December 13, Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a & Matthew 21:23-27
"By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?" It is good to try to learn to understand AUTHORITY thoroughly. A person with authority is not to be someone who exercises power over others by force. Exercising genuine authority is not to control but to be an agent in releasing the potential in the people, to be the one who empowers the others. Jesus did not exercise His Authority forcefully. He invites the people to follow Him. He came to serve, not to be served. He came to give His life. He came to lead people into the full development of all they could be and they should be.
His washing of His disciples' feet is an act of authority beyond the worldly authority's understanding. It is the authority of outreaching love. It rests on one's own decision whether to follow the way of Love or to go one's own way.
Many worldly people in power try to extend their authority as if the world will collapse without their management. Authority, especially dictatorship, is the worst that leads the people to be in poverty, sadness, lack of future in people's lives that is hard to eliminate.
"The choice of the political regime and the appointment of rulers are left to the free decision of the citizens" (CCC 1901). It is always expected that the authority serves the legitimate good of the communities. "Regimes whose nature is contrary to the natural law and the fundamental rights of the persons cannot achieve the common good of the nations." (CCC 1901).
Every human community needs authority to endure and develop. All of us are expecting and praying that authority should always be giving priority to the common good that consists of respect for and promotion of the person's fundamental rights, prosperity, and the development of the spiritual and temporal good of society. It is the role of the State and each one of us should create and support institutions that improve the condition of human life.
As parents, teachers, employers, or in any capacity where we have responsibility for others, how do we exercise authority in our own lives?
May the glorious intercession of the Virgin and Martyr Saint Lucy give us a new heart. Amen.
According to our states of life, we all have our YES or Vows or Promises. We are called to be true to our YES.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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