A Credible Witness of Faith

Most of us are quiet people who desire to live a good and holy life, promote the values and mission of the Gospel as best we can and desire to one day inherit the surprise of life eternal God promises to us. We are not trail blazers. We are simple people who want to do the simple things of life well. But there are others who left a more profound impact along the way of the paths they walked. Folks like Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Thomas Merton, Gandhi, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and many others left lasting impacts and legacies. Like Moses, they show us by word and deed who God is and what integrity and a purpose driven life look like. They show us how to be holy. We need Moses people like these to give us inspiration, hope and an example of holy living.

We do not need to do what they did or even mirror their relationship with God. Each one of us is God’s special creation, with a purpose and soul known only to us. We need to learn how to open up and bring, without compromise, our soul-ness to life. We know when someone is authentic and centered because they always point to truth, even though they struggle and sin themselves, and they embody an unspoken timeless wisdom that just sounds and feels right. Jesus taught with this same type of authority and it astonished many who listened. We do not need to move mountains, advance a cause, write books or become notable. All we have to do is become credible witnesses of the faith we profess. Moses people can teach us how to do this.

St. Oscar Romero was an amazing man and a Moses figure for sure. He saw God in the burning bush and brought the flame of Gospel faith to the poorest of the poor, challenging the evils of the society in which he lived. He was tireless and persistent. He must have gotten very close to the problem because it cost him his life. He suspected it would. St. Romero said, “When we leave Mass, we ought to go out the way Moses descended Mt Sinai: with his face shining, with his heart brave and strong to face the world’s difficulties.” We can learn from this wisdom. If we allow the power of the Mass to truly transform us, we will leave that holy encounter changed. Our face will shine, and we will have courage. We can then bring what we have received to life’s challenges. That sounds doable, doesn’t it? Because of the example of our simple holiness, people will be amazed.

En el Evangelio de este domingo, Marcos presentaalgo como la jornada de Jesús. Primero, él está enla sinagoga enseñando con autoridad, no como losmaestros de la ley que repiten e interpretan la misma.Su autoridad se presenta al ordenar salir alespíritu impuro del hombre que entró a la sinagoga,y comienza a gritar a Jesús. “Yo sé que tú eresel Santo de Dios”. Jesús le ordena: “¡Cállate ysal de ese hombre! (Marcos 1:26). Nos dice elEvangelio que a causa de ese milagro su fama seextendía por todo el territorio de Galilea.

Jesús tenía autoridad porque hablaba con la verdad,lo que proclamaba de justicia, lo hacia él mismo,no tenía doblez, era la bondad misma de Diosen el mundo. La autoridad de Jesús es más fuerteque el mal. Lo decimos al final del Padrenuestro:“No nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos delmal”. Sí, Señor, líbranos como al hombre endemoniadode tu tiempo, de los males que nos aquejanhoy día, enfermedad, hambre, e injusticia.Además, danos una ayudadita, con los líderes delmundo con respecto a la autoridad. Que sean respetuosos,leales al pueblo, que hagan leyes justasque protejan a todos. La sociedad de hoy necesitapalabras con autoridad que erradiquen el mal.¿Crees tú que Jesús puede liberar en este tiempo?¿En quién está la autoridad que libera? No tenemosque pensarlo mucho. La autoridad está en cadauno de nosotros. Se nota en la justicia y el trabajopor la paz que llevemos a cabo en la familia,la sociedad y en el mundo.