Obey God Rather Than Men

When the court officers had brought the Apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders did we not, to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

But Peter and the Apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. (Acts 5:27-33)

This reading, curiously, follows my blog of yesterday when I wrote about the passing of Father Hans Küng. He incurred the wrath of Vatican Church leaders since the 1970’s.  One comment on his book Can We Save The Catholic Church!? was: “Together, he and Joseph Ratzinger were the youngest advisors at Vatican II; they subsequently adopted opposite stances on the Church, with Ratzinger and the Vatican eventually trying to silence Küng for his rejection of Papal infallibility.” Just as curious and disadvantageous for Küng, Ratzinger became Pope John Paul II’s right-hand man and later became Pope Benedict XVI.  

Father Küng was given strict orders (like the Apostles) to stop teaching what the Vatican concluded “was causing a disturbance in the minds of the faithful.”  The Vatican also concluded that the “task of authentically interpreting the unique sacred deposit of the word of God” was “entrusted only to the living Magisterium of the Church, and finally to the valid consecration of the Eucharist.”

Similar to the Apostles, Küng likely said in reply something like, “I must obey God rather than men.”  He did not obey the men; therefore, he was “killed” by “hanging him on a tree,” although more like hanging him out to dry.  Of course, it can be argued his fate was deserved.  I would argue the Holy Spirit – whom God had given Küng who obeyed him – would have said otherwise.  

I suggest all should read some of Küng’s works to better understand his suggestions, criticisms, and rationale for his controversial positions many of which I support.   

Deacon David Pierce