Obedience disposes the Christian to
relate properly to authority. In turn, all authority has
been established by God. Concerning civil authority, St.
Paul comments: "You must all obey the governing
authorities. Since all government comes from God, the
civil authorities were appointed by God, and so anyone
who resists authority is rebelling against God's
decision, and such an act is bound to be punished." (Rm
13:1-2). If God has established authority in civil
society, He also, obviously, has established authority
within the Church. In the words of Vatican II:
"Therefore, the sacred council teaches that bishops by
divine institution have succeeded to the place of the
apostles, as shepherds of the Church, and that he who
hears them, hears Christ, and he who rejects them,
rejects Christ and him who sent Christ (Cf. Lk 10-16)."5
This authority of bishops
is shared by others in the Church, such as pastors and
religious superiors.
In our second chapter
we have already treated to some extent authority and
obedience within the Church. It is a question here of
continuing that discussion.
Authority in the
Church is aimed at building up the Body of Christ. It is
concerned with developing the Christ-life within the
members of the People of God. It is concerned with
making the Church a more authentic continuation of the
redemptive Incarnation. To do this properly, authority
must realize its service role. The People of God do not
exist for the sake of authority, but rather authority
exists for the People of God. The People of God, in
obedience to authority, are aided in their growth in
Christ; for authority is meant to help channel the will
of God and aid in its implementation. God has indeed
chosen to manifest His will partly through Church
authority. In this He respects man's nature. Man has a
social dimension and therefore is meant to live in
community. Life in community, in turn, demands
authority.
For too many years, however, authority in
the Church has to some extent failed to realize its
service function. Happily, a new theology of authority
and of person is emerging to correct the situation.
Formerly there was too much emphasis given to authority
and to external law in the Church to the detriment of
other values such as personal dignity, freedom and
initiative.
Actually, authority is
at the service of the freedom possessed by the members
of the People of God.6
Christ has come to perfect our
freedom. He has given us the Holy Spirit to lead us to
the fullness of freedom through the exercise of our
Christ-like. We are meant to become more free the more
we open ourselves up to God's self-communication in
Christ. The more we choose God in Christ the freer we
become, for we were created free in order to choose God
and His will in all its various dimensions of our lives.
Authority in the
Church must respect the People of God's freedom in
Christ. Those exercising authority must realize that the
members of Christ grow primarily through the interior
workings of the Holy Spirit. This is why there must be
some sort of continual dialogue between these possessing
authority and those whom they serve. Otherwise, how can
the holders of authority know the various ways according
to which the Holy Spirit seems to be leading the People
of God? Thus unaware, how can authority perform one of
its tasks: confirming and helping to direct these
workings of the Spirit?
Because authority is
meant to assist the workings of the Holy Spirit – the
perfecter of freedom – as He leads the People of God,
the external law of the Church should become much more
general. This is so because of the unique individuality
of each member of the Church. The Holy Spirit, it is
true, will lead all according to the basic pattern of
the mystery of Christ. But He also respects the
uniqueness of each person. When Church law becomes too
detailed, it tends to hamper the workings of the Holy
Spirit in respect to this uniqueness. Happily, the
reform of Church law gives every indication of becoming
much less detailed.
In describing the
nature and purpose of authority in the Church, we have
at the same time been discussing its necessity. In God's
plan the role of authority in the Church is one which
cannot be dispensed with. Consequently, if we do not
relate properly through obedience to Church authority we
will never achieve the desired maturity in Christ.
Finally, we make
this observation. The present-day Church needs to be
protected against two different classes of people.
First, the Church is harmed by that group who want
authority-obedience to be exercised in exactly the same
way as in the past. These people are failing to read the
signs of the times properly. Secondly, the Church is
harmed by that group who practically want to abolish all
authority in the Church, or at least see no necessity
for their individual conformity. Does this group really
accept the Church as instituted by Christ?
At this point we
briefly mention the religious state, since its members
are called in a special way to the exercise of Christian
obedience. In general, we can state that what has been
posited concerning authority-obedience in the Church at
large also holds true for authority-obedience in
religious life. It is a question of intensification.
There are several
points we wish to emphasize from our above discussion.
