GUIDE ME AND TEACH ME
"Teach me
Your ways, O Lord" (Ps 25:4).
In today's Gospel,
"the chief priests and the elders of the people who approached [Jesus] as
He was teaching and said, 'By what authority are you doing these things? And
who gave you this authority'" (Mt 21:23)? By what authority does Jesus act?
The story of Balaam gives us a clue. The Spirit of God comes upon Balaam,
inspiring his words. He declares that he "hears what God says, and knows
what the Most High knows" (Nu 24:4).
Earlier in the
story God warns Balaam, "You may say only what I tell you" (Nu
22:35). God gives Balaam the authority to act and speak in His name. As we read
the Scriptures today, we know that the people and their leaders knew that it
was God who had given Jesus the authority to speak, too. They were moved and in
awe because Jesus "taught them as one having authority" (Mt 7:29),
and they "glorified God who had given such authority to human beings"
(Mt 9:8).
This truly is a
testimony of what life is all about. We too need God daily to guide and teach
us so we can bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ, who gives us the
authority to live, act, and speak on our journey of faith. In our Responsorial
Psalm we ask God, "Teach me Your ways, O Lord" (Ps 25:4). Our
witness, like Balaam and all the saints, will only be true and effective if God
gives us the authority and we have the courage to respond to His will.