Day 251: Authorities in Society (1897-1904)

• It’s Day 251!! 

• ARTICLE 2: PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE

• Today we are talking about AUTHORITY specifically when it comes to participation in social life and being in a society

• Paragraph 1897 says, “‘Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all.’ By ‘authority’ one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men and expect obedience from them.”

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, you are good, and you are God. And we love you. You are the one who has ultimate authority over all of us. You are. You are Truth, and you are reason. You are good. You are just. You are merciful. You are all-powerful and all-knowing. And you are God. And therefore, you are the ultimate authority to which every one of us answers. Lord God, we ask that you please help us to acknowledge you as our ultimate authority, but also we ask that you please guide those who are in authority over us. Guide those of us who have authority over others so that we can always act with justice, we can always act in Truth, we can always act in right reason, in our judgments and in our decisions. Lord God, every one of us is beholden to authority, and every one of us wields some kind of authority. Help us to be obedient to right authority, and help us to be right authority to those who are obedient to us. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• We can have a resistance to authority

• Which makes sense, because we have all experienced authority that has been unjust

• We have all experienced authority that has wielded its power over us in an unjust way

• When we have to obey, we do not want to obey

• There is a NECESSITY for authority

• Paragraph 1897 says, “‘Human society can be neither well-ordered nor prosperous unless it has some people invested with legitimate authority to preserve its institutions and to devote themselves as far as is necessary to work and care for the good of all.’ By ‘authority’ one means the quality by virtue of which persons or institutions make laws and give orders to men and expect obedience from them.”

• If we just heard the word “authority” we can resist it

• AND YET…

• We realize that anarchy does not work (Except in the U.K. 😛 Just kidding….it’s just a song!!)

• We need authority to hold society together

• We need authority to enforce the institutions

• There are laws here and authority has to have the ability to create just laws and enforce just laws

• When it comes to authority, society, and governance, there is legitimate power

• BUT…

• There is also legitimate limit to that power

• Every human community needs an authority to govern it

• Tautology is when you define something by the same thing

• If you say, “love is love”, that is not a definition

• That is a tautology

• There is a natural hierarchy in any kind of society, particularly human societies

• We have to make sure that hierarchy is based off of legitimate things, not just based off of power

• When hierarchy is based off of mere power, it could be accidentally good 

• If a hierarchy is based off of truth, we are getting closer

• If hierarchy is based off of competence in discovering the truth, in working with others, in preserving those institutions, and helping that society be oriented towards the common good, now that is healthier authority

• Paragraph 1899 says, “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. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.’”

• That is not necessarily God’s PERFECT WILL

• That will be God’s PERMISSIVE WILL in many cases

• AND YET…

• This is what God has allowed

• Paragraph 1900 says, “The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will…”

• Every human being deserves our respect because they have human dignity

• There is a next level where certain human beings will deserve our respect, not because of their character, but because of their role in our lives

• Imaging Joe and June who deserve respect for being human beings

• They are also parents so their roles deserve some degree of respect

• Joe and June can be horrible people so we don’t need to respect their character

• Insofar as they are legitimately exercising their roles as father and mother, then they deserve obedience

• The same thing is true for the mayor of a city

• The same thing is true for the governor, prime minister, or president

• Respect for human dignity

• Respect for the roles

• Paragraph 1902 says, “Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a ‘moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility’...”

• Just because someone is in authority over another, it does not mean that they are always right

• It doesn’t mean that every one of their decisions is legitimate

• Yes, there are roles that are necessary

• Those roles of authority over us in family life

• Those roles of authority over us in community life

• They deserve our respect and we owe them obedience

• At the same time, those who are exercising authority must act for the common good

• They must not behave in a despotic manner

• IN FACT…

• St. Thomas Aquinas says in Paragraph 1902, “A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law. Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence.’”

• If a human law goes against right reason, it is not law at all

• THAT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US!!

• The Church acknowledges the role of legitimate authority over us and that we owe legitimate authority obedience

• It is the duty of those in legitimate authority to make legitimate laws

• If they don’t, this is not a law, but a kind of violence

• If it does not occur with right reason, it is an unjust law

• Paragraph 1903 says, “Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, ‘authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse.’”

• What is the criteria for whether an authority is legitimate or not?

• It is only exercised legitimately when it seeks the common good of the group concerned

• If this is a despot or tyrant, or even the oligarchy who just serve themselves and not the common good

• If it employs morally illicit means to attain this, then it is no longer legitimately exercised authority

• An unjust law is no law at all

• An unjust law does not need to be followed

• Even if it is issued by legitimate authority, it would be legitimate authority acting illegitimately

• An unjust law would go against right reason

• An unjust law could go against the common good

• An unjust law could employ morally illicit means to attain this

• Paragraph 1904 says, “‘It is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the ‘rule of law,’ in which the law is sovereign and not the arbitrary will of men.’”

• The Catechism was not written by a bunch of Americans

• In America, we have three branches of government that are meant to provide checks and balances on each other

• We have the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch

• Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

• No one should be given absolute power

• Truly just laws are in accord with right reason and not simply the dictates of the person in power

• If there is a person who has authority, their authority extends over others inasmuch as the laws that they enact are in accordance with right reason, with the common good, and have legitimate and licit means to that end

• They are not based on their own will to power

• Something is not good or true simply because the person with power declares it so

• Those laws are not true or good because the person in power declares it so

• Those laws are true or good to the degree that they accord with right reason, are oriented towards the common good, and there is a morally licit means to achieve those ends

• The Church is setting before us principles, not policies

• We can disagree on policy

• BUT…

• We all agree on principle

• We can be different political parties

• We can think this is the best way to move forward economically or socially or whatever

• BUT…

• We MUST be united on PRINCIPLES

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• See ya later!!