"By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do them?" (Mk 11:28)
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Letter of the Apostle Jude
17, 20b-25
Beloved, remember the words spoken beforehand
by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out of the fire;
on others have mercy with fear,
abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you unblemished and exultant,
in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
be glory, majesty, power, and authority
from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 11:27-33
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
"By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?"
Jesus said to them, "I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me."
They discussed this among themselves and said,
"If we say, 'Of heavenly origin,' he will say,
'Then why did you not believe him?'
But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, "We do not know."
Then Jesus said to them,
"Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things."
SATURDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - Mk 11:27-33
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In God's Word today, God wants to tell humanity that Jesus Christ is the good shepherd. He has full authority on earth, full authority over mankind. He has the power and strength to save humans from sin and the imprisonment of Satan.
The love of God for humanity is immensely great. He was humble and lowered Himself, coming to earth to accompany humans, saving humanity from eternal death. No one has great power like God. However, humanity falls into Satan's temptations with arrogance like the scribes. Humans think they are smart, talented, and highly educated, and then fail to realize that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God who came to earth to accompany and save humanity.
The Word of God today says that the chief priests, scribes, and elders condemned and reproached Jesus Christ when He carried out the task given by God the Father to enter the Temple to drive out the merchants and abolish bad habits from the Temple. It was because of their arrogance and jealousy towards Jesus Christ, that they obscured the eyes of faith and the light of God in them. Therefore, they cannot recognize that He is the good shepherd who came to earth. He is the only shepherd who comes to save humanity. The other scribes were just mortals, placed by God the Father to be instruments of shepherding His flock, not good shepherds like God.
Therefore, God's Word today also calls on all humanity, especially the shepherds whom God the Father has appointed:
- To live a humble and self-abasement life. Recognize their identity as a sinner who was chosen by God the Father to be in His vineyard. They were chosen to collaborate with God to shepherd the flock that God has given them.
- God the Father also calls shepherds to walk in the light and walk on the path of truth. Then they can fulfill the duty given by God the Father. Otherwise, they will be tempted by Satan not to be able to fulfill their duties.
- God the Father invites today's shepherds to be alert, do not fall into Satan's temptation anymore! Be courageous to step on the path of light and abandon the path of sin.
To Recognize themselves as a weak and lowly human being so that they can always rely on the grace of God the Father, and always know how to live humbly and humble themselves in front of their brothers and sisters. Only by living like this can the shepherds of God the Father defeat Satan.
Thanks be to God. Amen
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