Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
The scriptural readings for today focus on the notion of authority. This is an interesting subject to reflect upon precisely because our society is becoming increasingly distrustful of many traditional forms of authority. In many instances, “authority” seems to mean the domination of the will, as the power of one person (or small group of people) coerces the wills of other people for arbitrary reasons. In our world, we often encounter the misuse of authority and so we may view all authority through this lens. Today’s scriptural readings can perhaps help us to better appreciate the enduring importance of authority and the great responsibility that authority brings with it.
The verse that opens the First Reading (Jude 17) invokes the authority of the apostles of Jesus, whom He had commissioned to preach the Gospel to the whole world. The implication of the rest of the passage (Jude 20b-25) is that their “words” help us to grow in holiness and that this holiness informs how we relate to others. As a result of our receiving the apostolic tradition, we are shown how to grow into a relationship with the Persons of the Trinity. As a result of this relationship with God, we are able to have mercy on others and, through this mercy, to lead them from condemnation. The passage closes with a reminder that all things, including both authority and holiness, are dependant upon God. They are both relational (holiness is a proper relationship with God; authority is a relationship in which one is obligated to direct and aide others) and possession of each also entails great responsibility for others.
The Gospel passage (Mark 11:27-33) is even more clearly about authority than the First Reading. As He returns to Jerusalem, Jesus is being questioned by “the local authorities” about His own authority and He responds with a question, asking them what authority they believe that John the Baptist had. Rather than discuss the merits of John’s ministry, they argue amongst themselves about how their response will give Jesus an upper hand in the debate. Their refusal to provide an answer to His question reflects the sort of ambivalence with which they received both John’s baptisms and Jesus’ ministry. It also shows that they were failing in their responsibilities to provide the leadership that their people needed and so broke apart the relationship between responsibility and authority. Although John had died a martyr (and so has taken his call for righteousness to its ultimate conclusion), they were still unable to acknowledge that John’s message stemmed from a responsibility that he accepted rather than a power he sought to exercise.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps. 63) puts all of this into perspective. Our souls thirst for God, and He is that which we seek. He is the source of all goodness, kindness, glory, power, and authority. We seek Him because He is our fulfillment. God is not out to dominate and control us but to love and teach us. This is the same pattern of authority that Jesus taught his apostles and that they taught to their followers. This is the type of authority that we are still called to exercise in our own lives, as parents, teachers, government officials, business managers, etc. Following the example of Jesus means that our own many exercises of authority must be based in love and responsibility, not power and domination. It also means that our attitude to authority need not be entirely uncritical (for Jesus is willing to argue with his opponents in this passage) but that it must also be ultimately based in acceptance of the will of God, trust in His goodness, and hope that those with authority over us are guiding us responsibly.
- Mat Minix