A Thought for Tuesday 4/16/13

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men – as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.  Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”  1 Peter 2:13-17 NKJV

Social order – rather than social engineering – is at the heart of what Peter is encouraging.  Even as we face laws we strongly disagree with, we are honor bound to respect those laws.  This, of course, is problematic in facing laws and legislative proposals we may find reprehensible.  Whether these laws or proposed laws can stand against a constitutional challenge, however, is not the way by which the faithful are called to measure the law’s worth.

We must also be mindful of this: we cannot enforce our doctrinal standards nor compel others to abide by our religious or social understandings of what is right.  Rather Peter is encouraging the faithful to live with the integrity of the faith by which we are justified before the Lord and order our lives accordingly; for it is not the fear of imprisonment or fines by which others will see the goodness of our Lord’s standards.  It is by our living and acting and ordering of our own lives by which they will be able to see what integrity is really about.

Should we change or challenge laws we do not agree with?  By our system of government in which we govern ourselves and elect representatives to speak and act in our behalf, we are able to do so.  However, if we are to propose a law or an alternative to an existing law, we must necessarily measure our challenges against what our Lord expects from us and why we choose to challenge the validity of a law.  Because we find it personally offensive?  Or because we can clearly see the injustice that may come as a result?  Or are we merely protecting our own individual interests?

The late John Paul II said it best; “We are not freed to do as we please; rather we are freed to do as we should.”  All in the Most Holy Name and not our own.

Blessings,

Michael