Clarifying the priestly authority
We need to clarify the concept of authority, especially of priestly authority, because a lot of incomplete, shallow, distorted if not outright erroneous ideas are actually suffocating it.
There’s, for example, the notion that authority is purely man-made, a matter of people’s consensus, whose substance and purpose are entirely human and temporal, if not also material. There’s hardly any mention that authority comes from God, and its ultimate objective is to lead us to God, a transcendent, supernatural end.
This kind of understanding puts authority under the sole designs and control of man. It can’t help but be purely subjective, whether in the personal level or social level. As such, it is doomed to failure, since man without God is like a tree detached from its roots. It can look luxuriant at the moment, but in time it withers and dies.
And since we are persons, ruled by reason and will, there’s a possibility that we can abuse authority to the extent of using it not only against others, but also against ourselves. This has happened and has been validated many times in history when authority became the engine of a country’s or a civilization’s decadence.
We have to be most clear about the origin, nature and aims of authority. Our Catechism gives us a good description of it: “The authority required by the moral order derives from God: ‘Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.’” (1899)
From this truth, it should be obvious that authority requires obedience, such that one could not be without the other. Otherwise, a monstrosity would be created. Authority and obedience should be inseparable.
Therefore, a bevy of virtues is necessary for us to use and follow authority properly. We can mention a few—humility, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, etc. Without these virtues, how easily we can succumb to misuse and abuse authority!
And of all kinds of authority here in our life, the one wielded by the clerics, from the Pope down to the bishops, priests and deacons, is the most delicate and sublime, since it is the authority needed to govern our spiritual life and the Church.
Its aim is not only for some temporal and earthly good, but rather for our supreme good. The aim is nothing less than forming Christ in the believers, letting Christ live in every faithful, echoing St. Paul’s intense sentiment when he said: “My children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you!” (Gal 4,19)
This is what Pope Benedict XVI recently reminded us of, in his address to priests all over the world that touched on our governing or guiding mission in the Church. The authority we, priests, wield is a tremendous one since it is a participation in that of Christ who said: ¨All power is given to me in heaven and on earth...¨ (Mt 28,18)
From here, we can deduce that if all authority on earth is a participation of the authority of God and therefore should be exercised in reference to him and his law, that of the priests requires the strictest adherence if not identification with Christ and his will.
We, priests, should be most aware that the power we have demands that we be most united with Christ. It is not something to be exercised in our own name, but in the name of Christ, and therefore should be discharged as the most exquisite form of service for Christ and for souls.
To do that, priests should be vitally connected with Christ through prayers, study, recourse to the sacraments, continuing formation in doctrine and virtues, and abiding ascetical struggle.
It cannot be any other way, since otherwise the whole process will surely be corrupted, deceiving people and creating a mess sooner or later. Priests should be wary of the dangers of complacency, hypocrisy, bureaucratic mentality, clericalism, etc.
We need to constantly rectify our intentions and to rev them up to measure up to Christ´s standards. Like Christ, we have to empty ourselves in imitation of Christ´s example, who ¨emptied himself, taking the form of a servant...humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.¨ (Phil 2,7-8)
Pope Benedict said: ¨To be a pastor according to the heart of God there must be a profound rootedness in living friendship with Christ...and the docility itself of the people to their priests depends on the docility of priests to Christ.¨
(Fr. Cimagala is the Chaplain of Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City. Email: roycimagala@gmail.com)
