HOMILY FOR THE 4th SUNDAY OF YEAR B ORDINARY TIME

1.Dt 18: 15-20

1Cor7:32-35

3.Mk 1:21-28

THEME  OF THE READINGS: “The authority of Jesus.”

In the distant past majority of catholics felt that God’s will for our faith and conduct is infallibly communicated by Pope and bishops with teaching authority given by Christ himself. The doctrine of Papal infallibility stressed strongly about the principle of Papal infallibility to an extent that many felt unfree to make up their own minds on issues of faith and morals. Any controversy that could arose the magsterium(the teaching authority of the Church) was expected to find an answer to that controversy.

The gospel today reminds us of Jesus’ teaching authority. The word authority nowadays is no longer received positively by all people, this is because the word by itself has got a negative canotation. Jesus was recognized as a person of authority because of his life, his Word he taught his people and the impact the word made in peoples life

Jesus defines authority as the exercise of God’s life giving and liberating power, the power that raises the lowly and fills the hungry with good things, that includes within the community those who have been deprived of their rights. Jesus’ power is the power of the good Samaritan who took care of his fellow traveller even though he was a Jew; it is the power of forgiving and welcoming a prodigal son father, Jesus’power is the power  of the widow who in giving offered every thing in a temple, she gave every thing she had. Thus within the gospel vision and the gospel context these are the powers that confers authority. However, not all power is worthy of being recognized as authoritative.

For us Christians Jesus remains the ultimate authority, like the people of Capernaum, we recognize his authority of his teaching and deeds, the authority of his life, death and resurrection. It is under this motivation we confess Jesus not merely as the teacher, rather as the Lord.

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