Zechariah 8:1-8 / Luke 9:46-50
It is understandable to perceive power and authority in the secular world as important and even to strive for it.
So in the office, or in the school, or in the community club, to have power and authority means that a person has a say, and it means that a person is someone to be reckoned with.
But yet this secular perception of power and authority can, and has even pervaded the Church.
Church history tells us that Popes, bishops, priests, religious and the laity have succumbed to its lure and trap. They can even bask in it, and yearn for it.
Yet, the yearning and longing for power and authority is also the clear give-away sign of a person's real motive and intention for being in the Church.
Indeed, it is difficult to balance power and authority with the sincerity and honesty of a child.
But what seems impossible for man is not so for God.
In the 1st reading, the Lord reiterates His mighty power.
He will bring His people back from the nations and He will be their God and they will be His people.
Yes, God will also save and protect the Church from the corruption of power and authority.
He will also teach us obedience and service, for that is true greatness.