Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
(Acts 5:27-33; John 3:31-36)
The first reading today reminds us that people in authority
can make bad decisions and give compromising orders. Presidents and parents can tell their
subjects to do something wrong. Evil
must be rejected. As Peter says in the reading, “’We must obey God rather than
men.’”
The question of obeying a superior’s evil command often
becomes acute in war situations. To deal with the problem Catholic theology has
developed a list of criteria for pursuing a just war. Just war principles include limiting force to what
is necessary to achieve just objectives and assuring that non-combatants are
not victimized. The principles make a
credible theory but also leave behind vexing issues. Who determines how much force is necessary? And how can civilians be immunized in an attack
on their city?
We might pray that we are never put in a situation where we must
disobey a superior. If we find ourselves
in one, we need to ask God for prudence.
We want to stand for what is right without undermining completely valid
authority.
