Holy Week: Being Agents of Authority for God’s Kingdom

What comes to mind when you think of the word authority? Police? A supervisor? Elected leaders? All of those answers are correct in their own right in that they serve to name a figure that has the power to determine a multitude of facets that affect others. Authority can also been seen as an agency that promotes the saving activity of God. We see this in Matthew’s gospel (8: 5-13) when the centurion approached Jesus about helping his ailing servant.  The centurion understood the role of authority since he was a military commander having soldiers that carried out his orders.  Since the centurion understood the role and place of God’s authority in Jesus, Jesus subsequently healed the commander’s servant. Thus the idea of authority also takes on a definition rooted in deep faith- an understanding of God’s power and love in our lives.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he took full control and authority of entering into his Passion and death.  By submitting himself to be the suffering servant of God, he would later have full authority over heaven and earth. He did this not only knowing that he was fulfilling the will of the Father, but also out of the immense love that he had for us all to save us from our sins. In his Passion he conquered death and brought eternal salvation for us all, talk about having authority!

Don Bosco was an agent of God’s authority in all that he did in the Oratory.  Every time he engaged with people in relationship, he exercised a shepherd’s authority so that others would embrace the kingdom of God at hand. Don Bosco’s faith and trust in God’s plan for him were at the core of all that he did in life, and this faith drove his work so that in every preaching, every story, or every goodnight that he gave those to whom he ministered [had authority over] in the Oratory came to know God and respond to the call to become saints.

Holy Week is the opportunity for us to listen and participate well in Jesus’ Passion, death and resurrection in the most intimate of ways. As we head into the holiest of days in our Church, we are called understand how God’s call for us to be agents of authority to promote God’s kingdom for the here and hereafter is at the core of who we are as Easter people.   It is as the gospel of John says in chapter 3 verse 16, “for God so loved the world that he gave us His only son so that those who believe in Him might not perish, but have eternal life.” If God’s authority over the world is so great that He loved us to the point of death on the cross, how can we not rise to be agents of that love and share it the world!
Have a Happy and Blessed Easter!