Mk 11:27-33 By Whose Authority Do You Do These Things

In our first reading St. Jude tells us,
"Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear..."

As we walk in faith, in prayer for help from the Holy Spirit, in Love with the Lord, and follow the precepts of the Christian life, we show mercy and love to others.  In the Gospel today the scribes and Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus in his teachings of love and mercy: those ways of healing.  They ask him by whose authority he does these things.  He tells them that he will give the answer if they can answer whether John's baptism was heavenly or divine.  In the end, they understand that Jesus' works come from the Father in Heaven, but cannot admit it.

Jesus' words and actions lead to eternal life.  He has given us the Spirit as our advocate to guide us toward that life.  May we always show love and mercy to others even in difficult times, and seek understanding and have compassion across cultures, seeking always to find Christ in others. 

Mark 1: 21-28 Voice of Authority

In the Gospel today we are told that Jesus "taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes."  That is a strong statement.  The scribes had the legal authority of leadership over the people.  Jesus is not like them.  His authority is authentic because he is God the Son.  He is wisdom itself. Where they scribes rule with fear and punishment, he rules with peace, love and justice.  Because he is God, we have a duty of obedience to him.  Even the demonic spirit recognizes that, and even names Jesus, "The Holy One of God!"  At the Lord's command the spirit left the possessed man. 

May we ask ourselves whom we take as our supreme authority.  Is it man, or God who instills man with authority to lead?  May we "receive the word of God, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God." (1 Thes. 2:13)  May our hearts look to God the ruler of all and adhere to His laws as citizens of the Kingdom of God first, and then those of our own lands as is illustrated in today's Gospel.  Amen.

Addendum:  I was reminded this morning of the strong correlation between today's scribes and how their modern counterpart are today's managers and administrators.  The business world can sometimes seem like a cold an cut-throat place where the person is often times ignored.  In light of that today's Gospel may be a wake-up call, or a challenge to remember those people that we work with are people with thoughts and feelings too, not the automatons that we sometimes take them for.

Matthew 21:28-32

As a parent many of us have children who when we ask them to do something will hem and haw before finally going off to fulfill the task required.   We ourselves are probably guilty of it at one time or another.  It is because we want to accomplish our own will, but when a parent, someone with authority asks us to do something, we have to set aside our own will and be humble enough to do their will before our own.  Jesus is telling us that when we who are regularly prone to sin humble ourselves to do God's will before our own, then we have the possibility of entering into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Woe to those who lie to the Father though and say they will do his will, then do their own.