ВЛАСТЬ

How does Paul say that “there is no authority except from God” (Rom. 13:1)? This means that God placed it for our benefit. Sin made power necessary, and God used it in our favor. Just as medicine is needed for wounds, and the use of medicine depends on the wisdom of doctors, so the need for slavery is caused by sin, but its proper satisfaction is a matter of the wisdom of God (1). I want to tell you about another type of power, which has its basis not in sin, but in nature itself. What kind of power is this? The power of parents over children. This honor is a reward for the pain of birth. Therefore, the wise one says: “as rulers, he will serve those who gave birth to him” (Sir. 3:7); then he gives the reason: “What can you repay them as they do to you?” (Sir. 7:30). What, however, is there that a son cannot render to his father? It says nothing more than this: just as they gave birth to you, you cannot give birth to them. Therefore, if in this we are inferior to them, then we will surpass them in another respect through respect for them, not only according to the law of nature, but mainly before nature, according to [the feeling of] the fear of God. The will of God decisively demands that parents be revered by their children, and rewards those who do this with great blessings and gifts, and punishes those who violate this law with great and grave misfortunes. “Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death” (Ex. 21:17). And to those who honor them he says the following: “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long” (Ex. 20:12). What is considered the greatest good, that is, a happy old age and a long life, this [God] appointed as a reward for those who honor them, and what seems to be an extreme misfortune, that is, early death, he appointed this as a punishment for those who insult them. He attracts some to love by the commandment to honor (parents), while others, even if they did not want to, turns them away from offending through fear of punishment (1). Let us not worry about achieving power, honor and authority, but about distinguishing ourselves by virtue and wisdom. Power encourages you to do many things that are displeasing to God, and you must have a very courageous soul in order to use power as it should. He who is deprived of power, willy-nilly, philosophizes; and the one endowed with it endures the same thing as a man who, living with a good and beautiful girl, pledged himself never to look at her with lust. Such is power! That is why, even against their will, it makes many offenders, arouses anger in many, removes the bridle from the tongue and opens the doors of the mouth, as if blowing the soul with the wind and plunging it like a boat into the very depths of evil. So, why do you marvel at a man in such danger and call him happy? What madness! In addition, think also about how many enemies and slanderers, how many caresses, as it were, keep him under siege. Can such a state, tell me, be called blissful? And who will call? But such a person is in glory among the people, you say? Well? The people are not God to whom they must give account. Therefore, when you point to the people, you only talk about new shallows, underwater rocks, rocks and cliffs. People's respect, the more famous it makes it, the more it is associated with dangers, worries and sorrows. Such a person, having such a cruel master, cannot rest or pause at all. What am I saying – pause or rest? Such a person, having thousands of merits, enters the kingdom with difficulty. Truly, nothing humiliates people so much as the glory of the people, making them fearful, vile, flatterers and hypocrites. Why, for example, did the Pharisees call Christ mad? Is it because they wanted national glory? Why did the people pronounce the correct opinion about Him? Is it because He did not suffer from this disease? Nothing, truly nothing, makes people more criminal and senseless than the desire for national glory. Likewise, nothing makes you glorious and courageous like contempt for her. That is why it is necessary to have an extremely courageous soul for someone who wants to withstand such a storm, the force of the wind. He who loves fame, when he is in happy circumstances, puts himself above everyone else, and when he is in unhappy circumstances, he is ready to bury himself in the ground. This is both Gehenna and the kingdom for him when he is consumed by this passion (6). You might be interested in: