4th Sunday Ordinary Time 28 January 2024 Authority
Unlike the Scribes He taught them with authority. (Gospel Mk 1,22)
Authority comes from the same word as Author.
The author of a book has authority over whatever goes in that book. He can make characters live or die, be old or young, and he controls the outcome of the story.
God has written a book, we might say, and we are the characters in it, though in our case we are not fictitious; we actually exist.
The characters on the page have taken on a life of their own.
And we do not always obey the Author. In fact we question Him and argue with Him, and for many people there is a long-term alienation from God.
For His part, He persists with the work He has begun. He will not be deflected from His purpose. He came to save, and save He will.
I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (Jn 10,10).
He created us to love Him and so that He could love us. He wants to share what He has.
God has created many types of creatures. Of them all only humans and angels have the power to address God directly, with full comprehension
We do not understand all the mysteries of God, but we can at least grasp His existence and its significance for us.
It is always going to be better for us if we accept His authority and work with it, rather than against it. This is because He knows so much better than we do the best way forward.
The whole story of salvation is of people going this way and that, some coming, some going.
If I go my own way I am putting my script over God’s; but I do not have His authority, only wishing I had.
It is a great privilege to relate to Him regarding His plans. We are not just pawns on the board; we have a voice.
We cannot use our voices to overrule God but we can become more familiar with His ways of working, and facilitate the flow of His grace and mercy in all directions.
The Jews of Our Lord’s time did not believe in His divinity thinking him just another human, subject to God. Admittedly it must have taken a while to sink in, as the idea of God living among us was so strange at the time.
He can do it if He wants. Some will say it is impossible that God could become Man, but not if He decides to do it. If He is God then of course He can change things, or intervene, in any way He likes.
He did not make arbitary changes, acting on a whim. He always knew exactly what He was doing, and what each situation required. He was working to the Master plan, which was mainly about salvation – winning souls, turning the hearts and minds of people to worship and obedience to the one true God.
Does God's book have a happy ending? We have some say in that. If we let Him work His wonders upon us and through us we will experience great happiness in this life and more again in eternity.
It just needs enough humility that we will remember our created status. We are not gods ourselves, only people looking for God.
He will help us to find Him and then to work in a creative partnership whereby we are both part of the story and also helping to write that story.
We participate in our own salvation and can help others find their place in the same narrative.
This is a strange teaching, perhaps, but it has authority behind it. Its Author is Truth itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment