Assess Authority in the Spirit

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to use Jesus' example to examine the fruit of the authorities who claim to be worthy guides.

Assess the Spirit in Rulers

The reading from the Letter of Jude presents Exhortations and a Doxology.

* [22] Have mercy: some manuscripts read “convince,” “confute,” or “reprove.” Others have “even though you waver” or “doubt” instead of who waver.

* [23] With fear: some manuscripts connect the phrase “with fear” with the imperative “save” or with the participle “snatching.” Other manuscripts omit the phrase “on others have mercy,” so that only two groups are envisioned. Rescue of those led astray and caution in the endeavor are both enjoined. Outer garment stained by the flesh: the imagery may come from Zec 3:3–5, just as that of snatching…out of the fire comes from Zec 3:2; the very garments of the godless are to be abhorred because of their contagion.

* [24–25] With this liturgical statement about the power of God to keep the faithful from stumbling, and praise to him through Jesus Christ, the letter reaches its conclusion by returning to the themes with which it began (Jude 1–2). (Jude, THE LETTER OF JUDE | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 63 expresses the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper.

* [Psalm 63] A Psalm expressing the intimate relationship between God and the worshiper. Separated from God (Ps 63:2), the psalmist longs for the divine life given in the Temple (Ps 63:3–6), which is based on a close relationship with God (Ps 63:7–9). May all my enemies be destroyed and God’s true worshipers continue in giving praise (Ps 63:10–11)! (Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, the Authority of Jesus is questioned by religious leaders.

* [11:27–33] The mounting hostility toward Jesus came from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders (Mk 11:27); the Herodians and the Pharisees (Mk 12:13); and the Sadducees (Mk 12:18). By their rejection of God’s messengers, John the Baptist and Jesus, they incurred the divine judgment implied in Mk 11:27–33 and confirmed in the parable of the vineyard tenants (Mk 12:1–12). (Mark, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Elvin Cardoso, SJ, comments that there are moments when we avoid difficult truths because they threaten our comfort, reputation, or security. Like the religious leaders in the Gospel, we can become more concerned about protecting our position than listening to God’s voice. Sometimes we remain silent when courage is needed. Sometimes we ask questions not because we sincerely desire wisdom, but because we want to defend ourselves or preserve control.

 

The tragedy of the religious leaders was not that they questioned Jesus. In fact, their questions were understandable. Jesus had been teaching boldly, healing the sick, and challenging accepted practices. Any sincere leader would naturally seek understanding. The real problem was their motivation. Their hearts were closed. They were not searching for truth with humility and openness; they were trying to protect their authority and silence a perceived threat.

The Gospel invites us today to examine our hearts. Do I seek truth with humility, or do I resist it when it unsettles me? Do I ask questions in faith and love, or out of fear and defensiveness? (Cardoso, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “Fearing the truth,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Fearing a stoning, but fearing more an admission of the truth, they answered the truth with a lie, reminiscent of the Scripture: 'injustice has lied within herself' (Psalm 27:12). For they said, 'We know not.' And because they had shut themselves up against him, by asserting that they did not know what they knew, the Lord did not open up to them because they did not knock. For it has been said, 'Knock and it will be opened to you' (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). But they not only had not knocked that it might be opened, but by their denial they barricaded the door itself against themselves. And the Lord said to them, 'Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things' (Matthew 21:27; Mark 11:33; Luke 20:7). (excerpt from TRACTATE ON JOHN 2.9.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25 comments that maybe, like those early Christians, we are apprehensive about unrest in the world around us. We love the Lord and want to follow him but might fear losing our way amid contradictory voices or teachers.

Don’t let these concerns overshadow your vision of who God is! Remember what Jude proclaims: God is the One who can keep you from stumbling. No matter what obstacles or pitfalls you face, he can bring you into his presence because he has all power and authority. He is greater than anything that can come against us. We have the grace of being children of God, beloved and held by the One who dwells in majesty and glory! We are in God’s hands, and he will not let us go.

