From the Pastor's Desk | January 28, 2024

Gospel Reflection

In last week’s Gospel, recall that Jesus commanded us to both repent and believe in the Good News.  This week, we see in our readings a theme of listening.  In the first reading from the end of chapter eighteen in the book of Deuteronomy, God promises to send a prophet to speak on His behalf.  Moses speaks of himself as a prophet for indeed he is, speaking on the Lord’s behalf, but a future prophet is also promised.  The nations around them listen to seers, magicians, and the like, but Israel is to listen to the Lord.  In the responsorial psalm we prayed, ‘if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts’.  In the Gospel, Jesus enters the synagogue and teaches the people.  Teaching is done through speaking.     

But there’s another word that might get overlooked in today’s Gospel - authority.  Jesus spoke with authority, and His authority was proven as even the unclean spirits obeyed Him.  Just as we are called to both repent and believe in the Gospel, we are also called to not only listen but to listen and receive what we have heard through the authority of the Lord.  Jesus is Lord.  The very meaning of the word lord is someone having power and authority.    

We tend to cringe at the word authority.  We cringe at the word authority, especially in America, as authority is eschewed.  Rather, individual autonomy or the idea that we are an authority unto ourselves are the philosophies that we’ve really been brought up in culturally.  We’ve learned this idea of freedom of indifference, that is the freedom to choose for ourselves; that we have the authority to choose the ‘yes’ or the ‘no’ of any given question.  And, that is certainly the case.  We do have that kind of freedom.  God has even given us that freedom.  Salvation, however, comes only from dying a Christian.  And, to call ourselves Christian means that we submit to the authority of Jesus Christ. 

So often we selectively listen.  In other words, we hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest.  To be Christian, however, means that we listen to the totality of the Gospel and not only listen, but listen in such a way that the message takes hold of us with authority.  Christ’s authority is like the authority of a father.  Our Father in heaven is a good father who never asks us to do anything He wouldn’t first do Himself.  We can point to the cross as the prime example.  Christ, the God-man, took up the cross as the obedient Son (Phil. 2:8).  Anyone who wishes to follow Christ and call themselves Christian must first deny themselves, take up their crosses daily, and follow Him (Mat. 16:24).    

In contrast to freedom of indifference is a radically different kind of freedom - freedom for excellence.  Freedom for excellence is the disciplining of our own desires and will so that the good can first become possible in us and then effortless.  Take, for example, someone learning to play golf.  He has the freedom to go to the golf course and swing the club any way he wants.  He will likely not play very well.  It is when he disciplines his own desires and will and submits to the authority of an instructor that the skill of playing golf well will become possible.  Through repeated practice and instruction, it will become more effortless.  The same holds true in the spiritual life.  We must discipline our desires and will to the authority of Christ so that the good can become possible within us and then effortless.  Christ’s authority is most manifest in the here and now through His Church.    
 

As we pray this week, let us pray to humbly listen to the totality of the Gospel and submit to the authority of Christ. 

Know of my prayers for you all!    

Fr. Ryan