The corruption of power

WE have been amply warned about this danger. Our Lord himself said: “You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they that are greater, exercise power upon them. It shall not be so among you. But whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister. And he that will be first among you, shall be your servant.” (Mt 20,25-27)

We have to understand that any power that we have in this life is always a participation of God’s power. St. Paul said so: “There is no power but from God, and those that are, are ordained of God.” (Rom 13,1)

Though we are always free to use that power as truly our own, it would be very funny to use it as if it is entirely ours, without due reference to God, its source and purpose, and to the others for whom it is used.

And yet that is what we see around quite abundantly. Leaders, political and
even ecclesiastical, many times act out this “lording it over,” eager to dominate and control others, being bossy and even arrogant and insolent.

Because of this error, they open themselves to other irregularities: hypocrisy, greed, lust, envy, hatred, etc. Some even go to the extent of getting detached from reality and lapsing into insanity.

It’s truly painful to see someone who at the beginning of a political career appears meek and then morphs himself through years of wielding power into an insufferable monster, tinkering with morality and getting inured to rational twisting, grand lying, hatching plots and conspiracies.

It’s hard to understand why some leaders act in that ridiculous way. Of course, there are reasons. Like, they have been elected or appointed, have superior qualities, have been born lucky, etc. Outside pressures and temptations are never lacking.

But these cannot misrepresent the truth that any earthly power is from God and has to be used according to God’s will. One’s proper attitude toward power should be that of being a minister, a servant, not the author or owner, much less, a tyrant.

We have to find a continuing way of educating everyone about the nature and purpose of power. We have to actively inculcate the proper attitudes and dispositions, especially rectitude of intention.

We have to be aware that we are doing God’s work even as we pursue our earthly activities. These are not purely earthly as in being strictly politics. They can and should be part of God’s designs.

Aside from being competent, we need to be humble always, conscious that we are mere servants and instruments though vested with the dignity of being God’s children. We have to be prudent, more of the spirit than of the flesh and of the world.

We have to continually practice detachment, seeing to it that our heart is fully attuned to God’s will. We should not allow the many privileges and perks given to holders of power to spoil us.

We have to learn to distinguish in the course of using power between what is of absolute value that has to be upheld always, and what is of relative value that can be open to many interpretations and therefore should be respected even as we try to make a consensus.

Problems start when people fail to recognize the source and aim of power, and then develop the corresponding inappropriate attitudes and habits. Worse, without God and on our own, we tend to weave a web of deceit that eventually will incriminate us.

We cannot underestimate the many dangers that threaten the proper use of power. First, we have right now an environment filled with bad examples of how power ought to be used.

There also are serious efforts now to discredit the role of God and of Christian morality in the use of power. The religious dimension is often viewed as irrelevant, an unnecessary burden, a mere luxury that can be discarded anytime.

That’s why we have many reasons to embark on a systematic campaign to clarify the issue on the use of power. This is an urgent call of our times.