First, if religious superiors are truly convinced that
their exercise of authority is meant to promote the
growth in Christ of their religious, they must realize
that their authority cannot in all aspects be exercised
as in the past. There must be added attention given to
the fact that the religious grows in Christ when he or
she is allowed to exercise initiative and responsibility
as much as possible. Religious superiors must also
realize that God has given each religious certain
capacities and desires as regards one's work. These are
one indication of God's will for an individual, as long
as such factors are balanced by other manifestations of
the divine will. Sometimes these manifestations of God's
will are contradictory, and a prudent decision has to be
made. Superiors must likewise be aware of another very
important factor we mentioned above. The Holy Spirit
always leads a person to further growth in Christ in a
manner which is to some extent always different from His
guidance of others. Again, this truth is rooted in the
uniqueness of each person and each person's graces.
All this points to the
necessity of a certain basic dialogue between superior
and subject. How else will the superior fully know of
the capacity of the religious for initiative and
responsibility? Or how will the superior know of the
subject's interests, of how the Holy Spirit seems to be
leading this individual?
We have a second point
for emphasis. Just as the law of the Church for all her
members should become more general, less detailed, and
more rooted in the spirit of the gospel, so the renewed
rules and constitutions for a religious order or
congregation should be likewise conceived. The purpose
is the same as pointed out for the Church at large. When
rules for religious become too many and too detailed,
those tend to thwart the action of the Holy Spirit
within individuals.
If religious superiors
have an obligation to govern according to the signs of
the times, religious subjects have a corresponding duty
to obey according to the same signs. The renewal in the
Church is calling for a greater maturity on the part of
Christians. Religious, then, have to realize they are
called to a greater maturity in the practice of their
obedience. For instance, they have to be willing to
develop their initiative as much as possible, while at
the same time having the disposition to bear with the
suffering involved if obedience leads away from the
particular line of action which initiative had taken.
The mature religious
realizes also that as the external rules and structure
of his life become less detailed and rigid, his sense of
obedience will lead him to assume a greater personal
responsibility for growth in Christ. For authority
relaxes external structure in order to promote greater
individual freedom and responsibility in spiritual
growth. One is not therefore being truly obedient if he
does not assume this responsibility.
The mature religious
also realizes that the contemporary practice of
obedience involves a certain tension. On the one hand
religious superiors are allowing for increased
initiative, freedom and responsibility on the part of
subjects. On the other hand, the individual religious
must realize that he is to assimilate these new
dimensions according to the framework of community. This
is not always easy. Increased opportunities for the
exercise of freedom, responsibility and initiative can
be abused, and the individual can come to prefer his
misconceived self-fulfillment to the good of the
religious community and to the good of the Church. After
all, renewal in the concepts of authority and obedience
is aimed at making a more Christ-like Christian, and
therefore a more selfless one, one who thinks less and
less of himself and his self-fulfillment, and,
consequently, one who truly finds his life and
fulfillment in a greater service of love rendered in
Christ to God and man.
6. Sociableness
Because
the Christian life is expressed socially within the
Church and within the wider community of mankind,
sociableness is a very necessary attitude. Sociableness
is a characteristic which makes our Christianity
acceptable and pleasing to others. It allows the various
Christian virtues, especially love, to be projected
attractively in one's dealings with others. The
necessity of this is immediately evident. Each of us,
according to his unique person, is a continuation and
expression of Christ. Christ is the supremely acceptable
one. In our loyalty to Christ, Who reincarnates Himself
in us, we have the responsibility of making ourselves
pleasing and acceptable to others as far as possible. We
do this sincerely, authentically, without presenting a
facade, and without sacrificing principle, with Christ
as the Model.
There are various attitudes connected with sociableness.
Perhaps the most important is kindness. Without
kindness, how can I ever really make myself present to
another and open myself to that other's presence?
Kindness is closely akin to respect for another, and for
all that the other is and can become. "Kindness means
that one is well disposed toward life. Whever he
encounters a living being, the kind man's first reaction
is not to mistrust and criticize but to respect, to
value, and to promote development."7
A logical consequence of kindness is approachability.
Who is afraid to approach a kind person? Contrariwise,
even the bold and the daring hesitate to confront one
who is unkind.
