By Whose Authority?
So, she has taken the existing program, looked at its strengths and weaknesses and designed a similar program that, in her expert opinion and experience, is better for passing on the Faith to today’s teens.
However, she has met with an obstacle: parents. The parents are insulted that they were not asked what would be the best program. They are upset that the new program may interfere with their children’s sports schedule. They wanted to be asked what curriculum they thought was best. They wanted a truly democratic process for these decisions, and felt their rights, as members of the parish, were being ignored.
I know what they are thinking. I have encountered this before, especially in discussions about women’s roles in the Church. They want to have a say in what goes on. They want their opinions heard. In short, they want the Church to be a DEMOCRACY!
Obviously the Church isn’t a Democracy, to the joy of some and dismay of others. In fact, in the mind of many modern Catholic Americans, the Church is an ugly male ARISTOCRACY in which clerics have all the power and make up rules that fit their outdated and chauvinistic worldview. The Pope is accused of not listening to what women want concerning ordination of women, or birth control. The Bishops are accused of not considering the wishes of the Catholics in their diocese when they decide who gets into the seminary or how many Eucharistic ministers should be used. And pastors are accused of not paying attention to what textbook the majority of parents want used in the school or religious education program. “Those men think they are running this church!! They are like a bunch of aristocrats whose power comes from their lineage, rather than from the people who elected them!”
However, if we look at the history of this “male aristocracy”, we see strong evidence that its members believe that they are NOT in charge. They seem to act as if Someone else makes the rules and it is their job, the supposed “aristocracy”, to protect those rules, interpret them, make sure they are properly understood and implemented. Take, for example, the Church’s doctrine on priestly ordination being reserved to men. In Pope John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter on this subject, he states “I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women.” He does NOT say “I declare that we will not confer priestly ordination on women.” He very clearly believes that he does not have the authority to declare anything else.
Well then, if the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ doesn’t have the authority, then who does?
A Sub for Christ
The word “Vicar” gives us the clue. It comes from the Latin “vicarus” which means substitute. Anyone who has ever attended elementary school knows that the substitute teacher is not the one really in charge. This is why substitutes get such grief from their students. The one really in charge, the teacher, has the final word on everything. And, to the extent that the teacher can wield her authority, in the minds of her students, beyond her actual presence, the substitute then may be able to influence and lead those children in the teacher’s absence.
So, the Vicar of Christ is the substitute. He stands in for Christ who is not visibly present to us as he was to the Apostles. As Vicar, John Paul II’s authority is not his own, it comes from Christ Himself. And the Pope can only truly use that authority to the extent that Christ has given him permission. In other words, Christ is the one and only true teacher and He has given the Holy Father and the Bishops in union with Him the authority to carry out His plans, not their own!
What most modern Catholic Americans don’t understand is that the Church is not an ARISTOCRACY, nor is it, or should it be, a DEMOCRACY. It is, in fact, a THEOCRACY — started by God, designed by God, and run by God. God has placed certain human beings in positions to make some decisions, and He sends His Spirit to guard these chosen responsible parties from error when they teach about the essentials (the truth about Who God is and what He wants from us — faith and morals).
The Pope, the bishops, priests, and deacons must answer to God for all their decisions and they must follow His plan. This doesn’t mean that the laity do not have power or responsibility, only that their responsibility and power are also according to God’s plan for His Church.
For example, we know that the Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children. That being said, according to Canon 890, the Church also provides that Pastors are “to see that candidates for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation are properly instructed to receive the Sacrament and come to it at the opportune time”. When it comes to “properly instructed,” and “opportune time”, the Church must reserve the right to determine these things are in place. Pastors may choose to consult parents and others regarding catechetical materials and programs. But, ultimately it is up to the Wisdom of the Church to determine that a person is baptized, has the use of reason, is suitably instructed and properly disposed and able to renew the baptismal promises. (Cann. 843, sec 1; 889, sec 2)
God is in Charge
In the case of my friend, the pastor had asked her to provide a program that would require students to make a commitment to learning the Faith. He wanted something that would help them actually learn it and live it. And she scheduled the program so that families can keep their priorities in their proper place — God, family, then everything else. Obviously, this sort of program may require some families to re-prioritize, placing sports and other extra-curricular activities after religious education classes.
So what responsibilities do parents get within the Church? Parents get the ultimate responsibility as the primary educators of their children in the faith. In choosing to receive religious education through a parish, they must submit to its structure, further support the Church’s teachings in the home, and provide means to the Sacraments and Holy Mass. All of us, parents and children alike are responsible for bringing the light of Christ, the Truth about Him and His plan for all mankind to the world — in the school, workplace, marketplace, neighborhood, etc.
The Catholic Church, as it is founded by Christ, is not a Democracy in which all get a chance to vote on what they would like to believe, nor is it an Aristocracy in which certain select few have the power for telling others what to believe. It is a THEOCRACY, in which God Himself tells us Who He is, what He wants and how He wants it done. And if that makes anyone uncomfortable they should remind themselves that God’s love for His creatures is infinite and so is His wisdom. He would not and could not steer us down a path that leads to our unhappiness. If we want to be fulfilled, respected, recognized, happy (and all those other things we are told are important) only God can provide those feelings for all eternity. In other words, there isn’t a soul in heaven complaining about lack of fulfillment, being ignored, disrespected, or unhappy. So, Lets rejoice in Theocracy and stop the complaining!!
(Carol Kennedy is a Catholic writer with an MA in Theology and Catechesis from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is the former DRE for the Spiritus Sanctus Academies in Ann Arbor, MI. Carol writes from Northern California where she lives with her husband and infant daughter. You can read more of her writings at www.carolscomments.com)
