AUTHORITY TO HEAL AND CAST OUT EVIL
Jesus´ authority and power are one to heal the broken humanity and to cast out evil in all its form of existence either as demonic possessions, satanic influences, powers, and principalities in the low and high places. As well as to restore integrity and dignity in decent living through his teaching and preaching.
Sadly, authority and power are the two most abusive words in our time and over the ages. Not only in socio-political cum cultural and economic arena but also in a religious setting. They are also in practical and concrete terms the exercise of power and authority in abusive ways by those who possess them.
Authority in any form is the ability of one to posse empathetic influence over others that makes them carry out his or her will or interest willingly and gladly without coercion. While power is the ability to force or coerce or impose on others his or her bidding in an unwilling manner. If we go by the established definitions of power and authority. It is obvious Jesus’ actions and words of healing, preaching and teaching were all based on authority. While his casting out demons and evil spirits that menace human was based on power to subdue them.
However, it is also clear that many so-called leaders today whether in the religious or political or any other sphere of human life are have no authority but only power. Hence, there are a lot of manipulations and abuses of their power to dominate, abuse and control followers against their will and wishes.
OUR THEME
The readings of this 4th Sunday in ordinary time invite us to examine the concept of power and authority and how we use this God-given power and authority to influence, help, save or serve others. It also affirms that all power and authority are from God and they are given for a purpose. That is, to influence positively others, to serve with dignity, to extend goodness, healing, and restoration of health of the sick, and above all to expose and to cast away the power of evil.
Our power and authority are inherent in the choices we make concerning our vocations and state of living. The Christian power and authority can be lived in matrimonial, consecrated life as well as in a single state.
FIRST READING DEUTERONOMY 18:15-20
After the people of Israel have a great fear of encountering God and his divine majesty directly. They requested through God´s servant Moses an intermediary between them and God. In God´s opinion, it is one of the correct requests of his people. So Moses predicts to them the coming of a future prophet greater than himself.
A prophet who will act and speak based on the divine power and authority given to him by God nothing more and nothing less. Since his actions and word will hold to account his listeners. As well as himself if he derivate from the truth or acts or speaks falsely in God´s name.
Therefore, the prophet´s power and authority are divinely bestowed on him to act and speak in God´s name.
In Psalm 94, the psalmist invites us to hark to the voice of the Lord through prophetic authority and power in the daily ministration of God´s word and God´s name. He acclaims “If today, you hear his voice, harden not your hearts”.
SECOND READING 1 CORINTHIANS 7:32-35
On the theme of vocation: marriage, celibacy, or singleness of life. St. Paul promotes celibacy, to focus one’s undivided attention to the Lord over the martial state. This reference is not based on any form of discrimination against martial life. It has two unchallenged facts.
1. The single celibate state is a prefigured or anticipated eschatological life of the blessed in heaven. Where there will be no marriage or procreation because decadence, corruption and death have no place.
2. It is a state of undivided commitment to God and service to humanity. Our best of service and dedication can never be when we are divided into attention. This is one of the age-long answers to celibate life of the catholic priesthood and religious life. It is a state of freedom to serve humanity and dedication of one wholly and entirely to God.
Concretely, this is not only a catholic celibacy thing but something of any man or woman who wants to give in their best to the realization of their vocation or profession at one point or the other. They usually sacrifice the divided attention of martial life. John the Baptist did it, Jesus Christ lived and even Paul himself did it.
In history, many men and women renounced marital life to ascertain the best of their services to humanity or a cause: warriors, athletics, scientists, and individuals.
In all, in Paul´s view like Jesus’ celibacy is a gift of God to those who can. As Jesus will declare in Matthew 19: 12, “For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother’s womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it”.
THE GOSPEL: MARK 1:21-28
At the beginning of Jesus´s public ministry, his power and authority made a lasting impression on people with his way of teaching, preaching, and healing. Something different from the Jewish religious authority of his time.
Why?
a. His teaching and preaching were based on the good news at inspires to live on, fight on while that of the Scribes, Pharisees and others were threats and punishments- bound to kill moral and give-in to fear.
b. It was to proclaim liberty to the captives, a set free spirit, body, and mental slavery while theirs were guilt-bound mentally and oppressive ritualistically to many dos and don’ts.
c. It was to heal and restore sanity and wholeness of spirit, soul, mind, and body while theirs was segregation, isolations, blameworthy, and torment to conscience and human weaknesses.
d. It was targeted at releasing or freeing people from the unnecessary yoke and heavy burden of life, from abuse and oppression while theirs were to enslave, overburden, or abuse rights and dignity in the name of God or religion.
e. It was a declaration of goodness, positivity, grace, favour, and dignity to his hearers or listeners while theirs were of condemnation, negativity, exploitations and admonitions for the worse in life. It a demonization of everything to keep control and relevance.
f. His power and authority were to identify, quieten and expel evil, demons, and Satan not to empower or embolden them through diabolic consciousness as if they are more powerful than God.
g. His power and authority were not fame-seeking oriented but that became famous after an empathetic authority and power in teaching, preaching and healing over the human brokenness of life.
The ability of Jesus to make an empathetic impact on the lives of the people of his time through his power and authority made a paradigm shift as well as a dichotomy between him and the existing religious authority and power before him.
In like manner, the survival of Christianity, Christians, Christian authority, power, and influence in modern times is also based on how different they are exercising their power, authority and influence before the world. Any form of authority or power abuse will not only have a ripple effect like the French revolution and the death of religion and God. It will also result in deep indifference among modern and lack of consequential influence on the world and vital issues affecting the human race.
OUR POWER AND AUTHORITY
Today, there is a profound growing rejection of institutionalized religion and the church due to long ages of abusive power and authority as well as emerging scandals. The only hope for Christians and Christianity is to learn the Jesus’ approach to power and authority to serve, save and to help fix the broken humanity. The ideal of religious impunity to abuses and exploitations of the people in the name of God or the “touched not my anointed” is far eroding. Equally, the idea of religious figures should be fearful revered as classical clericalism is also fading away.
Yet, people look for sanity, integrity, dignity, decency and respect in how religious figures use their power and authority to empathetically relate, connect and feel for the world. This is Jesus´ ministerial approach that made a different and lasting impression on the people of his time.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, during your public ministry you went everywhere doing good things: preaching God´s word, teaching goodness and grace, healing the sick, and casting out evil. Help us to know and internalize that our religious impact depends highly on how we use our God-given power and authority to make a difference in our occupied corner of the world empathically as you did and still continue to do through us. Amen!
