Let's look at what Romans 13 has to say: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." Since the Father has placed Jesus "at his right hand in heaven, far above every principality, authority, power and dominion...", clearly the state does not have ultimate authority. It receives its authority from God - but final authority belongs to Jesus. A couple of conclusions follow.
First, as we honor Christ, Christians must honor all legitimate authority. St. Paul was writing to people who resided at the heart of a powerful empire. They saw first hand the arrogance and venality of Roman rulers. Nevertheless, he tells the Roman Christians to respect and obey those who govern. In addition, St. Paul knew that a Roman official had carried out the most unjust act in human history: the gruesome execution of the one completely innocent man. Still, St. Paul instructs us to not rebel against those in authority.
After acknowledging our duty to legitimate authority, we must immediately add something else: human authority for us can never have the last word. That belongs to Jesus. He is the one who has taken his place at the Father's right hand. When the authorities in Jerusalem attempted to silence the apostles, Peter replied, "We must obey God rather than men."
Thus, as Christians, we must obey legitimate authority - unless it goes against the law of God. While we always show respect for civil officials (even the corrupt ones), we do not give them first place. That belongs to the One who sits at the right hand of the Father above every power and authority. We pray for those who govern us - even if we did not vote for them - and we honor them. But we save the greatest honor and joy for the Lord. Along with the psalmist we say: He mounts his throne to shouts of joy, a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
How does this apply to us as citizens? I believe we must let the government does its job. No government can do their job well if they must always step carefully. They will end up taking the safest route (i.e. the politically-correct route)- which may not always entail doing the right thing enthusiastically. We must also realise that the government is made up of ordinary people as capable of doing great things and committing great sins as you and I. They should have our benefit of the doubt, and if they realy do something wrong it is up to the judiciary system to do something about it. The best thing we can do as citizens is to let politicians and bureaucrats know if they do something we don't approve of, and if worse comes to the worst just don't elect them (or their bosses).
(Adapted and adopted from http://geocities.com/Heartland/2964/homilyascension-c.html )
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Friday, 9 November 2007
Today's Readings
Some more of today's readings (Fri 9 Nov) below:
John 2: 13-22 (Cleansing the Temple)
Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”
So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.
1 Corinthians 3: 9-11, 16-17
We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. ...Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
Ezekiel 47
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed that the water was trickling out from the south side. ...He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant, the waters become fresh. Every living creature which swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river flows. ...On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
John 2: 13-22 (Cleansing the Temple)
Now the Jewish feast of Passover was near, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple courts those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at tables. So he made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple courts, with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”
So then the Jewish leaders responded, “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus replied, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” Then the Jewish leaders said to him, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. So after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the saying that Jesus had spoken.
1 Corinthians 3: 9-11, 16-17
We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. ...Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If someone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, which is what you are.
Ezekiel 47
Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple. I noticed that water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from under the right side of the temple, from south of the altar. He led me out by way of the north gate and brought me around the outside of the outer gate that faces toward the east; I noticed that the water was trickling out from the south side. ...He said to me, “These waters go out toward the eastern region and flow down into the Arabah; when they enter the Dead Sea, where the sea is stagnant, the waters become fresh. Every living creature which swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh and everything will live where the river flows. ...On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
How the Catholic Church view non-Catholic denominations and non-Christian faiths
Dominus Iesus (taken from http://www.religioustolerance.org/rcc_othe4.htm )
Dominus Iesus was published internally on 06/08/2000 by Cardinal Ratzinger who was at the time the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was released to the public on 05/09/2000. The document had been ratified and confirmed by the Pope John Paul II on 16/06/2000 "with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority."
Cardinal Ratzinger quotes a variety of documents to reemphasize that:
- "The full revelation of divine truth is given" in the "mystery of Jesus Christ."
- The Church does not expect any additional, future, public revelation.
- Nothing needs to be taken from other religions and added to Jesus' message in order to make it complete.
- Only the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by the Holy Spirit and are without error.
- It is the Holy Spirit who has sown the "seeds of the word" in diverse customs, cultures and religions around the world, preparing them for future "full maturity in Christ."
- Jesus is the only savior of mankind.
