15. Humans And Power – (Authority and obedience)
In order for a society to be stable and develop, there must be one orderly path to follow. If chaos exists, where everyone does things at will, the society will decline and perish. What helps the society stabilize and develop is called authority. Authority will inevitably lead to the formation of two classes of people: those who give orders and those who obey. To easily exercise authority, laws are written.
1. NATURE AND ORIGIN OF AUTHORITY:
Society is a structural organization that of course must have authority to maintain its existence.
- Nature of authority:
In primitive societies, authority came from muscular strength. The strong rule the weak.
During feudal times, authority was in the hands of kings and lords, and was often deified to calm the people. The king is considered the ‘son of heaven’, ruling on behalf of heaven.
In a republic, the law is respected. Whoever it is, even the president, must be under the law. Power comes from the people who decide on the laws.
In fact, in all times, authority is often abused with many cunning tricks by the ruler to gain the power of life and death over the ruled class, whether it is feudal or republican.
- Origin of authority:
Authority is necessary, but where does it come from?
Jesus answered Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above” (John 19:11).
The book of Sirach writes, “Sovereignty over the earth is in the hand of God, who appoints the right person for the right time” (Sirach 10:4).
Saint Paul also said in his letter to the Romans, “There is no authority except from God” (Rom 13:1).
God gave human society power not to oppress each other but to maintain order, pursue and serve the common good. In the true sense, rulers are ‘servants of the people’. Jesus said and set an example for us, “Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave” (Mt 20:27).
2. THE MEANING OF OBEDIENCE
Saint Thomas Aquinas said, “Social life cannot exist without someone taking care of the common good, because the more people there are, the more interests they have and each person only wants their own opinion” (Summa Theologica). That is very true for today’s society, in a regime that values democracy and civil rights: nine people with ten opinions.
Society develops because of the differences that arise. Obedience creates uniformity among those differences.
So how should we understand obedience?
The legitimacy theory of Confucianism holds that society is stable thanks to all classes fulfilling their duties: A king should behave as a king, a servant, a husband or a wife should behave in the same way.
Christianity believes that authority is given by God to the ruling class and that authority must be obeyed to pursue the common good. Christian obedience considers the person in power to be God’s representative to carry out work, not necessarily more talented than others, but someone chosen for a task.
God called the prophet Jeremiah, who reluctantly became a prophet. Because he had to predict disaster to the disobedient people, Jeremiah refused, saying, “Ah, Lord GOD! I do not know how to speak. I am too young!” But the Lord said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jeremiah 1:4-6).
Therefore, we obey not because of the person in authority but because God has chosen that person. Saint Paul wrote, “Whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed” (Rom 13:1-2).
However, obeying Christianity does not mean blindly following authority like a herd of sheep, but realizing that authority is to serve the community, the common good, and to care for the good, not is to honor the family and personal gain.
Obedience does not require us to follow policies that go against God’s will or against our conscience.
3. OBEDIENCE IN THE CHURCH
The Church is a solid social structure, established by Jesus himself.
- The Church is a body:
The Church is a body of which Jesus is the head and we are the members.
The Lord said to Paul on the road to Damascus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5).
In his letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul wrote, “God put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body” (Eph 1:22-23). “Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love” (Eph 4:16).
Just as the body unites its parts, so we must also be united with each other. The members are different, each member is a part which is responsible for a task.
Jesus also compares us to branches of a vine and He is the trunk. Any branch that leaves the tree will immediately wither, have no life left, and will certainly die. We must always unite with the body of Christ to draw the sap of life.
Obedience is to stick to the vine, listen to the command and control of the head that is Jesus. Jesus himself set an example for us when “he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).
- Holy Spirit and charisms:
We often forget the active guiding role of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).
Right from the beginning, when the Second Person came to the world as a human, when the good news was announced to Mary, we saw Him:
- Action:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you…” (Luke 1:35).
- Rebirth and innovation:
“He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
- Education:
“The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (John 14:26).
When the Church begins to do anything, she prays for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment.
Jesus told Nicodemus about the action of the Holy Spirit, “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8).
- Bestows graces:
We should not frame what the Holy Spirit should do, using our limited human reasoning.
Saint Paul affirms in his letter to the Ephesians, “The Spirit of God gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Clearly God has arranged everything: authority and hierarchy to form the leadership in the Church, which Saint Paul calls the charisms of care, teaching, and apostleship.
And the charisms of healing, performing miracles, discerning spirits, and being prophets of some people whose purpose is to serve the common good of the Church. (Read Saint Paul’s 1st letter to Corinthians, chapter 12: 27-30).
The result is the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22).
Conclusion:
The Church Jesus founded aims to bring salvation to souls. The authority given by God is to serve that purpose.
Saint Peter wrote, “Not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you” (1 Peter 5:2-3).
Obedience is also to fulfill the noble purpose of saving souls as God wills. In the Church there is no contradiction: one member says there is no need for another. But it all serves a purpose.
Using reason to judge right from wrong, to win or lose, is the devil’s plot to cause division. Differences are always a factor for progress, but obedience to authority is essential for cooperation. Human social mechanisms always have shortcomings and always need to be corrected.
One scripture sentence that every organization that intends to separate from the Church often quotes is “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). They consider God to be on their side, not on the other side. There is only one Spirit. “We were all given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).
Saint Paul said all charisms are useless without charity. Therefore, as a Christian, everyone must be feeling with the Church (sentire cum Ecclesia) to build, not to destroy, the communion.