HAVING AUTHORITY IS A LOVING-SERVICE

December 7, 2024 – Saturday First Week of Advent

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120724.cfm)

To exercise authority gives us the opportunity and capacity to serve others. This is how we understand “authority” in Christian perspective. This means that when we have authority over other people, this does not give us the right to belittle or put people down just because we have power over them. Having authority is not even about overpowering others where it is easy for us to manipulate and control others for our own benefit.

In any community, organization or even in our workplaces, when we are given authority, it is rather meant to give us the ability to empower others and to facilitate the community for productivity, growth and maturity.

Jesus in today’s Gospel also “gave authority” to his twelve disciples. And the authority he has given to them has two functions.

First, to drive out unclean spirits that terrifies and imprisons people. Second, to cure every disease and every illness of the people to whom they were sent. Through the authority given by Jesus to the Twelve disciples, the Lord gave them the opportunity and capacity to serve others by setting people free and bringing healing to the sick.

The Gospel tells us now that authority is a gift. It is given to us as an opportunity and giving us the capacity to serve others and not to serve ourselves or to serve those who are only close to us.

Thus, exercising authority is a form of loving-service. And we will know that it is a loving-service when in exercising authority it sets people free, inspires freedom, brings healing and creates a space for growth and maturity to people around us.

Yet, let us also remember, when authority is used as a means to serve oneself by manipulating, controlling and overpowering others, then, authority discourages and oppresses people just like unclean spirits or demons would do.

Moreover, in this case, authority becomes cause of divisions, wounds and toxicity in our community or organization just like a disease or illness would bring suffering to a person.

Thus, Jesus calls us today that as we exercise authority in our own context and life-situations whether at home, at work or in our communities and organizations, we may always be able to inspire freedom, to allow others to be free and become agents of healing and growth. Hinaut pa.