Faith Daily | 1 October 2022

PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p583

O God,

you declare your almighty power

chiefly in showing mercy and pity:

mercifully grant us such a measure of your grace

that, running in the way of your commandments,

we may obtain your gracious promises,

and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

GOSPEL for the Day: Luke 10: 17-24

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ 18He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

21 At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’

23 Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.’

GOSPEL REFLECTION: Angela Back

Such excitement, amazement in their voices: “Even the demons submit to us in your name”. This was different from the lives these men were living before they began following the Master.

And the key statement stands out: “I have given you authority”… The authority resides in the Name, the author of the action. And I can’t help but think we have to handle that authority with care. We have to get our priorities straight, to be about our Master’s business. The fuss and bother of the world are not all there is. It all starts with knowing and being known by him.

And the next words are highly significant. We are to be like little children, following trustingly, faithful to the Name, aware of the danger of acting out of self-interest or pride or power, as sadly, has happened throughout Christian history.

Jesus shares his joy with the father and we, his little children are part of it all too, if we are able to perceive what is Kingdom business. This would be a bit heavy were it not for the fact that I am his child. Even so, I find very sobering the thought of being responsible to act on behalf of the Son as he acted on behalf of the Father. We are not just passengers being carried forward to heaven. My living and acting out of his authority depend on my simple trust in the Son, the trust growing day by day. The implications of this passage are on-going and weighty, requiring much thought: what issues call for this purposeful authority?

FINAL PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I thank you that I did not choose You,

but You chose me,

and appointed me

to go and bear fruit.

Fruit that will last!

John 15: 16 (my translation)

Amen.