Jesus gives his authority to the disciples as they go out to preach and heal in his name. “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7). Jesus was giving authority to everyday people. Nothing special about them. Jesus tells them to carry little luggage and to just proclaim the word and then move on. If people accept the word – great. If they don’t, leave quickly, but bring the word of God to the next village.
All of this goes very much against the standard procedures of our information age. Standard procedures for our time is to get a test sampling of what people believe or want to believe and then deal with that as a truth. USA Today, CNN polls, Gallup polls, all tell us what the majority is thinking and then treat it as though it were the truth. The Holy Father and the U.S. bishops have spoken out strongly when it appears that public opinion is driving our belief in what is right or wrong. The bishops have been particularly emphatic in reminding Catholics who serve in public office of their moral responsibility to defend life in all its stages: “No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on human life… no appeal to policy, procedure, majority will, or pluralism ever excuses a public official from defending life to the greatest extent possible.”
The truth is not dependent on the people to whom it is addressed. The truth is dependent on the fidelity of the proclaimer to the message received from God.
The message of today’s prophets – Amos and Jesus – is that we do not have the right to walk away from our responsibilities to the Truth. Jesus says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” We have to stand for the truth of the Lord, whether it is popular or not, whether it is convenient or not. We have been given the authority by our baptism to go out and proclaim the Word. Today we pray for the courage to proclaim the truth at work, in our neighborhoods, and in our families.
God bless! Have a wonderful week!