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One of the big social shifts of the 20th and 21st centuries was in the field of authority; our approach to it.
It has become a bad word, almost. Postmodern philosophy questions the legitimacy of *any* notion of fixed authority: who is, or rather, who we think should be in charge, has become fluid.
There are many good elements, such as a focus on consent, participation. We don’t want to just force things onto people, we want causes to be their own and we want them to take their part, and thus provide opportunities. And yet for all this we find that all we have created is a power vacuum. Inequalities persist in the most advanced democracies, in the wealthiest nation states.
There is of course now even a push to get rid of any human authority, and simply succumb to the rule of computerised algorithms, and artificial intelligence, in hope of “fairness” - well a machine cannot be racist, the argument goes. Except, of course, it can be, and has proven to be that it is in many instances, because it is trained on the pre-existing biases of humans.
Then we have the tendency of giving marginalised voices a share in power structures. Again, a noble idea, somewhere deep down based on the Christian idea that we are all made in the image of God, recognising a degree of equality between persons, and extending that to the sphere of authority; wishing to remedy the causes of perceived injustices. And yet, we find that this has not solved any of the issues of marginalisation, but has a tendency to even increase oppression: it was policy in colonial times to put the marginalised groups into power to create societies where their energies are spent on infighting, and so that they do not pay attention to who really is calling the shots. See the many Sunni states governed by Shiite minorities in the Middle East, for example.
And then I cannot help but think back on the absolutely horrifying results that the noble-sounding, revolutionary ideas of communism wrought in my own homeland: in the end it was the most ruthless that rose to the top, resulting in the unspeakable destruction of human beings in numbers that even outdid Nazi Germany.
A bleak political outlook for a Sunday morning. Is there a better way today?
I don’t know if you could already identify but the common denominator in the above modern tendencies is the absolute absence of any sense of a higher moral authority than the self. There is nothing greater than *me* to aspire to individually or as a society. There is no perfect image to look to for rulers, there is no just ruler whose qualities we seek in the leaders we elect. There is no recognition of a common moral order that would be able to hold societies together and guarantee peace.
And when these are missing, then we will simply reproduce what was before because there is nothing outside of us that would show a different way forward.
And yet this is the way in which the coming of Christ gives us hope in the social sphere.
God reveals the “better way” first through the laws of Moses, and as Moses foretold the coming of a great prophet, here we have Christ who has come to teach with *authority* — Divine authority. *“ I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all I command him.”* The greatest good, the author of all life, has come among us to reveal Himself to us. We *have* an image to aspire to; we *have* a higher law, beyond our human shortcomings, that is perfect, undefiled, and works for our good, rather than the good of a select few; and for the absolute highest good: the vision of God in eternity, to which our entire created universe is ordered.
It is from the image of Christ that just governance, good exercise of power, and the upholding of the individual’s dignity proceeds. There is power behind his words, even those powers that are entirely outside of human access, obey him.
The yoke He offers is easy, his rule is gentle, and one that is based on self-emptying love. Christ came not as some superman, but as the son of a carpenter: not to bring us some new top-down authority where he simply outdoes everyone with special powers and thus becomes top dog; but he hid his divinity in Human form, took the form of a slave, and showed his love for us on the cross.
This love is what can conquer the heart of kings. This power is what restores those suffering under the purest evil. This authority gives alone true peace. It is in seeking after Christ and His will that we find our desires met, our needs fulfilled, and the *true* enemies of our good subdued.
Let us therefore enthrone Him, the Word made flesh, in our hearts, submit to His gentle rule, and to His authority, and learn from him, so that our societies might be governed towards the ultimate good through us as well: the vision of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.