Father Richard Kunst: Why pray for our political leaders?

Apologetics 

Political structures in Israel during the time of Jesus were a bit complex. Without going into detail, the “king” that we hear about during the adulthood of Jesus was Herod Antipas. He was the son of Herod the Great from the time of Jesus’ childhood, but both Herods were basically puppets of the Roman Empire. It was Rome that was the real power during the time of Jesus, and although the Roman army was oppressing the Jewish people, some of the Roman authorities were very good to the Jews. 

A case in point is the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to cure his slave. This incident occurred in the town of Capernaum, which archaeologists estimate to have had a population of around 1,500, so it was not a significant town but not an insignificant one either. The centurion, as the name suggests, was in charge of anywhere from 80 to 100 soldiers, which means that he and not Herod was really in charge of that town. Imagine 80 to 100 Roman soldiers in a town of 1,500 simply to keep “the peace.” 

The Gospel paints a very positive picture of this centurion’s relationship to the people; when his slave is sick, he sends “elders of the Jews” to Jesus asking for help, and when these elders approach Jesus, they say, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us.” (Luke 7:5). This centurion was a model of good leadership. Though he had the ability and the right to be a jerk, he was good to the people, and the people respected him for it. Indeed it would have been good to have been an observant Jew living in Capernaum during the time of Jesus with that sort of leadership from the Romans. 

Ancient politicians are mentioned all throughout the Bible, and government structures are even mentioned. One passage, in particular, is applicable to our time (and all times). It comes from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy, when he asks that “supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity” (2:1). 

When Paul wrote this to Timothy, Nero was the reigning emperor. Notice that Paul did not tell St. Timothy that he should pray for Nero to be happy and successful but pray that Nero should lead in such a way that the people can live lives of peace and tranquility in order that they can live lives of devotion. That is exactly how the centurion governed in Capernaum, and the people loved him for it. 

How might this apply to us today? Well, we should pray for our governor and president, and all civil leaders, not necessarily that they be happy and successful but that they lead us so that we can live lives of peace and tranquility, in order that we might be able to worship as our faith and conscience call for. 

Let’s put this into context of something we all recently lived through. During the shutdown period of Covid-19 a few years ago, the Catholic bishops of Minnesota voluntarily suspended public Masses, because we didn’t know what we didn’t know. It was a very scary time during those early days, so acting in a way consistent with those government decrees was difficult, but we did it, until, with more information, it became evident that those measures were depriving people spiritually and were not proportionate to the danger posed by carefully gathering for worship. 

Catholic teaching allows for certain levels of civil disobedience in certain situations. Think of Pope St. John Paul the Great and the fall of the Iron Curtain: the whole thing collapsed peacefully because of proper civil disobedience that the pope himself encouraged. As the Covid-19 lockdowns began to be lifted, the bishops of Minnesota announced they would cautiously begin allowing public Masses despite ongoing government restrictions to the contrary. Thankfully, an agreement was made before open conflict arose. 

It is important for us, as St. Paul said, to pray for our leaders, even the ones we do not like. They have large responsibilities and should be supported by the prayers of the faithful. But the primary reason to pray for them is so that we can live in peace with the right to live in all devotion and dignity. 

Father Richard Kunst is pastor of St. James and St. Elizabeth in Duluth. Reach him at [email protected].