Sunday Reflection: Preach with Authority

Preach with Authority

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 25: 1-2, 6-7, 7-9; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28

A fellow Deacon (and friend) tells the story of a compliment he received; at least, he thinks it was a compliment.

A parishioner came to him after he preached and tells the Deacon, “We really like our new young priest’s homilies. They are so poetic and flowing. He seems to really put a lot of work into them. And Deacon, we really like your homilies, too. They’re just different. You get down in the dirt with us.”

This is the truth behind every deacon’s ministry. A deacon teaches with authority; the authority of a man who has got down and dirty in everyday life. My friend was a marine. He is married. He is a father. He has worked a regular job; got his hands dirty and splinters in his fingers. He has worried about bills, feeding his family, and the health of those he loves. People have looked at him for most of his life as just another guy, not necessarily a man of God. This is the authority from which he preaches.

Jesus teaches with authority. It is an authority far different than anything you and I may have. He teaches with the confidence of one who knows the truth. He has authority and knowledge to speak of God. Because he has authority, he can influence and command the thoughts of those who listen.

And who were the first to recognize his authority? Moses said the ones who listened would recognize him. The ones who listened were those who needed healing, those who were ill, and also those who feared him. They recognized his authority.

Paul explains the reason the rest of us have problems listening. We focus on something else besides God.  We focus on the things of this world. Married people focus on our spouses, our families, and then on the things of this world we need for them. All these are distractions that keep us from God. So, we are asked to avoid these distractions. This is an extremely hard place to be. It is the world of priests and those called to the life of religious brothers and sisters.

Then there are deacons. We constantly fight these distractions everyday. Through our ordination we have promised God, we will listen. We will not be able to avoid the distractions of the world. We are to live a life of prayer; but we still live in the world as married men, with jobs, everyday responsibilities, and everyday troubles. We get down in the dirt of everyday life.  

That is the authority by which the deacon comes. He preaches with the authority of someone who has been there. He preaches with the authority of someone who has fought through all the confusion of the world. But we also preach with the authority of one has dedicated their life to listen to Christ.

We still have our families. We still live our lives in the world. We’re the person next to you in the pew or at the office. We’re the guys you call by childhood nicknames. We’re the guys whose children are friends with your children. Lives lived like everybody else. We preach from the authority of these lives.

Deacons just stopped to listen.

Each and every one reading this can do the same. All Christians can come forward and preach with the authority of one who knows the truth. Our authority is from someone who has lived in God’s love witnessing Christ in our everyday lives. This is what we preach with the authority in our words, our witness, and our lives in God’s love. Go out and preach His love with authority.