Monday 15 April 2013

Real Authority comes from God


His reign must be established on earth as it is in heaven.  It is He himself who said so in the prayer that he taught us, the Our Father: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.  And this must be the object of our prayers, the intention of our sufferings, and the purpose of our life.  We must have no rest until Our Lord’s reign is established.  A Catholic whose heart is not animated by this profound desire is not a Catholic.  He is not one of the faithful of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  It suffices to re-read these lines “Now at last in these times He has spoke to us, with a Son to speak for Him; a Son whom He has appointed to inherit all things, just as it was through Him that He created this world of time” (Heb, 1:2).



Our Lord Jesus Christ is King now.  All power has been given to Him in heaven and on earth. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” says Our Lord. If, then, Our Lord’s will must be done on earth , it means that His law, the Decalogue, must be applied on earth as it is in heaven.  We must profess this even if churchmen want no more of it.  This what is dividing the Church at present .  As for us, we want Our Lord’s honour and the social kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which must be applied universally.  We will fight for this, and we will do our utmost to crown Jesus Christ King.
Because we speak of the social reign of Our Lord, we are accused of engaging in politics, then we want to do so, because we want Our Lord Jesus Christ to rule over us.  We do not want to be governed by men who are not subject to Our Lord.  If only all our rulers understood that they must be subject to Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings, the Lord of lords!  He is the King.  He could have been the King on earth and continue to govern us.  But He will be one day, when He descends upon the clouds in the heavens.  Everyone will have to render and account to this King and Judge.

Meanwhile, today, we want authorities, leaders, who know that they will render an account to God for the exercise of their power and their government.  For we love to be subject to persons who do not believe themselves to be the authors of all power.  Even if they have been elected by the people, the people do not have power; the people are not God.  The people can designate the one who will exercise authority, but it does not give the authority; authority comes from God: “there is no power but from God,” says St Paul (Rom.13:1)

This is the greatness of authority.  This is the true foundation of the power of authority, whether civil or paternal.  Paternal authority comes from God. Children know that when they are subject to their parents, they are at the same time subject to God.  How beautiful this is; how well God has made things! But how men destroy them!



The Communists say that religion is a from of alienation, Yes religion is an alienation in the sense that we convey our body, our soul, our understanding, and our will into Gods hands.  We alienate ourselves to give ourselves entirely to God, to the One who created us, who saved us, and who shed all His Blood for us.  Love for love we desire to alienate ourselves in order to give ourselves entirely to Our Lord Jesus Christ.  So on this point we are in full agreement with what  the Communists say about our holy religion.  And I would say to these friends, who are in error:  “you alienate yourselves for a party; for men; you place your nature, your strength, and all that you have  in the hands of men: that is a bad alienation.  And it is not at all the order willed by God”.

We do not want to be subject uniquely to men who will do with us what they will.  We would not be allowed to think except as these men think.  We would not be allowed to act except as these men want us to act.  No, we want to be subject to God, yes, we are willing to be subject.  That is what we think and what we want.  We want to belong to Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our King.


The Mass of all time, the Communion  Chapter 5
Angelus Press 2007.