mary did. (cfr. Col. 1:9)

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Glory

Scripture/Bible:  And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; 34 and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." Mark 10:32-34

Reflection:  The normal human tendency is to ignore the stark reality when one experiences a moment of glory. In such situations one is rarely willing to face that which is imminent.

We see a similar situation with the disciples of Jesus.  The situation of these disciples was that of denying what Jesus was communicating to them.

Looking at the situation in today’s gospel; we find that there was amazement and fear in the air about the people who were around Jesus. This was on account of the move towards Jerusalem. 

Jesus must have been to Jerusalem on many occasions but this moment was different, there was something about this Jesus. There seem to be a bent of mind, a resolve, a sense of mission and, specifically, a sense of awe about him and the people seem to have observed it. There could have been the special presence of the glory of God, like the one that went with the Israelites when they were walking towards the Promised Land.

Jesus, had to take the 12 aside and specifically instruct and admonish them that there was a greater glory in that which he was telling them; viz., “..the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles;  and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." (vs. 33-34)

We see as humans the reality and interpret them according to our ego and pride. We may see greater glory in power and positions, in seeking promotions and better emoluments, in degrees and qualifications and in having fans and followers rather than the drab cross of isolation, rejections, persecutions and trials, the cruel impositions of men on account of one’s faith and belief in Christ.

Remember, it is not merely enduring these trials and troubles that gives glory to God but the faith with which we carry on in such circumstances; the faith of Christ.

Prayer: Lord, I believe that you will supply every need of ours according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (cfr. Phil 4:19)

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Your Reward

Scripture/Bible:  Peter began to say to him, "Lo, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first." Mark 10:28-31

Reflection: For a minute let me put myself in God’s place and listen to human confessions; seemingly even the most sincere fails to meet the standard of sincerity.

Here we seem to have a case of Peter the Apostle who begins to tell Jesus; we have left everything and followed you. 

Peter’s statement seems to be a sincere one, he was sincere to the core and without doubt and Jesus had to believe it.  Did Jesus know what was really in his heart and how in his sincerity Peter was insincere?

If someone else were in Jesus place then they would have told him to his face, “look Peter if you have left everything then leave aside your future prospects too and don’t ask or expect or ask anything.“

And if I had dabbled in some eastern spiritualities then I would have told him; Peter you need to go beyond yourself and beyond everything, just leave your old ways of expecting anything. 

Wait a minute before you jump to conclusions; Peter was not insincere as per the norms of the Kingdom, if you have made your judgement's then know this; to seek a reward from the Lord is a legitimate demand, if there is a legitimate reason for it.  

It is an innate need in humans to work for a goal or a reward.  Let no one defraud you into believing that you should do all things without seeking a reward.

On the other hand, it would be insincere to seek a reward which does not serve the right purpose and which does not help our eternal purposes or if we are seeking it in the wrong person or place. 

But seek the higher reward which Christ Jesus came to give to his chosen and beloved ones in exchange for their faithfulness towards him or let Christ Jesus be the reward you seek; “The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me. Ps 15:5 (Douay-Rheims)

Prayer: "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth." Ps 58:11

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Follow Him

Scripture/Bible:  And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" 20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." Mark 10:17-27

Reflection:  Finally, we have a man, a rich young man, who had all the self confidence of an apparent faith. Though he seemed unsure of eternal life but he seemed very sure of his rights. He seemed sure that he was the child of God and if he followed certain rules and ethics of life he would inherit God’s Kingdom.

The facts that he used the word ‘inherit’ smacks of a certain kind of arrogance based on confidence, sonship and rights.  Only a son or a close relative can seek to inherit and if it is a son then he can demand his share of inheritance, as in the above Gospel text above.

If anyone thought that following the commandments or selling everything is enough to inherit eternal life, then you are wrong.

You have to first acknowledge your true state, which is evil and steeped in sin: “No one is good but God alone.”  (vs. 18)

The rich young man failed to see this element and hence Jesus had to remind him about the commandments he needed to keep; “Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin.” Rom 7:7 And he needed to be reminded of the commandments so that he may know his true worth.

But it made little impact on the man whose conscience failed to show him his defects in the light of God’s perfect law and its limitations. 

For though he seemed to have kept God’s law perfectly, he missed out on the most important commandment which Jesus had not pointed out to him so far; to love the Lord your God with all your heart….……more than your possessions too.

From this we know that the rich young man missed out on that truth which clearly says that we need to love the Lord our God more than our possessions of wealth and money, image and false sense righteousness based on the law. .

Prayer: “Restore us, O God of hosts; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!”  Ps 80:7

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Receive the Holy Spirit

Scripture/Bible:  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." John 20:19-23    

Reflection:  Never before in Biblical history has anything like this happened; a prophet or a holy man breathes on others the Holy Spirit. 

In the Old Testament we have God taking some of the Spirit from Moses to put it on the 70 elders.

In the new Testament we have Mary’s presence and words of greetings, which is not a lone presence but with the divine child in her womb, fills Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and makes the child in her womb leap for Joy; a sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit in John the Baptist.  

In the Gospel text of today we see Jesus breathed on the Apostles the Holy Spirit. 

The interesting fact about the narrative is that this Jesus is the post resurrection Jesus who still breathes.  It reminds one of the first breath of God mentioned in Scripture, when he breathed into Man’s nostril the breath of life and man becomes a living being. (Gen.  2:7)    

The living human being is no longer living; “For the wages of sin is death.” Rom 6:23 And “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom 3:23

God needs to once again breathe into that nostril of man and make him alive and this is exactly what Jesus does to his disciples.

His disciples are going to do it too and one way they will do it is through the ministry of forgiveness in every form; “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

Therefore the sacrament of reconciliation which is the pastoral grace available to the faithful is an ideal opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit and to remain in that grace.

Prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”  Ps 51:10-11

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