Reflections on Obedience and Authority by Juan Enrique Zegers A

I want to offer some reflections from a friend of mine, Juan Enrique Zegers A, on the questions of obedience and authority. These are not my thoughts, but I share them as a reflection because I found this compilation of his to be quite beautiful:

What if I am right, and "the wise man" or the authority is wrong? Several cases can happen:

A. One's own opinion seems best, but it is not so because of personal error or because the authority has more data.

B. That opinion that is best for me is worse for others and the authority must seek the good of all.

C. That opinion is best for all and the authority is wrong.
In the latter case should it be obeyed?

There are also several possibilities:

A. If the matter is of little importance - it is normal - one obeys and that's it: one loses the good of correctness, but gains the good of peace and of the exercise of obedience.

B. If the matter is important, one tries to clarify it by speaking with the authority or with one's superiors. Always looking for the good, not for pride.

Is it always necessary to obey?

It is the normal thing, the simplest thing and what the Lord foresaw when He created man as a social being. However, it can happen that some authority orders actions contrary to the law of God. In this case "we must obey God rather than men", but without disrespecting the authority, as the Lord also desires.

The decision to obey is proof of intelligent freedom, which knows how to dispense with one's own tastes for the common good. In fact, the most perfect man was obedient until death and death on the Cross; in this case obedient to God the Father.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Two Logical Arguments in Favor of the "Infallible Safety" of the Ordinary Magisterium

The Theological Censures

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THIS BLOG