Can you imagine an army without a commander? Everyone just shooting when he wants to? A medical resuscitation without a team leader? Everyone pushing medications without being in charge, one person knowing everything which is going into her patient? The patient may have had a better chance at surviving, without the medical team, due to the overdosage of medications? Maybe someone will decide to go retract the radiographs of that broken hip from the radiology department…or not. A school without a principal? Students (and maybe even teachers) doing whatever they want, without regard to learning objectives, and nobody forcing the teachers to teach and the students to be quiet? No one in charge of a school? An orchestra without a conductor? Everyone interprets the music as he or she sees fit, and the audience hears a splendid cacophony? No one in charge of uniform interpretation of the music? A church without a bishop? We go to Mass one day, and the responses are like so. We go to another church next week…well, we don’t have a clue what is going on. The musicians are screeching into the microphone while the deacon is trying to chant the Gospel? There is no one to make sure that liturgical abuse is not rampant. No one in charge of the local church to make sure it is teaching right doctrine with reverent liturgy? And one more: what about families without parents, or with parents who let their children do whatever? No one in charge to make sure their children don’t act like bats out of hades and to teach them the life of the godly?
We need superiors. Good, godly superiors. Catholics, like all good citizens, should both be subject to the lawful superiors, and if need be, seek these positions of authority themselves, for the good of all and the glory of God.
