Authority in the Church

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

On many occasions Christ caught his disciples arguing who among them is the greatest.  And Christ’s in settling their argument redefined the definition of greatness. “A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’” (Luke 22:24-27)

Authority in the Catholic Church is the opposite of authority as we commonly perceive it, which is bossism or lordship over others.  In the Church, authority is service and servanthood, because the Founder Himself who is God made Man precisely became Man to serve and be a ransom to buy us back from sin and slavery of the devil.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  (Mark 10:45) Our God is not someone who is egotistic who longs to be glorified and worshipped.  Some atheists would say that if our God is true, then He must be a self-centered God who made humans because He feels lonely and sad that no one adores or praises Him.

God has no need of us because He is perfectly happy in Himself as Three Persons in one God whether we glorify Him or not.  It’s better that God has no need of us because He can truly love us since He is not dependent on us. Otherwise, His love for us might be forced or with some strings attached.

Those who serve the Church through a calling such as priesthood or religious life is not about power.  The priests or bishops have the demanding task of preaching, dispensing the sacraments of Confession, Holy Mass, Anointing of the Sick (at times at late night hours because the sick person is dying), running a Parish Church, etc. with no monetary compensation except that which the faithful would give and relying on no other reward except what God would give in the form of grace in this life and eternal life in the next.

Why such kind of job?  Because that’s what Christ did while He was here on earth, preaching and healing people’s physical and spiritual sickness.  It is not lordship but service.

Feminists who want women ordained so as to empower women don’t get it.  Manhood which is the physically stronger gender than women is given the more humbling task of serving both men and women in the Church through the priesthood.

The Pope who is the visible Head of the Church is sometimes called, “The servant of the servants of God” because he has the least sought-after job of taking care of the entire Church composed of one billion Catholics.  If it’s already a headache to run one parish church, how much more the worldwide Church of God.  In the spiritual life, to be great means to be humble and be a servant because God is love and to love means to serve.