• Login
    View Item 
    •   CDR Home
    • Mission and Ministry
    • Daily Reflections Archive
    • View Item
    •   CDR Home
    • Mission and Ministry
    • Daily Reflections Archive
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Reflection for Thursday, April 16, 2015: 2nd week of Easter.

    View/Open
    041615.html (7.536Kb)
    Author
    Zimmer, Craig
    Date
    2015-04-16
    Office/Affiliation
    Campus Ministry

    Reading 1
    Acts 5:27-33

    Psalm
    Psalms 34:2, 9, 17-18, 19-20

    Gospel
    John 3:31-36

    Lectionary Number
    270. Year I, Easter.

    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Browse: Previous Reflection * Next Reflection

    Reflection:

    To see the original html page, click the file link on the left.

    These readings today from Acts and John caused me to think about authority, and that can be a very tricky subject to wade into.  What is authority and where does it come from?  How do we recognize it?  What examples of authority should we follow?

    In Acts 5, we see a tension between the religious authorities who were used to operating in a structure that granted them power and control, and the apostles who were teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, seemingly with an authority that was unexplainable and certainly not authorized by the "powers that be."  Maybe people didn't understand where this authority came from, but they certainly recognized it when they saw it.  Isn't it the same with us?  We see people in positions of power, but often their pronouncements and their actions ring hollow; we also see people who have no position or prestige, yet their way of speaking, acting, and being can affect us in very powerful ways.

    This tension is one that I think we feel often, from a wide variety of authority figures.  Pope Francis even spoke about it in his Christmas message to Vatican officials this past winter, warning those ecclesiastical authorities not to get into a way of proceeding where the position becomes the most important thing:

    This is the disease of persons who insatiably try to accumulate power and to this end are ready to slander, defame and discredit others, even in newspapers and magazines. Naturally, so as to put themselves on display and to show that they are more capable than others. This disease does great harm to the Body because it leads persons to justify the use of any means whatsoever to attain their goal, often in the name of justice and transparency!

    Those who are put into positions of authority (politicians, CEOs, and even clergy and ministers) can and do sometimes get confused or turned around and make decisions based on power, money, or position.  In these cases, the "authority" they think they are exercising doesn't seem to carry much weight.  So our task is to sort out where legitimate and inspiring authority comes from and seek to follow it in our own lives.

    Who has authority in my life?  Those whose influence comes only from titles and appointments and positions?  Or those who are close to the God who hears the cry of the just, and is close to the brokenhearted and those who are crushed in spirit?  Which examples of authority pull me at my core and inspire me to do good in the world?  That is real authority, the one that we are called to follow.  It may be unsanctioned and unauthorized by those accustomed to wielding influence, but it certainly has authenticity and the power to inspire us to become more Christ-like.
    Link
    Go to the Daily Reflection web site

    Persistant link to this record
    http://hdl.handle.net/10504/68722
    Context
    View the Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer (Archived Version)

    Browse
    Previous Reflection * Next Reflection

    Collections
    • Daily Reflections Archive

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    @mire NV
     

     

    Browse

    All of the CDRCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    DSpace software copyright © 2002-2015  DuraSpace
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
    Theme by 
    @mire NV