He divides Christian denominations into three groups:
- The Roman Catholic Church, the only faith group established by Jesus Christ: "he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him...."
- Eastern Orthodox Churches which are united with the RCC by the:
- "Apostolic succession..." (Christ's disciples consecrated the first bishops of the Church, who subsequently consecrated other bishops down to the present day), and
- "a valid Eucharist" (a valid celebration of the Mass).
(These are "true particular Churches." The Church of Christ is "present and operative" in these churches even though they do not, at this time, accept the primacy of the pope.)
- The remaining Christian denominations which have not preserved the Apostolic succession. (They are not "churches in the proper sense." However, their members are "incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church." Members of the RCC are told to not look upon Christianity as a collection of Christian denominations. The Church of Christ does exist today in the form of the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches. It is not to be considered a some type of future goal to which all denominations "must strive to reach.")
Cardinal Ratzinger describes the status of non-Christian religions:
- The Church of Christ is the instrument by which all humans are saved.
- Salvation is accessible to some people who are not members of the "Church" i.e. not Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox Christians. It comes through grace which originates with Christ and "enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation."
- The prayers and rituals of other religions may help or hinder their believers. Some practices may prepare their membership to absorb the Gospel. However, those rituals which "depend on superstitions or other errors... constitute an obstacle to salvation."
- Members of other religions are "gravely deficient" relative to members of the Church of Christ who already have "the fullness of the means of salvation."
He discusses inter-religious dialog:
- Dialog with other branches of Christianity and with other religions is part of the RCC's mission of evangelizing the world.
- Dialog implies the equality of the dignity of the individuals taking part -- not the equality of their various beliefs and practices.
Dominus Iesus was published internally on 06/08/2000 by Cardinal Ratzinger who was at the time the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It was released to the public on 05/09/2000. The document had been ratified and confirmed by the Pope John Paul II on 16/06/2000 "with sure knowledge and by his apostolic authority."
Cardinal Ratzinger quotes a variety of documents to reemphasize that:
- "The full revelation of divine truth is given" in the "mystery of Jesus Christ."
- The Church does not expect any additional, future, public revelation.
- Nothing needs to be taken from other religions and added to Jesus' message in order to make it complete.
- Only the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired by the Holy Spirit and are without error.
- It is the Holy Spirit who has sown the "seeds of the word" in diverse customs, cultures and religions around the world, preparing them for future "full maturity in Christ."
- Jesus is the only savior of mankind.
He divides Christian denominations into three groups:
- The Roman Catholic Church, the only faith group established by Jesus Christ: "he himself is in the Church and the Church is in him...."
- Eastern Orthodox Churches which are united with the RCC by the:
- "Apostolic succession..." (Christ's disciples consecrated the first bishops of the Church, who subsequently consecrated other bishops down to the present day), and
- "a valid Eucharist" (a valid celebration of the Mass).
(These are "true particular Churches." The Church of Christ is "present and operative" in these churches even though they do not, at this time, accept the primacy of the pope.)
- The remaining Christian denominations which have not preserved the Apostolic succession. (They are not "churches in the proper sense." However, their members are "incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church." Members of the RCC are told to not look upon Christianity as a collection of Christian denominations. The Church of Christ does exist today in the form of the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches. It is not to be considered a some type of future goal to which all denominations "must strive to reach.")
Cardinal Ratzinger describes the status of non-Christian religions:
- The Church of Christ is the instrument by which all humans are saved.
- Salvation is accessible to some people who are not members of the "Church" i.e. not Roman Catholics or Eastern Orthodox Christians. It comes through grace which originates with Christ and "enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation."
- The prayers and rituals of other religions may help or hinder their believers. Some practices may prepare their membership to absorb the Gospel. However, those rituals which "depend on superstitions or other errors... constitute an obstacle to salvation."
- Members of other religions are "gravely deficient" relative to members of the Church of Christ who already have "the fullness of the means of salvation."
He discusses inter-religious dialog:
- Dialog with other branches of Christianity and with other religions is part of the RCC's mission of evangelizing the world.
- Dialog implies the equality of the dignity of the individuals taking part -- not the equality of their various beliefs and practices.
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