THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost 20 October 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” 

St. Paul would have us understand that all authority comes from God. The Church therefore is not the enemy of any legitimate government, but is rather its staunchest backer and supporter. The government that we have, has been either willed or permitted by God and He in turn desires us to perfect ourselves in this situation. 

We find that the Church and all her loyal subjects support and uphold their respective temporal rulers, but at the same time we find many temporal rulers at enmity with the Church and God. We must then ask ourselves what do we owe to such temporal powers? St. John Chrysostom would have us not focus upon the evil, but rather the good that these rulers provide for us. Whatever we may have it is always preferable to the anarchy that comes with absolutely no authority. 

It appears to us that total anarchy would be nothing short than society being completely abandoned by God’s grace. Any power or authority is better than none. We shutter with fear when we perceive many people covertly and overtly promoting anarchical ideas. Can they truly understand what it is they are seeking? Our thoughts are taken to the words of Our Lord hanging on the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” 

If our independence in the United States of America is a right, we must also recognize that every right has a corresponding responsibility. Freedom is not to be equated with having absolutely no boundaries or restrictions. This “freedom” that is promoted by Demonic, Masonic, Atheistic Communism, or other evil influences is nothing short of damnable anarchy. 

We are given the example of Our Lord and countless saints of dutiful obedience in all that is not against the Law of God and our consciences. We see the martyrs willingly submitting to death as a “punishment” for their unwillingness to violate their consciences, the laws of the Church, and the supreme Laws of God. They did not desire to be disobedient to the civil rulers but they even more so desired not to disobey God. We see great men, like St. Thomas Moore, proclaim themselves obedient servants of their civil rulers while they bravely go to their deaths for placing God’s laws above the civil laws. 

We are not just commanded to obey, but also to honor all authority. The civil rulers as men may be dishonorable, but the position that they have been placed by the active or permissive Will of God, demands that we honor them for the place they hold. 

It is said that the people get the type of leaders that they deserve. If this is true then we must not hate the rulers that we deserve, but rather love them. Even those rulers that hate and persecute the Church through an abuse of their power have been willed or permitted to exist by God. Very often such persecution is good for the Church and God takes the evil and makes good come from it. “All things work for the good of those who love God.” If we have been given corrupt leaders, let us not render evil for evil, but contrariwise let us render good for evil. We must win over souls to God not by force or rebellion, but rather through patience and long-suffering. The enemies are converted when they see this calmness and patience even in the face of the greatest trials and sufferings. The Church has most often benefited by being persecuted. 

When we consider these things we soon discover that our enemies are actually our greatest benefactors. It is our enemies that give us the occasion and opportunity to practice all the virtues. If it were not for persecutions we could not have our calendars filled with martyrs and saints. When the authority placed over us becomes our enemies they actually give us a double source for practicing not only patience and long suffering but also to unite with it obedience for the love of God. They deserve on this account, not only our obedience and respect, but even more so our gratitude and love. We must pray for them, begging God to have mercy on them for the crimes they are committing, and open their eyes so that they may turn around before it is too late. It is truly a shame that while they offend God they offer us the opportunity to love and serve God even more. While they damn themselves they assist us in pleasing God. If we understand this, it should not be difficult for us to be forever grateful to them, and thus love them to the point of forgiving them for what they do to us, and begging God to do the same for them – just as we saw Jesus do on the Cross and St. Stephen as he was stoned to death.