I had someone recently condemn in a very pejorative manner the "hierarchy of the Catholic Church"-- blegh! As if it was some kind of imposed-upon tyranny! I don't see it that way. The holy ordering is not an imposition, forced on the unwilling or unsuspecting.

I've observed that spiritual growth only happens through obedience. I was talking to my church's Evangelization Coordinator today, and she was asked assertively by our Pastor last week that she host a visiting Sister this past weekend. It was a tremendous blessing, because the Sister demonstrated such incredible amounts of gratitude for everything, down to the smallest details, that she set a model for everyone else present.

The only way this blessing was obtained was by being obedient-- in this case, to our Pastor. If she'd said "no" and simply sat in her bedroom watching basketball, the offered spiritual growth would not have been received.

The Pastor is the Bishop's helper, charged with the pastoral care of our parish. Our Pastor has pledged obedience to our Bishop. Our Bishop meanwhile is beholden to the teachings of the Magisterium. The Magisterium interprets Sacred Scripture and Tradition-- the Deposit-- via the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is God.

By being obedient to the Pastor then, the Coordinator was being obedient to God's will. In this way, a consensus is formed among the faithful-- sensus fidei is the term-- and it is only through full participation in the Church-- meaning, obedience-- that this consensus is formed. If one believes in concepts such as Apostolic Succession, then being a part of this consensus not only comes naturally, but is actively sought.

Of course, discernment is involved: if the Pastor is asking someone to commit murder, we know from Scripture that this is not in accordance with the Lord's will. And it is through this added element of discernment that sensus fidei is further reinforced.