Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 21, 23-27
When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet.”
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
God is our authority
1. Authority. We all know people who guide us with authority, giving examples with their life and testimony. These people are leaders who, with their authority, help you make progress in life, they nourish you without putting you down. But there is also authoritarianism, a false kind of authority, that we’re all tempted to exercise. If we’re authoritarian, we distance ourselves from others rather than being at their side in the path of life. This is something that can happen both at work and at home, with members of our family. Authority is a gift of God. If you’re responsible for someone, you must pray for that person and entrust him or her to God, because it depends on you that the other person may grow and learn how to live fully.
2. ‘We do not know’. There are times when we reply exactly the same way in crucial moments or difficult situations as we do in irrelevant ones. We avoid deciding because we don’t care, or we don’t want to take risks, focusing more on our own convenience than on the truth. Instead of defending the truth and enlightening life through it, we might even turn our values around or change our convictions. It’s important to go back to your true self, to the integrity of your intentions – that’s God’s will. Don’t get carried away by comments or your own convenience, stick to the truth and behave accordingly, because over time the truth always comes to light and puts things in order.
3. Say. The art of being wise is the ability to know when to say something. The key to this is not hiding or altering the truth but having the ability to say things at the correct moment and with the appropriate prudence. There are probably many people around you who praise you when things go well, but they can turn their back on you in difficult times. Ask the Holy Ghost to inspire you how to act on every occasion and say things at the right moment. Anyone who falls can rise, but in the heart of a Christian, rising is done with strength and joy, not with resentment and malice.
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
