When given or vested with power and authority, the usual tendency of many people is to use these to dominate and control others. And often, there will be those who would use these for their own personal benefit. I am thinking of the Senators involved in the PDAF scandal who thought of these public monies as their own personal funds.
Jesus had the power and the authority. People around him recognized this fact and said so. He did not keep these for himself instead shared and gave them to his apostles and disciples. He did not use them for control and domination of others, much less for his own personal benefit. Instead, he combined his power and authority with compassionate love and humble service. He used them not for his personal benefit, not even to save his own life, but in healing the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the afflicted and teaching those who were seeking wisdom and enlightenment.
Indeed the ways of the Lord are the ways of the world. Imagine a world where those with power and authority worked with compassionate love and humble service. Imagine the rich and the powerful feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. Imagine those in high places going down to the lowly to bring them wisdom and consolation. Imagine those vent on control and domination reaching out in peace and brotherhood to those they would subjugate.
It would seem that these things will happen only when hell freezes over. And yet, there is one voice today that clearly echoes the call of Christ for compassionate love and humble service even as he has been vested with great power and authority. Pope Francis has consistently called for healing the wounds from the past; going out the edges and peripheries to bring love and compassion to those who have been among the lost, the least and the last for such a long time; reaching out and embracing those who have kept away from the Church; moving from petty bickering to substantial acts of service. I draw great inspiration from Pope Francis to do my share in proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
Luke 9:1-6