Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. On some have compassion, making a distinction, And some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
So I have seen you in the sanctuary, Watching your power and your glory.
Because your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise you. So I will bless you while I live. I will lift up my hands in your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with the richest food. My mouth shall praise you with joyful lips, When I remember you on my bed, And think about you in the night watches.
They came again to Jerusalem, and as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him, And they began saying to him, "By what authority do you do these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?"
Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John — was it from heaven, or from men? Answer me."
They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we should say, 'From heaven;' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' If we should say, 'From men'" — they feared the people, for all held John to really be a prophet. They answered Jesus, "We don't know."
Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
The religious leaders who confront Jesus want credentials, a certificate of authority they can examine and approve. Notice how their question reveals something deeper than curiosity—it's about control. They need to know who gave Jesus permission to teach, to heal, to challenge their system. But Jesus responds with his own question about John the Baptist, and suddenly these powerful men find themselves trapped by their own political calculations.
What emerges here is the difference between authentic authority and institutional power. The chief priests and scribes possess official positions, but they're paralyzed by fear of public opinion. They can't even answer a straightforward question about John's ministry because they're more concerned with managing their reputation than seeking truth.
Jesus, by contrast, operates from a different kind of authority altogether—one that flows from his intimate relationship with the Father. This is the same authority Jude writes about when he speaks of being "kept from stumbling" and presented "faultless before the presence of his glory." It's not authority we earn or achieve, but authority we receive through staying close to God.
The psalm captures this beautifully: "Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you." Here's someone who has discovered that God's love is the ultimate source of meaning and direction. This isn't abstract theology—it's the foundation for how we navigate our daily decisions.
Consider how often we seek external validation for our choices, our work, our relationships. We want others to approve our authority to speak up in meetings, to set boundaries with difficult people, to follow our deepest convictions. But what if our primary concern was staying close to God's loving kindness?
Where do you typically look for permission to be yourself? What would change if you trusted that God's love for you is authority enough?