A godly response to Church authority

I’ve been wanting to write on the apostolate of the laity for some time now. I just haven’t gotten around to it – too busy with working/failing on my apostolate I guess...I know.

Yet today, I read Leon’s piece, Laity on the Line. It's a good reminder of our calling (Eph. 4:1-3) as lay members of the Body of Christ. You should check it out.

What is our role, our responsibility as laity? How are we to respond to those in authority? Here’s the heart of Leon's post:

The “anatomy” of a godly response to Church authority requires not only backbone but also heart–in other words, strength and tenderness rooted in the truth. This is charity in action, which the Catechism calls “the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse” (no. 1889).

I understand that all this might sound good in theory, but what about Bishop So and So? What about my pastor, who allows–or even mandates–that X, Y, or Z go on in our parish? Surely each situation brings into play unique challenges, but I would like to present a few general principles here:

(1) Take personal responsibility. We are responsible for doing our part to build up the Church. Too often I’ve heard people lament at length about the deficiencies of local Church leaders, as though everything rides with them. The fact is, Baptism gives us the serious right and duty to be “apostles” in accordance with our state in life. We can’t control the actions of others, but we surely can take it upon ourselves to strive to become saints. At the Last Judgment, we will not be asked about our bishop or pastor, but we will be accountable for what we did–or failed to do–with our own talents.

(2) Offer it up. Difficulties and sufferings within the Church can be the very stuff of our redemption. Do we really believe that? Are we going to embrace these crosses (even as we legitimately and appropriately address our concerns), or are we going to respond with the “violence” that only makes things worse? Suffering of all kinds is a given in life; we have the power to choose whether in our case it will be redemptive or wasted.

(3) Honor our fathers. Since bishops and pastors are our spiritual fathers, we are commanded to honor them as such by the Fourth Commandment. The Roman Catechism, issued after the Council of Trent, taught that “Christ the Lord commands obedience even to wicked pastors.” But the Fourth Commandment is a “thou shall” rather than a “thou shall not” commandment. It does not tell us to avoid negative behaviors, but rather encourages a healthy, positive loyalty and reverence toward our parents and also our spiritual fathers.

(4) Live the vision. Lastly, we should pray for an increase of faith, that we might see in our bishops and priests, despite their human frailty and any perceived shortcomings, “the Lord’s anointed.” If we do that, we’re well on our way toward imitating the example of David, who was, to his eternal credit, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).

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