Joyousness is another aspect of sociableness. We all do
not have the same type of temperament. Some are much
more effervescent than others, and their expression of
Christian joy will obviously posses a greater
ebullience. The more subdued will radiate joy through a
form which closely resembles serenity. Whatever the case
may be, we are not fully Christians unless we contribute
our share of joy to our social encounters with another,
several, or many. Closely allied with joy is the ability
to jest and see the humorous side of life. He who never
jests is a bore, and he who cannot observe the humorous
aspect of the human condition does not see life in its
completeness.
Politeness and gratitude are other characteristics which
should obviously mark our encounter with others. And the
necessity of truthfulness as a basic ingredient of man's
social relationships is succinctly pointed out by
Guardini: ". . . our whole existence depends upon truth.
. . The relations of people to each other, social
institutions, government – all that we call civilization
and man's work in its countless forms – depend on a
respect for truth."8
There is another Christian attitude
which is of obvious importance in our dealings with
others. We speak of empathy. To a great degree others
experience our love for them through their observation
of our ability to share their feelings and ideas. Of
course, this sharing can extend over the entire gamut of
emotions and ideas. Often, however, it is at those times
when a person is experiencing sorrow or some other
burden that he seeks the empathy of another. As we
respond to a person in this particular need, we are
truly imitating Christ Jesus: "Come to me, all you who
labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.'
" (Mt 11:28).
7. Prudence
a) Prudence
in General
Prudence is that virtue which governs us in making the
proper choices and decisions in the exercise of our
Christ-life. It aims at using the proper means to
express our love of God and man. Prudence governs the
seeking of God's will in all the areas of one's
Christian existence. Prudence is the guiding virtue of
the entire Christian life. Its importance is obvious,
and it rightfully holds first place among all the moral
virtues. Although not as important as the theological
virtues of faith, hope and love, its direction also
extends to these virtues. Prudence tells us how to
exercise faith, hope and love.
Prudence is to influence every aspect of our
participation in Christ's death-resurrection. It guides
me as how best to avoid sin. Among other means, it bids
me to learn from the past. What were the circumstances
which led me to fail in love through this or that sin?
Even when it has not been a question of sin, prudence
still leads me to learn from those past mistakes which
have hindered me from making a greater contribution to
Church and world.
Prudence is always our guide as we also strive to put on
Christ more perfectly through positive action. What
state of lifes does God wish me to enter? What
kind of work does He desire of me within that vocation?
Here and now should I pray or engage in some external
service for my neighbor? Among the various forms of
expressing love, how am I to love God and others at this
particular time? Am I working too much or too little? Am
I too concerned for my health or not sufficiently
concerned? Prudence helps answer these and all other
questions concerning our Christ-life.
Some people have a misconceived idea of what prudence
is. They think it is merely an attitude of caution, an
instinct which always leads us to take the safer path.
True, prudence can lead me to choices of this nature if
God’s will seems to indicate this type of action. But
prudence is also concerned with the bold and the daring,
with taking risks, with magnanimous action. Again, the
guiding principle is God's will. The prudent Christian
will also act in this latter manner if, after taking the
proper means to discern the divine will, he decides God
is leading him in this direction.
b) Prudence and the New Morality
Christian prudence is always obviously necessary for
proper growth in Christ, but it is especially essential
for the present age of life within the Church. This is
true because of the significant changes in the approach
to Christian moral living which we are presently
witnessing.
What are some of the chief characteristics of the new
morality? First of all, it is more interior, very
explicity rooted in the transformation which is achieved
through incorporation into Christ. Long before the
coming of Christ, Jeremiah spoke of this interiority of
life within the new convenant: "See, the days are coming
– it is Yahweh who speaks – when I will make a new
covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of
Judah), but not a covenant like the one I made with
their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to
bring them out of the land of Egypt. . . No, this is the
covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those
days arrive – it is Yahweh who speaks. Deep within them
I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I
will be their God and they shall be my people. There
will be no further need for neighbor to try to teach
neighbor, or brother to say to brother, 'Learn to know
Yahweh! ' No, they will all know me. . ." (Jr 31:31-34).
As the words of Jeremiah indicate, the life of the new
covenant established by and in Christ achieves a
significant growth in the interiorization of religion.
The life of the new covenant, consequently, is to be
characterized by much less external law in comparison to
life under the old covenant.
Among the New Testament writers, St. Paul time and again
develops the interiorization theme. Throughout the
epistles to the Romans and Galatians, Paul stresses that
we are justified through the interior law of the Spirit.
