When Jesus founded the Church there were two things he assured: First, that even the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it. Second, the Church was assured of authority; whatever you bound on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven.

What is authority? Authority refers to the power, ability, or capability to complete an action. In matters of our faith, authority is so important that even in the Gospel Jesus reminds his listeners: “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.” In other words, they may not necessarily be good examples but listen and respect the authority. 

As Jesus was given authority by the Father, He has given the authority to his church and his disciples. That is why when it comes to Authority, three things we remember:

1. We are called to be obedient to the authority. As Jesus said in the Gospel, “Observe and do all things whatsoever they tell you.” God put the authority in its place and sadly not all levels of authority have been faithful to God. Yet, observe and do all the good that they tell you. 
   
2. The prayers of the Authority are very powerful. The prayer of the Church for her people, the prayer of the parish to its parishioners, and the prayer of the parent for their children. Those are very powerful prayers. 
   
3. Even evil respect authority. When we pray, we always say, “In Jesus’ name…”. We do not talk to evil spirits, we command them. “In Jesus’ name, go to the foot of the cross”. They follow. 

In this Mass, we pray for all our authorities: Church leaders, government leaders, our parents, or anyone who has authority over us. 

May they be humble in service, may they be generous in their blessings that God lent them; may they be open to the will of the Lord. 

Eventually, when we become an authority,  we may have learned from our previous examples.