Authority of Christ – Reflection on Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus’s commissioning of the Disciples ripples forward in time to our participation as present-day disciples. With life’s ebb and flow, we can doubt how much effort to put into ministry. However, when these thoughts enter our thinking, a strategy is to cast them aside by remembering what we have seen, know, and believe in Jesus’s impact on our lives. Becoming a willing vessel for Trinity is not limited to letting faith be a moral guide. If we diligently pray deeply, listen to the Spirit, acknowledge Jesus within, and model ourselves after saintly others, we have the authority of Christ. While hard to believe, with Jesus’s help, we can do what He has accomplished and even more as a community. We are a conduit for divinity to become present as needed for others. With time and practice, we can be spiritually prepared for any moment God puts in our path until eternity.
The Exhortation to the Apostles by James Tissot (Image of painting at full resolution).
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Additional Eastertide Reflections
Matthew 28:16-20 – Scripture*
The Commissioning of the Disciples
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Additional Thoughts
Thank you for meditating on this Gospel and reading this Lectio Divina on Matthew 28:16-20 Reflection – Authority of Christ.
Would you like to contribute related thoughts to these Lectio reflections on the Gospel readings? Since Lectio is not the only contemplative prayer style, others might appreciate these types of expressions in this ministry. Do you see God’s grandeur everywhere and unconditionally enjoy sharing the love of Christ that you have inside? Are you willing to be anonymous in what you would share? If so, email me.
Prayer for young families:
Lord, let the young families of our communities experience your joy, peace, comfort, and love despite worldly distractions.
Attributions
*This site has permission to use the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) Bible Matthew 28 Bible passage.
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Primary Lectio Divina word or phrase: Authority of Christ
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