Tuesday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Readings: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11 & Luke 4: 31 – 37
Reflection Date: August 31, 2021
In the progressive ministry of Jesus, the distinctive mark of every activity of Jesus was that of authority. His authority was not like that of the Pharisees, Scribes, or other religious leaders. Jesus' authority was liberative in nature. Jesus' power comes from His divine origin and mandate.
Jesus was convincing because He lived an authentic life. Nobody could accuse Him of hypocrisy and hidden motives. Jesus' authority comes from His altruism: He never entertained selfish interests, but only the well-being of others. Jesus' authority comes from His determination: no attractions of the world could induce Him to sin, no arguments could alter His decision to obey His Father, and no power on earth could subdue the power of His great love.
Moreover, what is there about His word? The people ask this about Jesus. The word of Jesus is powerful. It is not only manifestative, describing what is happening. It is performative; it makes things happen and brings about what it says. Jesus in the above passage commands the unclean spirit to come out of the man, and the unclean spirit goes out of Him. Jesus speaks with authority. His word has divine power.
This is the Jesus who is present in our hearts through faith, the Jesus who is in our midst when two or three of us gather in His name, the Jesus who is present in every Eucharist and whom we receive in Holy Communion. When we receive Him, let us say with trust: "only say the word, and I will be healed."
By drawing strength from the strength of Jesus, who is the source of all authority, let us live our lives with courage, conviction, and commitment and thereby carry out our activities with authority. Let us trust in Jesus' word and do His word.
Joseph Cardozo SJ | Contributor
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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