Lately I have been reflecting about power and authority. I know I have power. It says so in 2 Timothy 1:7: the Spirit of God has given me not timidity but “power, love and self-discipline”. The power comes through my baptism, and again with the sacraments I have received. I also have the power of the charismatic or spiritual gifts.
What do all this mean? I can make a difference in the world. I can change the world, one random act of kindness, one conscious choice of dying to self, one sacrifice of love, one decision to rest and luxuriate in His love, one occasion of saying yes at a time, in a series of unending choices and actions all through the day, every day.
When I fail, it’s often a case of chittering fears that undermine my confidence, inducing paralysis; the malaise of complacency, sloth and being comfortable with inertia; and the forgetfulness of the Israelites wandering in the desert. My powers lie discarded, dissipating in the space of time, lost forever in the land of missed opportunities.
I especially like this article* by Father Robert Barron which explains the power of our baptismal office and how we can keep tapping into that power. Firstly, we look at Christ and what He is all about in order to be more and more like Him: As priest, he sanctifies, that is to say, he reestablishes the lost link between divinity and humanity; as prophet, he speaks and embodies the divine truth; and as king, he leads us on the right path, giving guidance to the human project. You might say that, as priest, he is the life; as prophet, he is the truth; and as king he is the way.
Yes, I am human with concupiscence built into my genetic make-up, but baptism wipes the slate clean and gives me the chance to make everything right again, to redeem myself as Christ redeemed me for I am now part of the mystical body of Christ and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me as Philippians 4:13 declares. Christ can live in me and I in Him if I so desire it, and I do.
Thus, to be fully human means I choose to be as holy and fully human as He was and therefore allow myself to be in harmony with what is fully divine within me, creating wholeness and wholesomeness to be an influencer, a “bridge-builder” linking others to Christ and engendering a “inner peace” all around. Father Barron calls it “holy contagion” and recommends we first keep ourselves holy through prayer, the sacraments, and the Mass... cultivation of a real friendship with the living Christ if we are to act out our priestly identity and purpose.
Aside from my priestly identity, I am to be prophetic as Jesus was, to be a sign of contradiction, bearing uncomfortable but life-giving witness as Jesus did. John 8:31-32 tells us: If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
This freedom that comes from aligning myself to Him and His Word allows me to speak powerful truths of “salutary madness” as a prophet does. The more I study and chew on the meat of philosophy, theology, spirituality, church history, and the lives of the saints, the more able I am to exercise my prophetic power for as Father Barron points out: Having been illumined, these prophets are then sent out into their worlds as beacons of light”. If I want to be a life-saving light, I need to keep upgrading myself and my OS.
In the theological sense, a king is someone who orders the charisms within a community so as to direct that community toward God. To exercise my sovereignty, I need to lead those in my spheres of influence on the right path, unafraid to wear my religious views on my sleeve, speaking and acting from my Jesus-infused heart if I wish to be an outstanding monarch.
Here is where I need to have the clear, unswerving, joyous and bold direction the saints had in shepherding others who may not believe in God to Him. I am often stuck, what’s the right thing to say and do, how do I preach without being preachy? Only the Spirit can help me. Praying and living in the Spirit, asking for and taking good care of the charismatic gifts I receive by using them judiciously is the way forward.
Power per se does not interest me. I have always sought anonymity. I prefer working behind the scenes, taking the hidden path. While I do desire to change the lives of many for Christ, I know I will not do it facing a crowd of thousands. And yet my love of God has given me this deep desire to spread His word so I must go where He leads, undeterred even by my own weaknesses for as that old chestnut from Saint Paul exhorts “power is made perfect in weakness”. No excuse for doing nothing.
My SD said something to me this morning that reminded me of the power and authority God has blessed me with. He said to always give thanks to God by being confident of my giftedness. I am a gifted woman who was chosen by Him to be the one He loves. So banish doubt and live in the freedom of my identity as child who is also priest, prophet and king with an abundance of spiritual gifts to aid me along the way. Power up with me!
* To read the excellent article by Father Robert Barron, go to: https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/article/priests-prophets-kings/
No comments:
Post a Comment