Power can be used to control and oppress others, or it can used to heal and liberate. Jesus as the suffering servant offers a model for all those who wield power. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Saturday of week 15 of ordinary time can be found here.
Monday will see the United Kingdom gain a new prime minister, the sixth changeover in that office in 10 years. No doubt such a moment makes us think about power, especially those who seek it, what they want to do with it, and how they conduct themselves when they have it.
Micah has harsh words for those who lie as awake at night plotting how they might use their power to control and oppress others while enriching themselves. The prophet says that God will punish their wickedness. In the Gospel reading we see the Pharisees using their power to plot against Jesus so that they might destroy him. A sharp contrast is shown between the approach to power of the people Micah talks about and the Pharisees, and the approach shown by Jesus. As Son of God no human being has ever had as much power as him. Yet Matthew’s quotation from Isaiah shows that in Jesus this power is not used to oppress, to dominate or to control. Instead, it is all about bringing justice to those who need it, healing to those who are suffering and spreading God’s love in the world.
We may not be the new prime minister but all of us are able to exercise power in different ways. In all our dealings with others may we follow the servant model of Jesus and pray that our leaders will do likewise.
Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by morning prayer at 10.50 and Rosary at 11).
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer, check out our Day By Day pages.
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