“Lord, my God and Savior, to you be all glory and praise!” (Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that the passage from the Letter of Jude has no chapter designation. It begins with verse 17 because the book is only one chapter. The letter of Jude examines the attitude we have towards those who have wavered and Jude warns us to take care not to soil ourselves but to give witness based on the love and mercy of Christ. The final doxology praises God forever. The cleverness of Jesus is presented in the Gospel of Mark as He responds to trick questions about the origin of His authority. If He responds that His authority is Human then His critics will claim it is not from God. If Jesus' authority is Divine He may be accused of blasphemy, and if Divine, why are religious leaders reluctant to follow Him? Cleverness was important in Jesus' time. A clever person was able to show knowledge and wisdom in difficult and dangerous situations. Friar Jude inquires about how clever we are in strategies to spend time with family and love others?

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Spiritual teacher Christine Valters Paintner who offers this prayer to the Spirit of creation and new life.

Spirit of Creation,
in the beginning you blew over the waters,
coaxing the earth up from the depths of the sea,
and inviting all creatures to rise up on their own wings.

Spirit of Renewing Life,
you breathed into me in my very first moment,
invigorate me with your gift of energy and newness.
Continue to breathe expansively in me,
inviting me to a vision for what is possible in my life.

Spirit of Restlessness,
stir me from my longing for comfort that so often stifles me,
help me to release from the places that keep me stuck,
and guide me in the direction you would have me go.

Spirit of the Great Winds,
help me to hear your voice in the midst of the whirlwind of my life.
Grant me the trust to hold on while I am being buffeted by life’s storms.

Blessings of wind be upon me.
May my sails billow wide,
May I breathe deeply the gift of inspiration,
May I be carried to the place of my resurrection,
May I be fully free. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Spirit to guide our examination of authority as we work to live with the love, mercy and cleverness of Jesus in our environment.

References

Cardoso, E. (2026, May 30). Daily Reflection May 30, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-30-2026 

Jude, THE LETTER OF JUDE | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jude/1? 

Mark, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/11?27 

Meditation on Jude 17, 20-25. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/30/1580984/ 

Psalms, PSALM 63 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Spirit of Aliveness: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/spirit-of-aliveness-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Who Gave You This Authority? Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 30, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Love as Cornerstone

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, exhort us to act with love and compassion to include all people in the experience of the Love of God.

Christ, the Cornerstone

The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians declares we are One in Christ, the Cornerstone.

* [2:11–22] The Gentiles lacked Israel’s messianic expectation, lacked the various covenants God made with Israel, lacked hope of salvation and knowledge of the true God (Eph 2:11–12); but through Christ all these religious barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended (Eph 2:13–14) by the abolition of the Mosaic covenant-law (Eph 2:15) for the sake of uniting Jew and Gentile into a single religious community (Eph 2:15–16), imbued with the same holy Spirit and worshiping the same Father (Eph 2:18). The Gentiles are now included in God’s household (Eph 2:19) as it arises upon the foundation of apostles assisted by those endowed with the prophetic gift (Eph 3:5), the preachers of Christ (Eph 2:20; cf. 1 Cor 12:28). With Christ as the capstone (Eph 2:20; cf. Is 28:16; Mt 21:42), they are being built into the holy temple of God’s people where the divine presence dwells (Eph 2:21–22). (Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law

* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles.

* [6:13] He chose Twelve: the identification of this group as the Twelve is a part of early Christian tradition (see 1 Cor 15:5), and in Matthew and Luke, the Twelve are associated with the twelve tribes of Israel (Lk 22:29–30; Mt 19:28). After the fall of Judas from his position among the Twelve, the need is felt on the part of the early community to reconstitute this group before the Christian mission begins at Pentecost (Acts 1:15–26). From Luke’s perspective, they are an important group who because of their association with Jesus from the time of his baptism to his ascension (Acts 1:21–22) provide the continuity between the historical Jesus and the church of Luke’s day and who as the original eyewitnesses guarantee the fidelity of the church’s beliefs and practices to the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1–4). Whom he also named apostles: only Luke among the gospel writers attributes to Jesus the bestowal of the name apostles upon the Twelve. See note on Mt 10:2–4. “Apostle” becomes a technical term in early Christianity for a missionary sent out to preach the word of God. Although Luke seems to want to restrict the title to the Twelve (only in Acts 4:4, 14 are Paul and Barnabas termed apostles), other places in the New Testament show an awareness that the term was more widely applied (1 Cor 15:5–7; Gal 1:19; 1 Cor 1:1; 9:1; Rom 16:7).

* [6:14] Simon, whom he named Peter: see note on Mk 3:16.