External law cannot itself justify, that is, give the
life of grace, although it has its role to play in the
exercise and growth of the Christ-life. In Second
Corinthians, St. Paul succinctly refers to the
interiority of our life in Christ: "That is why there is
no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer
man of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is
renewed day by day." (2 Co 4:16).
The new approach to Christian morality, then, builds
solidly upon what scripture tells us concerning our life
in Christ. Christian morality is the expression of this
life, and external actions have their intended value
only when they are the incarnation of our Christ-life,
the life of grace which transforms us. This Christ-life
is essentially a life of love. Contemporary moral
teaching greatly emphasizes the primacy of love, and
continually reminds us that we must strive to be
constantly aware that all our exterior conformity –
indeed, all our moral actions – be seen in relationship
to love of God and man. The new morality, then, strongly
rejects legalism, that is, a belief that mere external
conformity to law or a mode of life has a power to
sanctify.
However, contemporary
moral theology obviously cannot and does not reject
external law and structure. It merely desires that these
be seen in proper perspective. In the past so much
emphasis had been placed on law and structure and
authority that the more primary values of the Christian
life were too much neglected. Included among these
primary values are the fact that we do possess the Holy
Spirit and He has given us an inner principle of action,
the Christ-life, which is intended to perfect the
realities of personal dignity, freedom, initiative and
responsibility. External law, structure and authority
are important, but they should be seen in their true
roles. They are meant to serve our life in the Spirit.
They are not ends in themselves, but rather means.
If external law is to
have a secondary role in any age of Christianity, this
fact is highlighted today in a world which demands an
existential ethic more so than past ages.9
(We prefer the term existential ethics to situation
ethics since there is a type of situation ethics which
the Church condemns.) Moral theology has always been
aware that at times it is extremely difficult to apply
universal moral principles to concrete situations. This
difficulty has increased in our modem age for various
reasons. Life is much more complex than previously. The
moral decisions a Christian must make are affected by
this complexity. Also, the life of man is changing at an
extremely rapid pace in all areas. These factors make it
increasingly difficult for the official Church to keep
expressing adequately her moral teaching as regards the
multiple dimensions of the Christian's moral
decision-making. The Christian increasingly must take
the responsibility of using what universal moral
teaching is available and, with the aid of proper advice
as indicated, apply it to his existential situation as
best as possible. The existential situation involves
many factors – again, more so today than ever – and all
these must be adequately considered as universal moral
principles are applied. These universal principles at
times can seem obviously inadequate because of the
complexity of certain situations. With a sincere heart,
as we stand before God, we can do no more than try to
apply these principles as best we can.
Some look upon this
new approach to Christian moral living as always easier.
They think that this approach keeps the shoe from ever
becoming too tight, for if it does begin to pinch, the
thing to do is to remove the shoe. In other words, these
people think that the new morality allows them, in the
name of freedom, love and self-fulfillment, to avoid any
painful situation. This is a caricature of the new
morality. The new morality is rooted in the gospel's
spirit of freedom, love, personal responsibility and the
fullness of life. It is also rooted in the cross of the
gospel. There is no true Christian living which can
escape the cross. In fact, the more I try to live the
authentic morality of the gospel, the more at times I
can be made aware of this.10
From all that we have said
concerning the new morality, it is obvious why the
virtue of Christian prudence is more necessary than
ever.11 As the
realities of freedom, responsibility, initiative and
existential ethics make themselves felt more in the
Christian life, prudence becomes more and more
indispensable. It is prudence which will guide the
Christian to a correct and mature exercise of increased
freedom, responsibility and initiative.
If prudence is to
perform its task, it must be well informed. If the
Christian is to act prudently according to the new
morality he must read scripture, especially the New
Testament. Why? Because, we reiterate, the new approach
to morality is rooted in scripture. It is centered in
the person of Christ, in His teaching and His example.
To act prudently means we also must look to the teaching
Church. It means we must study current theology as time
and other circumstances permit. Christian prudence also
seeks the counsel of those who have a good knowledge of
the Christian life. All this emphasizes what we have
already said. If the new morality is more satisfying
because it is more authentic, it is not an easy
morality. Both to be prepared to live according to this
new morality and actually to live according to it
demands effort.
NOTES:
