A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
It was a stormy night at sea and a large battleship saw a light at a distance and that light was directly on the ship’s course. The captain of the ship was alerted and had a radio message sent out: “Light up ahead, bear 10 degrees south”. The captain received the reply, “Sir, it’s better that you bear 10 degrees north.” The Captain grew furious and got on the radio and yelled, “I am Captain James Smith, the Captain of the largest battleship ….you hear me….and by the way, who are you and what is your rank?”. He got a reply from the other end “Sir this is simple. My name is Vicky from the light house in the Baker’s Island”.
The captain of the largest battleship gave the false sense of absolute authority while the person working in the light house was authoritative enough since she was on the side of ‘truth and reality.’
All the readings this weekend make us reflect on authority. Every one of us exercises authority in some ways like as head of the family, the leader of a group or community, the owner of a business firm etc..
Actually, authority buds from credibility and genuineness and not from assigned position. Jesus enters a synagogue in Capernaum not as a popular preacher of the time. If he was simply a popular preacher, when he saw the man with unclean spirit screaming, he would have asked the security team to remove that person out of the synagogue. Rather, he sees himself as the person of real authority who would bring healing to him and so rebukes the evil spirit (not the person).
The authority of a promised prophet comes from the Lord Himself not from the person holding the position as prophet (first reading). When someone takes the authority from the Lord himself, the person will have to serve him with undivided unity of body and spirit (second reading) meaning a total surrender to the Lord in prime place. Fame or popularity are the jockeys of Satan which Jesus rejects sternly, rebukes him and orders to come out of him.
Let us become the real authorities of Jesus himself and use our authority to serve in humility!
God bless,
Fr. Jay Raju
- I Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
- II Reading: 1Corinthians 7:32-35
- Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
