St Aelred of Rievaulx — Prayer That Listens, Authority That Heals

Today’s readings place two scenes side by side.

One is quiet, hidden, almost unnoticed.
The other is public, startling, impossible to ignore.

Together they teach us something essential
about how God works.

The first reading gives us Hannah.

She is not powerful.
She has no influence.
She has no solution.

She has only pain —
and prayer.

Hannah does not make a speech.
She does not demand.

She pours out her heart before God.

So much so that the priest thinks she is drunk.

That detail matters.

Real prayer often looks unimpressive from the outside.

It is not polished.
It is not confident.
It is honest.

And Scripture tells us something quietly decisive:

“The Lord remembered her.”

God does not forget such prayer.

He listens —
and He acts in His time.

The Gospel moves us from silence to shock.

Jesus enters the synagogue
and begins to teach.

And immediately people notice something different.

“He taught them with authority.”

Not borrowed authority.
Not repeated opinions.

Authority that comes from truth.

And that authority is revealed even more clearly
when Jesus confronts the unclean spirit.

He does not argue.
He does not negotiate.

He commands —
and the spirit obeys.

This is authority that liberates,
not controls.

These two readings belong together.

Hannah shows us prayer that listens.
Jesus shows us authority that heals.

Both come from relationship with God.

Hannah entrusts her future to God.
Jesus acts in complete union with the Father.

In both cases, God’s power is revealed
not through noise,
but through obedience and trust.

This brings us to today’s saint:

Aelred of Rievaulx.

Aelred lived in a monastery,
far from centres of power.

He was not a bishop.
He did not command armies.

And yet he exercised deep authority.

Why?

Because his authority came from prayer,
from friendship with Christ,
and from love rooted in truth.

Aelred taught that true Christian friendship
flows from God
and leads us back to God.

That kind of authority never coerces.
It heals.

We live in a world suspicious of authority.

Often for good reason.

But today’s Gospel reminds us
that authority itself is not the problem.

Authority detached from God becomes domination.
Authority rooted in God becomes service.

Jesus’ authority frees the possessed man.
It restores him to himself.

That is what God’s authority always does.

Hannah teaches us to pray honestly.
Jesus shows us authority that saves.
St Aelred reminds us that holiness grows quietly
where prayer and love meet.

God still listens to prayer offered in trust.
God still acts with authority that heals.

And He still works most powerfully
through lives that remain hidden, faithful, and sincere.