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/ 

Risen for New Life

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the hope that radiates from the Easter sunrise and this year from the latest view of earth from space, that God has the final Word of Love, awe, gratitude, and affirmation in our Creation.

He is Risen

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents Peter’s Speech to the household of Cornelius.

* [10:36–43] These words are more directed to Luke’s Christian readers than to the household of Cornelius, as indicated by the opening words, “You know.” They trace the continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and theproclamationof Jesus by the early community. The emphasis on this divinely ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke’s readers of the fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.

* [10:36] To the Israelites: Luke, in the words of Peter, speaks of the prominent position occupied by Israel in the history of salvation.

* [10:38] Jesus of Nazareth: God’s revelation of his plan for the destiny of humanity through Israel culminated in Jesus of Nazareth. Consequently, the ministry of Jesus is an integral part of God’s revelation. This viewpoint explains why the early Christian communities were interested in conserving the historical substance of the ministry of Jesus, a tradition leading to the production of the four gospels.

* [10:39] We are witnesses: the apostolic testimony was not restricted to the resurrection of Jesus but also included his historical ministry. This witness, however, was theological in character; the Twelve, divinely mandated as prophets, were empowered to interpret his sayings and deeds in the light of his redemptive death and resurrection. The meaning of these words and deeds was to be made clear to the developing Christian community as the bearer of the word of salvation (cf. Acts 1:21–26). Hanging him on a tree: see note on 5:30.

* [10:42] As judge of the living and the dead: the apostolic preaching to the Jews appealed to their messianic hope, while the preaching to Gentiles stressed the coming divine judgment; cf. 1 Thes 1:10. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 118 is a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist.

* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). (Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians proclaims Jesus Mystical Death and Resurrection.

* [3:1–4] By retaining the message of the gospel that the risen, living Christ is the source of their salvation, the Colossians will be free from false religious evaluations of the things of the world (Col 3:1–2). They have died to these; but one day when Christ…appears, they will live with Christ in the presence of God (Col 3:3–4). (Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The second Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians exhorts us to throw out the old yeast of our past.

* [5:7–8] In the Jewish calendar, Passover was followed immediately by the festival of Unleavened Bread. In preparation for this feast all traces of old bread were removed from the house, and during the festival only unleavened bread was eaten. The sequence of these two feasts provides Paul with an image of Christian existence: Christ’s death (the true Passover celebration) is followed by the life of the Christian community, marked by newness, purity, and integrity (a perpetual feast of unleavened bread). Paul may have been writing around Passover time (cf. 1 Cor 16:5); this is a little Easter homily, the earliest in Christian literature. (1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents Mary Magdalene, Peter and the Beloved Disciple finding the Empty Tomb.

* [20:1–31] The risen Jesus reveals his glory and confers the Spirit. This story fulfills the basic need for testimony to the resurrection. What we have here is not a record but a series of single stories.

* [20:1–10] The story of the empty tomb is found in both the Matthean and the Lucan traditions; John’s version seems to be a fusion of the two.

* [20:1] Still dark: according to Mark the sun had risen, Matthew describes it as “dawning,” and Luke refers to early dawn. Mary sees the stone removed, not the empty tomb.

* [20:2] Mary runs away, not directed by an angel/young man as in the synoptic accounts. The plural “we” in the second part of her statement might reflect a tradition of more women going to the tomb.

* [20:3–10] The basic narrative is told of Peter alone in Lk 24:12, a verse missing in important manuscripts and which may be borrowed from tradition similar to John. Cf. also Lk 24:24.

* [20:6–8] Some special feature about the state of the burial cloths caused the beloved disciple to believe. Perhaps the details emphasized that the grave had not been robbed.

* [20:9] Probably a general reference to the scriptures is intended, as in Lk 24:26 and 1 Cor 15:4. Some individual Old Testament passages suggested are Ps 16:10; Hos 6:2; Jon 2:1, 2, 10. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Andy Alexander, SJ  comments that Easter fills us with the freedom to love as we have been loved.

With our minds and hearts filled with Easter freedom, we can better love as we have been loved. We can be a source of reconciliation where there is conflict and division. We can speak truth to power on behalf of those on the margins. The tomb is empty. Let us live our lives full of that freedom.

