Luminous Mystery—Proclaiming The Kingdom [8 of 20]

The Daughter of Jairus, c. 1863 by Carl Heinrich Bloch

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hird Luminous Mystery—Proclaiming The Kingdom. "And preach as you go, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay" (Mt 10:7-8).

There is a famous quote from the comic story Spider-Man written by Stan Lee that goes “A great power must be accompanied by—a great responsibility!” An earlier reference of this same quotation is traced to a speech by then Under-Secretary of the British Colonial Commissariat, Winston Churchill, in 1906, who said, “Where there is great power there is [a] great responsibility, where there is less power there is less responsibility, and where there is no power there can, I think, be no responsibility.” In the Bible, two millennia ago, we have, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more" (Lk 12:48).

What does it mean to be responsible? Often we look at it as a function or accountability. In civil society, responsibility could be seen as a duty, right or privilege, a quid pro quo, or a tit for tat. The dynamic of responsibility, however, has far more value than meets the eye, especially when juxtaposed with power and love. I wondered if all parents did what they did just out of sheer duty or function e.g., raising a child, bringing up a family. For me though, it cannot just be doing one’s duty for duty’s sake. There is more to it. I call it love. With great responsibility comes great love. Seeing a mother taking care of a fetus in her womb to the point of even endangering one’s own life, cannot simply be called one’s exercise of duty. If it were just that then to hell with it because there would be no difference at all from a mother monkey and its babies. I know of so many who did things, great things selflessly even if in the eyes of society they were not held responsible for doing such acts.

The true exercise of duty and responsibility flows out of great love. Responsibility not anchored on love becomes merely functional, mechanical, and tiring. Since on its own it cannot be sustained and many resort to other means through the use of power rather than love and it becomes self-destructive, self-driven but without a clear direction. Power does not want to die out and would resist powerlessness. There are many dictators, in the past and in the present, who wield a form of power through gerrymandering or the art of achieving a result by manipulating and usurping even more power. It is like the ancient image of a snake that is swallowing its own body. There is a proverb, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The antidote to this is genuine love. St Thérèse of Lisieux once said, "You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them."

With great privilege comes not only great responsibility but great love. The more opportunity you have, the more responsibility you have.” I will now talk about love. What is love aside from being the source of responsibility and the antidote to power? Well, with love anything is possible. With great love comes great power and with great power comes great love. I am not saying that the two are interchangeable or equal. In fact, love still is much greater. Unlike power, love has all the capacity to let go for the sake of another. That is why it is the very principle of life. Love brings forth joy and life. It heals, it comforts, it brings peace and serenity and it never dies. Where it ends it begins again. It is the eternal and never-ending fount of life. The dynamic between power and love is when power creates there is an effusion of love. Each created being is touched by this kind of selfless love which gives the created being protection and dignity all throughout its existence. Every creature is said to be drawn out of love. Every being has love as its essence, an essence that is the very essence of its Almighty Maker.

Love is capable of something that power is incapable of doing. Power has an end when it becomes powerless. But in powerlessness, love continuously abounds and triumphs.

Reflection

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or our reflection on the third luminous mystery—Proclaiming the Kingdom, what moves Jesus to do all his miracles? Was it out of duty or responsibility? Was it just to manifest his power?

Additional Material:

Wedding At Cana [7 of 20]

The Transfiguration [9 of 20]

Dedication Of The Basilica Of St Mary Major

Fr JM Manzano SJ