* [6:15] Simon who was called a Zealot: the Zealots were the instigators of the First Revolt of Palestinian Jews against Rome in A.D. 66–70. Because the existence of the Zealots as a distinct group during the lifetime of Jesus is the subject of debate, the meaning of the identification of Simon as a Zealot is unclear.

* [6:16] Judas Iscariot: the name Iscariot may mean “man from Kerioth.” (Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Cynthia Schmersal offers a poetic prayer to mark the feast today. 

Lord, like Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James, whose feast we mark this day,
And like every one of Your disciples throughout history,
You claim us as Your own,
And You summon us.
You summon us to link heart, hand and aim with You and with one another to foster the inbreaking of your kin-dom here and now.

Make of us Your dwelling, built together as a communion of saints.
Make of us announcers of Your Good News and doers of Your good works.
Make of us harbingers of hope, bearers of Your Spirit in the particulars of our place and our time.

Moment by moment, free us.
Always and in all ways, free us ever more fully to proclaim – more in deed than in word – Your message to all the earth.
May all that we do and all that we are herald our identity as Your holy (and admittedly broken) people,
Members of the household of God and fellow citizens with the holy ones throughout all time.

May the ordinary and extraordinary of our lives be for Your greater Glory this day and all days. Amen. (Schmersal, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors to be apostles,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"It says, 'He called his disciples, and he chose twelve of them,' whom he appointed sowers of the faith, to spread the help of human salvation throughout the world. At the same time, observe the heavenly counsel. He chose not wise men, nor rich men, nor nobles, but fishermen and tax collectors, whom he would direct, lest they seem to have seduced some by wisdom, or bought them with riches, or attracted them to their own grace with the authority of power and nobility. He did this so that the reasoning of truth, not the grace of disputation, should prevail."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.44) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 6:12-16 comments that as “obscure” as Simon and Jude may be, their legacy lives on. Their witness and their intercession continue to affect the lives of countless believers—and in ways neither of them probably imagined.

What’s your legacy? It’s probably a lot more than you imagine. Every one of your prayers of intercession moves the Lord. When you share your faith with someone, his Spirit works through you to touch those with open hearts. When you forgive someone, he pours out grace on that person. He fills every one of your acts of generosity and kindness with his love.

You’ll never see your complete legacy in this life. But imagine how much more you’ll see when, like Simon and Jude, you go to the Lord! So imitate these two apostles’ persistence. Trust that everything you do in Jesus’ name has eternal consequences.

“Jesus, help me to persevere in serving you, just as Simon and Jude did!” (Meditation on Luke 6:12-16, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the passage from Ephesians declares that the Gentiles are now included in the household of God. In Luke, Jesus frequently prays to the Father (11 times) as He acts on the Will of the Father. Friar Jude reminds us of some of the alternate names for the Apostles.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson who reminds Christians deciding how we want to act in the public sphere to begin with the personal experience of God’s overflowing love for the world.

Transformative change in politics depends so much on having a clear view of the desired end. Where does that vision come from? Possibilities may be offered by various ideologies, or party platforms, or political candidates. But, for the person of faith, that vision finds its roots in God’s intended and preferred future for the world. It comes not as a dogmatic blueprint but as an experiential encounter with God’s love, flowing like a river from God’s throne, nourishing trees with leaves for the healing of the nations (see Revelation 22:1–2).… 

Such a vision strikes the political pragmatist as idyllic, unrealistic, and irrelevant. But the person of faith, whose inward journey opens [their] life to the explosive love of God, knows that this vision is the most real of all. It is a glimpse of creation’s purpose and a glimmering of the Spirit’s movement amid the world’s present pain, brokenness, and despair. This vision also recognizes the inevitable journey of inward and outward transformation—the simultaneous, continuing transformation of the inward hearts of people liberated by God’s astonishing grace and the outward transformation of social and economic structures liberated by God’s standards of justice. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the paradox that arises from our experience of the power of love to make positive change in lives as we struggle against social and political changes that will reduce the well being of many.

References

Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/2? 

Luke, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/6?12 

Meditation on Luke 6:12-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/28/1114495/ 

Psalms, PSALM 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Politics Rooted in God’s Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-politics-rooted-in-gods-love/ 

Schmersal, C. (2024, October 28). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/102824.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Chose Twelve Apostles. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct28a