Tuesday, September 10 (August 28), 2024
2Cor. 5:15-21; Mk. 1:16-22

The Lord was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and everyone marveled at His words: “For he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes” [Mk. 1:22].  That authority is not an assertive manner of speech, but rather the power of influence upon the human soul.

The words of the Lord penetrated listener’s heart and took over his conscience, compelling him to accept the truth of what Jesus was saying.  Such also were the words of the holy apostles, and ever since ─ of all great teachers of Christianity whose teaching was not based upon any kind  of theory, but upon the Holy Spirit Who opened their mouth to speak.  This is a gift of God; to receive this gift you have to work hard on learning the truth, but even harder ─ on the acquisition of the truth in your practical life and in your heart.

If you achieve this, then your words will be really convincing, as they will flow from heart to heart: that is what we mean by the authority of the word over the souls. Scholars who speak and write from abstract theories, can never achieve such authority: their words is mere reasoning which goes from brain to brain.  However, the tree of the inner life of a human soul grows not from the brains but rather from the heart: the brains have only a small tip of that tree.  Deep influence on the soul is possible only through the heart.

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