Teaching with Authority

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time   28 January 2018

First reading

Deuteronomy 18: 15-20

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet lie me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-that prophet shall die.”

                

Second reading

1 Corinthians 7: 32-35

I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.

Gospel

Mark 1: 21-28

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching-with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Reflection

by Grace B. Madriñan

"What is this?  A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him." Mark 1: 27

Reading on the verse above, I can’t help but notice how teaching is connected with authority.  Does this mean you can teach without authority?  Looking at a definition of a teacher, a teacher is “someone who helps others to acquire knowledge, competencies or values.  Informally, the role of a teacher may be taken on by anyone”  This means, anyone can teach, but may not necessarily be effective at it.

Therefore, “teaching with authority” means being able to impart knowledge with confidence  and authenticity enough to get the attention of his audience. While others passively hear what the teacher says, his lessons stays with them even after the encounter. 

But how do we teach with authority?  In today’s Gospel, people regard Jesus “as one having authority and not as the scribes”.  Not as the scribes. Unlike the scribes, Jesus do not mince with words, He tells only the truth. He is compassionate. He does not impose unnecessary burden just to seek comfort.  Whatever He teaches, all of it He takes it into life.  There’s no duplicity.

To be a teacher of authority, then, is to be a good model of character and integrity. This is my prayer for myself everyday.  This is my prayer for our Catholic community, our leaders and world influencers.

Prayer

Father,  teach us to lead by example like Jesus. At one point or another, some people will look to us for inspiration.  May we never fail them.  Teach us to be humble always.  Amen.