Doing The Impossible
We say we hate authority but we happily become slaves.
We need to know about too many thing that we simply have no time to become expert about. We submit to financial consultants, influencers, diets, palm readers, cook books, friends and strangers . By following the example of others, we hope to achieve the impossible. We hope to become happy.
Those are needs of the world. We have an even deeper need for things beyond our ken. Sadly, this need for thing beyond our reach can lead us to strange bedfellows. We read horoscopes. We have our palms read and go to seances. We accept ghosts and spirits of the dead who we think can still speak to us. We subject ourselves to “spirit guides”. We even subject ourselves directly to Satan.
But we don’t accept the authority of God who wants us to be brothers by accepting Him as Our Father. He wants to free us from slavery because He loves us. He wants us to share His divine life. He even sent His son to let us know how to live right. Jesus spoke with authority because He is God. The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize His authority.
When we accept His authority, we can do what no other authority can give us the power to do. We can do the impossible.
Written by Laura Weston, widow of Deacon Michael
IF YOU LIKE, READ ALONG WHILE YOU ARE LISTENING:
What does it mean that He spoke with authority? He spoke with authority. What does that mean? Mayve, when you ask her a question about accounting, will put her CPA hat on and say, "That item goes in this column right here." She is speaking with authority. Robert, he tells you need to put a particular part or make a particular adjustment on an airplane, he is speaking with authority.
So what does it mean that Jesus spoke with authority? We are not saying, for example, it is not the bishop that walks in, the bishop has got an authority. He is the bishop. Jesus walks into a group of people. People knew Him, it was in Capernaum, His home town. These are the people who said, "Who can He be? He is the carpenter's son. We know Him, we know His mother, we know all these things about Him." What does it mean that He speaks with authority? Is it the way that you speak? I like to speak. There are various ways to speak. I can raise my voice and move around. Does that give me authority? No.
So what does it mean that someone comes into our life and speaks with authority, authority with regard to things of God. And we are sitting listening to someone who speaks with authority. We have an announcement on the bulletin board there, saying come here on Wednesday night, seven o'clock. We've got… fill in the name… he speaks with authority. And we sit there, and we listen to him. Huh, yeah, he does have authority!
What is it? The truth. The truth is authority. And we know [it], even though we try in our lives to reject the truth. We try, when the teachings of the Church are such that we don't really like them; we try to figure out how to get around them. But we know they have authority. But how do we know? How do we, who come from different backgrounds, different educations, different languages, different continents, how do we recognize that there is an authority present? "Oh, he’s got so much authority!" How do we know?
And this is what St. Paul was talking about. We don't! How do you know when you see somebody who is in need, that you know that you are called to take care of them. How do you know what to say? How do you know what to do? There is nobody going, "Hey, I've got authority, this is what I want you to do, let me show you the book. It's got it on page 783. Look at page 783, it will tell you exactly what to do.” How do we know? In our lives...how do we know? I will guarantee you there are times in their married life that Carol got mad at Frank. Darlene doubts it, but there were. How did she know that it wasn't worth it, and to stay married. "This one was at page 524," and if you looked at the book it says, "I speak with authority: 'You stick with him, Carol. Frank here, he is a pretty good guy even if you are mad at him.'" No.
If we allow ourselves, like St. Paul is talking about, to be open to the Spirit, if we have the gift of the Spirit, we can recognize the authority. Because God is calling us, calling us, calling us through everything that we do in our lives, and everything that He has done. Again, He loved us so much that he gave His only begotten son. He is calling us. And if we simply allow ourselves to recognize God in our lives, the Spirit will be there. The Spirit will be there to allow you to do the impossible and to believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Spirit sounds like foolishness but brings us wisdom. The Spirit allows us to do the impossible. And to do it with love.
There are so many thing that we do in our lives. That we do, that if you look at them, they are impossible. And I tell people this, especially people who are thinking about going into the diaconate. I've told you before. I didn't want to be a deacon. I really didn't. "Why am I doing this. God just kick me out. Thy will be done. I will do it if you want me to do it, but I'll be real happy if you just kick me out." At some point in the time God came along, the Spirit came along, and said, "Michael, you're right. I don't want you to be a deacon unless you can do one thing. Because I think it is a waste of time and My effort, to have you become a deacon, unless you are able to do one thing.” God calls me to do the impossible. He calls me. I didn't become a deacon to become comfortable. I certainly didn't become a deacon, because I wanted people who were losing their wife, whom they loved down to the bottom of their core, to want to talk to me.
And all of the sudden I find this, all these years I have been a deacon, when I am a deacon, if I do the impossible: If I go to Parkland hospital. If I get up every morning and talk to a bunch of crazy people who are up at 6:30 in the morning. And so many other things, God goes, "You got it finally. You are finally getting it. I don't want you to do the easy stuff. I mean, the easy stuff for me on a Sunday would be simply to stand behind the ambo, grab the ambo and go, "O my God, what am I doing here!" It takes effort. It exhausts me to go out and make a fool of myself every Sunday when I am preaching. It is very tiring to be a fool.
But in our lives, allow the Spirit. God is there saying, "Come on, come on, come on!" and you are looking at Him saying, "No. Are you kidding? If I went up and talked to him he would tell me something bad and I don't want to hear something bad. He is going to tell me. If I approach him in your name, he is going to tell me. I don't want to know that. By the way, those people, they die. I really loved him. I just really couldn't stand going to his funeral. [Sigh!] Ahhahhh...
And the Spirit is saying, "No. You are not there for him. Pray for him, yes, but you are there for my Son, who loved him so much that He died on the cross. You are there for his family. You are there for his friends. You are there for yourself. Do the impossible! And allow the Spirit to guide you in doing the impossible, and the Spirit to guide you to Our Lord Jesus Christ. And when you allow the Spirit to do that, you become something different. You become what we celebrate. You become what is an absolute wonder. You become a saint. That when you die, people will miss you. But we will also celebrate. We won't know for sure, but we will certainly pray with you constantly that you spend all eternity with God in heaven: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
September 4, 2018