Luke 10:16

He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you despiseth Me. For you are my apostles, and ambassadors. And he who despises an envoy despises the monarch who sent him. Therefore we ought to regard the commands of our religious superiors as if they issued from the mouth of Christ Himself. Hence Bernard (de Præcepto), Whatever God, or man speaking in the place of God, enjoins, that unless contrary to the known will of the Almighty must be looked upon as a divine command. And again, We must render to those whom God has put over us, in all things lawful, the same obedience as we would render to God. See further S. Matt. x. and xi.