ACTING WITH DIVINE AUTHORITY IN SIN

THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 

1 Sam 4:1-11; Ps 44:110-11,14-15,24-25; Mk 1:40-45

The Coincidence of Human and Divine Will

As we stated in our reflection earlier in the week, creatures obey us not because of anything we are by ourselves, but they obey only the will of God. They obey us insofar as we are expressing the will of God at a particular time. The will of God is done in heaven and on earth; we must make the proper distinction between the ordained and permissive will of God. Man disobeys the divine will only within the ambit of the free will granted him by God. Thus, the will of God accommodates the free will of man to disobey, but the disobedience is always duly punished. We err in two ways as regards our use of divine authority to accomplish things. The first is in the use of spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit to accomplish ordinary and extraordinary things in the Church or outside of the Church. These gifts come with divine authority, which the receiver exercises through the supernatural gifts. Their use does not guarantee that the users are in good standing with God or pleasing to him. We often misuse the authority given to us through the spiritual gifts; we must give an account to God who gave us the gifts. The gifts are effective inasmuch as they express the will of God for the well-being of his people, but whether they are used well with good intentions is what God will judge. The choice of Israel as the people of God is an example of such a gift. It is irrevocable, but what they do with the gift would be judged by God. The passage from 1 Samuel recounts how they deceived themselves, thinking that God would always answer them or rescue them, regardless of their sinful life. They were massacred in spite of carrying the Ark of the Covenant. It was a presumption on their side to carry the Ark of the Covenant while they were displeasing to God.

The second is that one who is living in disobedience to God’s will may sometimes exercise the divine authority in a particular instance or occasion. The result is that such a person expresses the divine will at that instance, by his word or intention. He wields divine authority at that instance, not because he is generally pleasing to God, but because his intention at that moment coincides with the divine will. If the supernatural result causes the person to live in harmony with God’s will, then the coincidence has caused his conversion, which brings him to be pleasing to God. If not, the person remains an object of retribution in spite of the supernatural work accomplished by him. The invocation of the name of Jesus Christ, with faith, always brings about the outpouring of grace, which is a supernatural result. The standing of the person invoking the name with God is immaterial, insofar as he calls the name with faith. Hence, the scripture says that anyone who calls the name will be saved, making no distinction between a sinner and a righteous person. To do a mighty work by the invocation of the holy name does not translate that one is holy before God or pleasing to him. It is only because the divine will invested the name with divine power for our salvation, in praise and glory of the Son of Man.

The Gospel gives us a good example of this situation. The leper who approached Jesus Christ to implore his intervention in his situation did so with faith. He got what he wanted because it is the will of the Father that whoever approaches the Son for salvation gets a favourable answer. “A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ and the leprosy left him at once and he was cured.” The one action in which our operation always finds favour and produces divine grace or supernatural result is in the supplication for mercy or forgiveness. There is no privileged time or place to produce divine work when it comes to asking for forgiveness. Anytime we sincerely plead for God’s mercy and healing in faith, he hears us and grants us his favour. It takes time and process to seal the deal and formalise the forgiveness we have received through the re-establishment of communion with God and the Church. Hence, our Lord sent the man he healed of leprosy to complete the work by a formal process. “Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’” God has made these abundant provisions for us to act with divine authority, even when we are not pleasing to him, so that, seeing the supernatural effects, we may repent and live a life pleasing to him.

Let us pray: Attend to the pleas of your people with heavenly care, O Lord, we pray, that they may see what your divine will decrees must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.