The Authority of God
Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 9:1-6 - Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority…”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
The power and authority that Jesus gives The Twelve are His power and authority. With this power, He sends them out to teach and heal. The Twelve Apostles are the first bishops of the Church. Today’s bishops and the pope make up the hierarchy of the Church, and they still have Christ’s power and authority to teach and heal. We can’t forget that it is Christ Himself who gives them the power and authority to continue His mission.
The primary way that the bishops and their priests carry on Christ’s healing is through the Sacraments. Christ first instituted the Sacraments during His public ministry, and through them He passed on his power and authority to the apostles. Do we approach the Sacraments believing that they possess Christ’s healing power? Do we approach them with faith like the blind, the crippled, the sick, and the leprous in the Gospels did? We should. Christ’s power is present in the Sacraments—every day! In prayer consider some ways that we can better prepare our hearts for the Sacraments and for Mass.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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