Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Authority Of Jesus
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Divine wisdom is a gift from the Spirit. The Spirit gives us discernment. Wisdom does not come from human reasoning or from gnosis and initiation in mystery religions. We should be spiritual people, men and women of the Spirit.
Gospel. The people and Jesus’ own disciples were often struck by the authority of Jesus. Here was someone higher than a mere human being. There was authority in his teaching – he had something to say that challenged men and confronted them with themselves and with God. He had authority over the law, which he wanted to trim from its man-made trappings. By his authority he overcame the powers of evil and sin. He claimed to judge people. He used his authority for the good of people – it was a power of salvation. Yet it was a power that came in humility and weakness, an authority of service that brought faith, that gave hope, that expressed and created love. And when the time came, he used it to lay down his life and to take it up again, to pass it on to his disciples, and then to leave.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we say that authority means service,
but we experience that it is very hard
to make this beautiful principle work.
Keep always before our eyes
the example of your Son Jesus Christ.
His authority was healing and saving,
respectful of people and yet committing us
to get out of our mediocrity.
May all authority among us
be humble, dedicated, self-effacing,
willing to serve to the end,
and patterned after that of Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
First Reading
Revealed by the Spirit
God has revealed it to us through his Spirit because the Spirit probes everything, even the depths of God.
Who, but his own spirit, knows the secrets of a person? Likewise, no one but the Spirit of God knows the secrets of God.
We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God and, through him, we understand what God, in his goodness, has given us.
So we discuss this not using human wisdom as our guide, but in a language taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual wisdom to those who are spiritual.
The unspiritual person does not understand the things of the Spirit, for to him it is foolishness; and he does not understand because they require a spiritual experience.
But the spiritual person can judge everything, yet no one judges him.
For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to counsel him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
R. (17) The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom is a Kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. The Lord is just in all his ways.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
A great prophet has arisen in our midst
and God has visited his people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
They were amazed at how he taught them because his words were spoken with authority.
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I recognize you: you are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus said to him sharply:
“Be silent and leave this man!”
The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without harming him.
Amazement overwhelmed all these people, and they said to one another:
“What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!”
And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That the Church may speak with authority about Jesus because it knows him by living his life, we pray:
– That we may be close to Jesus because we try to respond deeply to his challenge of loving people, we pray:
– That the world may be a little better because we try to live according to the good news of Jesus, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
by the authority you gave to your Son,
this bread and wine will become for us
his body and blood, our food and drink.
Let him share his power with us
that our cowardice may turn into courage
and that we may become liberated people
free to serve and to love
and to verify with our lives the truth
of the good news that he is our Lord forever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ left his authority
to his apostles and disciples
as a unifying bond and a legacy of service.
Grant that your Church may use his power
to bind people together and to heal their wounds,
to speak in the name of those without voice,
and to lead us forward to the genuine freedom
that you brought us in Christ our Lord.
Blessing
May our authority as Christians consist in doing good and serving people in love. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 4:31-37
The authority that sets us free
In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters the synagogue and teaches with authority. His word is not merely information or religious instruction; it carries the power of God. The people are astonished because Jesus speaks from who he is—the Holy One of God—and his word brings freedom.
An unclean spirit recognises Jesus, yet recognition alone does not bring conversion. The demon knows his identity but resists his presence. This challenges us: we may know about Christ, attend worship, and speak religious words, while still allowing fear, resentment, pride, or addiction to control our hearts.
Jesus says simply, “Be silent, and come out of him!” His authority is not domination but liberation. He confronts whatever diminishes human dignity and restores the person without harming him. The Fathers of the Church understood this healing as a sign of Christ’s victory over the powers that enslave humanity.
This Gospel resonates with themes often emphasised by Fr. Ron Rolheiser: spiritual maturity requires us to move beyond superficial religion toward an honest encounter with God, where hidden wounds and false identities are brought into the light. Their writings are not included among the sources available here, so no specific quotation is attributed to them.
Today, bring your inner struggles before Jesus. Do not hide them behind appearances. In prayer, allow his authoritative word to name what enslaves you and to restore your freedom. Then let your life proclaim what Capernaum discovered: Christ’s word is powerful because it is the word of mercy, truth, and salvation.