“Behold, I have given
you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of
the enemy and nothing will harm you”
(Lk. 10:20). This was the response of Jesus
to the seventy-two on their return from their mission in today’s Gospel. He reminded
them that the power to succeed was given them from above. They should rejoice not
because of their accomplishments, but because it pleased the Father to count
them among his chosen ones. Whatever we are, whoever we are and whatever we
have archived is not by our own making but a gift from God above.
Today,
Jesus reminds us that we are called to share his power. He has entrusted this
power to us. The power to give peace to the world: “Into whatever house you
enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household’” (Lk.10:8). In the midst of our
woes and vicissitude, we are empowered to bring peace, succor, harmony,
concord, sympathy and empathy to the world. The power that Christ has gifted us
with is enormous indeed. We are empowered to bring goodness to the world, to
offer forgiveness to our enemies, bring bread of life to those who are spiritually
weak, the real bread to the hungry, words of consolation to weary hearts and
healing to the sick.
But
how can we be so empowered and yet feel so powerless? How can we be entrusted with
so much while we feel so helpless? Little wonder why we are easily intimidated
by the known and the unknown forces; for we do not know and find it difficult
to recognize the power that we have. Could it be that we doubt the source of
our power! The Sacrament of Baptism empowers us to become God’s adopted
children and his ambassadors. The Holy Eucharist empowers us to feed the hungry
with the bread of life. The Sacrament of Confirmation confers on us the right
to be God’s messengers of truth and defenders of the faith to the point of
shedding our blood. In the Sacrament of Penance, we are given the power to share
in the forgiving power of God, to acknowledge our sins, confess them and
receive God’s mercy and forgiveness. “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it
is withheld” (Jn. 20:23). The Sacrament of Holy Orders confers on the
ministerial priesthood the power to change ordinary bread and wine into the
body and blood of Christ through the process of transubstantiation. Through the
Sacrament of Holy Matrimony couples are empowered and invited to taste the
union and bliss of the Blessed Trinity and bring forth a family of love,
justice and peace in the world. Finally, the Sacrament of the Sick prepares us
to have a recovery and a wholistic healing from sickness or be admitted into
the presence of God our Father to behold his beatific vision. “Is anyone among
you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray
over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of
faith will save the sick person, and they Lord will raise him up. If he has
committed any sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:14-15). Through the power of preaching
the Word “Even the devils are subject to us because of your name” (Lk. 10:17). There
is power in the name of Jesus.
The
power Christ gives us is not military power wrought by the brute force of a
gun, or political power achieved through campaigns and demagoguery, lies and
false promises to garner votes and be elected into office, neither is it
authoritative power of dominance or divide and rule strategy that seeks to
dominate and suppress our collective will; it is the power of love, humility
and service. It is the power of limitation and poverty for the sake of the
kingdom; that gives up earthly and worldly things in pursuit of heavenly
realities. “Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money
bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way” (Lk. 10:3). This
power of freedom does not tolerate delays and encumbrances with material
acquisitions: they are hindrances to the spread of the Gospel. To be so
empowered means dying to self and so become a new creature, (Gal. 6:15). It is
only those who enjoy a new mode of existence of love brought about by the cross
of Christ who himself “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28) who are so empowered; and they must
always rejoice and be happy. Our power, so to speak, comes from the freedom of the
Spirit in union with Christ. Dying to
ourselves empowers us to fight our demons, conquer our inordinate desire for
earthly power; fight our personal enemies like avarice, ambition, envy, anger
and pride. We have the promise of Jesus to accomplish this: “I have given you
power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the
enemy” (Lk.10:19-20). Why are we afraid of using the power freely given us by
Christ to dominate the kingdom of the evil one.
On
their return the disciples are delighted at their success but Jesus counsels
them to rejoice rather that their names were written in heaven. Rejoicing at
our success is an indicative of personal glory and achievements. On my own I
can do nothing, but “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13). We are to rejoice, like the children of Israel, in the
first reading, because of what God has done in and through us. Let us pray at
this Mass for the spirit and freedom to give God all the glory. May we respond
to his call to build the kingdom of peace and justice in the world, for “The
Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of
sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor” (Lk.4:18-19). With Psalm 66 let us pray: “Shout joyfully to God,
all the earth, sing praise to the glory of his name; proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!
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