“Easter does not eliminate the cross, but defeats it in the miraculous duel that changed our human history. Even our time, marked by so many crosses, invokes the dawn of Paschal hope. Christ’s Resurrection is not an idea, a theory, but the Event that is the foundation of faith. He, the Risen One, through the Holy Spirit, continues to remind us of this, so that we can be His witnesses even where human history does not see light on the horizon. Paschal hope does not disappoint. To believe truly in the Pasch through our daily journey means revolutionizing our lives, being transformed in order to transform the world with the gentle and courageous power of Christian hope.”

- Pope Leo XIV, General Audience, Wednesday, 5 November 2025 (Alexander, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes  “The Womb of the Earth Gives Birth”, by Hesychius of Jerusalem, who died around 450 A.D.

"Hidden first in a womb of flesh, he sanctified human birth by his own birth. Hidden afterward in the womb of the earth, he gave life to the dead by his resurrection. Suffering, pain and sighs have now fled away. For who has known the mind of God, or who has been his counselor if not the Word made flesh who was nailed to the cross, who rose from the dead and who was taken up into heaven? This day brings a message of joy: it is the day of the Lord's resurrection when, with himself, he raised up the race of Adam. Born for the sake of human beings, he rose from the dead with them. On this day paradise is opened by the risen one, Adam is restored to life and Eve is consoled. On this day the divine call is heard, the kingdom is prepared, we are saved and Christ is adored. On this day, when he had trampled death under foot, made the tyrant a prisoner and despoiled the underworld, Christ ascended into heaven as a king in victory, as a ruler in glory, as an invincible charioteer. He said to the Father, 'Here am I, O God, with the children you have given me.' And he heard the Father's reply, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool' (Psalm 110:1)." To him be glory, now and for ever, through endless ages. Amen. [excerpt from EASTER HOMILY 5-6]

Hesychius of Jerusalem was a priest and a Scripture scholar who worked with Jerome and Cyril of Jerusalem. He wrote a commentary on the whole Bible.He died around 450 AD. (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 20:1-9 comments that today we celebrate the culmination of the longing of God’s people through the ages. In today’s Gospel, we hear that when John looked into the empty tomb, he “saw and believed” (John 20:8). His eyes were opened, and he was able to respond to what he saw with faith. As we consider the empty tomb today, let’s ask the Lord to open our eyes and give us the grace to respond with faith as well!

Today as you rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, rejoice in all its effects—both in your own life and for everyone. He has conquered sin and death and the devil! All our hopes have been fulfilled in him!

“Jesus, I rejoice in your resurrection! Open my eyes to see and believe all that you have accomplished.” (Meditation on John 20:1-9, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler offers some comments that the passage from Acts presents Peter preaching to Corneilus and his household in a dream that resonated with Peter’s vision. What God has created is clean and Cornelius, a God fearer, was to be accepted into the Church. In the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians we are called to the new life and we need to rid ourselves of the yeast of our old life. In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb early in the morning. Mary goes alone representing the Church looking for her lover. When the Beloved Disciple is told of the empty tomb he runs and arrives first driven by love and waits and bows to authority represented by Peter who sees and and the Beloved sees and believes. Friar Jude notes that in the account in Matthew’s very Jewish Gospel two women give witness in a time when they could not give testimony. 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, explains how the resurrection offers us hope, especially in challenging times. Fr. Richard believes the resurrection of Christ is saying that the final judgment has already happened. It’s nothing we need to fear. It’s nothing we need to avoid or deny. God’s final judgment is that God will have the last word! Easter reveals that there are no dead ends; ultimately, nothing is going to end in tragedy and crucifixion. Of course we look around us, at history and at life in its daily moments and it seems, “No, that isn’t true.” And yet, ever and again, here and there, more than we suspect, new life breaks through for those who are willing to see and to cooperate with this universal mystery of resurrection.

Easter is the feast of hope. This is the feast that says God will have the last word and that God’s final judgment is resurrection. God will turn all that we maim and destroy and hurt and punish into life and beauty. 

What the resurrection reveals more than anything else is that love is stronger than death. Jesus walks the way of death with love, and what it becomes is not death but life. Surprise of surprises! It doesn’t fit any logical explanation. Yet this is the mystery: that nothing dies forever, and that all that has died will be reborn in love.

(Rohr, n.d.)

  

So, to be a Christian is to be inevitably and forever a person of hope. God in Christ is saying this is what will last: My life and my love will always and forever have the final word.  

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/10?34 

Alexander, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/ 

Colossians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/3?1 

John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?1 

Meditation on John 20:1-9. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/05/1535628/ 

1 Corinthians, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/5?6 

Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Hope of Resurrection. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). John Saw the Empty Tomb and Believed. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 5, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/