(Audio)
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority
Jesus gave the Twelve a special kind of authority. He gave the keys to Peter and the power of binding and loosing to him and those the others in union with him. This power, this Apostolic authority persists in our day in the bishops of the Church. But the authority of which he spoke here in today's Gospel reading is different. It is authority in which we all share by virtue of our baptism, wherein we are made, priests, prophets, and in particular for our purposes, kings and queens.
The authority about which Jesus spoke was not specifically for governance, not like the seat of Moses on which the Pharisees sat and commanded. It was authority for the mission of the Church, "over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness". It was authority to clear away obstacles and to provide evidence for the proclamation "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand".
We are meant to "reign in life" (see Romans 5:17). The authority we are given is precisely the power we need to "not let sin reign" (see Romans 6:12) in our mortal bodies nor in the world. Kings in the Old Testament were anointed with oil. It is the Holy Spirit, power from on high, that anoints us in the Kingdom of God.
We are often afraid to go on mission. We know that our own Church has many lost sheep and that the world at large feels lost and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd. They are longing for what we have been given. They are starving while we bury our gifts in the yard in fear. But this is not optional, not something we can leave for professionals if it makes us uncomfortable.
They are more perfectly bound to the Church by the sacrament of Confirmation, and the Holy Spirit endows them with special strength so that they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith, both by word and by deed, as true witnesses of Christ (see Lumen Gentium 11).
If we feel unequipped to evangelize we need to study this anointed authority we have been given until we become confident in it. We need to practice it by taking authority over the lies of the devil, starting in our own thoughts. We need to be open to using it even in the world at large, when things are clearly opposed to God's Kingdom. But we must proceed with some caution. The authority we possess is not some arbitrary power. Rather, he is a person. We cannot just push against the darkness with human strength or enginuity. It is through prayer that opens us to the Holy Spirit that the true power from on high can flow through us into the world.
We say we're afraid that we're unequipped. But what if we're really afraid of just how well equipped we are? Perhaps the responsibility that comes with that power makes us nervous. This fear is a good lie to start with, to take authority over, and to cast down. The LORD has good plans for us and promised to never abandon or forsake us. If anything, mission is going to be high adventure, the most rewarding thing we can do in this life.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
It is all too easy to try to enjoy the benefits of our faith for ourselves alone, and from there to forget the source of these benefits.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars he set up.
But it is the measure in which we give that we receive (see Mark 4:24). If we don't let the living water flow it will dry up. But if we do open to it, even a little, the LORD will more than match our response. He will do more than we can ask or imagine.
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