Obedience is not usually a word readily accepted or swallowed in modern
society. We want most things to be for our benefit, for our comfort and for our
convenience. We want things “our way.” Obedience is often laid aside in efforts
to achieve dreams or goals that we believe are good, and which may actually be ultimately
good. Despite our own desires, though, obedience as a virtue is something to be
striven for, because it simply is essential to the bond of perfection,
Love. Whatever our state in life -- religious, married, single, homeless, working,
etc. -- obedience will allow us to live within the Spirit of Christ, that of
self-sacrifice, self-giving.
Of course,
there is always obligatory obedience, which is directed towards our superiors or
those in power over us, whether it be, first, God, then parents, employers,
bishops or emperors. This obligatory obedience is the bare minimum of our
Christian life, as 1 John 2:4 reads, “Whoever says, “I have come to know
[God],” but does not obey his commandments,
is a liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist. (NRSVCE)” As for the
obligation to mere earthly rulers, St. Peter wrote, "For the Lord's sake
accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as
supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to
praise those who do right. (1 Pet. 2:13-14 NRSVCE)"
This call to
obedience is even facing the reality of evil or of sinful, faulty rulers. We
read of Jesus specifically telling his disciples this: "The scribes and
the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and
follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
(Matt. 23:2-3 NRSVCE)" God has simply put some leaders, teachers and rulers
over us, and we have a duty, not to them, but to God, who is in control of all
things, and works all things together for our good.
There
exist some very saintly examples of obedience to earthly authority, despite
having other plans in mind for even God’s privately revealed will. The first
and foremost is Jesus himself. Was it not he who said, “Did you not know that I
must be in my Father’s house?” towards his parents in search of him? And, yet,
the very next few verses tell us that he left with his parents and “was
obedient to them. (Luke 2:49-51)”
More recently, Blessed Mother Teresa
waited years and years from her superiors in the convent to go and serve the
poorest of the poor in Calcutta, though she heard clearly God’s call to do so.
St. Maria Faustina was reminded that her obedience to her confessor pleased
Jesus much more than if she obeyed his voice, from private revelations, and so
first sought approval through that confessor. She always conformed herself to
obedience of the Church first, as have all saints, since God has set up that
authority on earth for our salvation. Jesus himself was obedient unto death;
why, then, would we believe we should follow him in any other way?
Voluntary
obedience, on the other hand, is a means of exercising and practicing that virtue
to obtain it within a shorter period of time, as well as to strengthen that
virtue within us. St. Francis de Sales wrote that “we call that obedience
voluntary to which we oblige ourselves by our own choice, and which is not imposed
on us by another. (Introduction to a
Devout Life, “On Obedience”)” If we want to offer up to God small
sacrifices of our will, we should constantly exercise voluntary obedience,
whether others are aware of it or not. In fact, it would be better if others
did not know about our voluntary obedience. For then God will repay us in
secret much more.
St.
Francis de Sales gave us a wonderful description of voluntary obedience:
That you may learn effectually to obey
your superiors, condescend easily to the will of your equals, yielding to their
opinions in what is not sin, without being contentious or obstinate.
Accommodate yourself cheerfully to the desires of your inferiors, as far as
reason will permit; never exercise an imperious authority over them so long as
they are good. It is an illusion to believe that we should obey with ease if we
were religious, when we feel ourselves so backward and stubborn in what regards
obedience to those whom God has placed over us. (ibid.)
Quite simply, obedience to others who
are not directly in authority over us is an act of love that will also help us
to grow in the Spirit of God. If, for example, it is a spouse who requests
something of us, no matter how inconvenient or annoying, we should obey as if
it were Christ himself asking us. I am certain that by constantly submitting to
one another, love will grow fervently, and all selfish ambition will halt.
There will be no bitterness, because all will be for Love, for God. We can
practice the same, though, for a friend, an enemy, a colleague, an irritating
neighbor, or the unknown person in line at the market.
Of course, obedience should always
submit first to the obedience of the Gospel and, therefore, to the teachings of
the Church, who has been granted authority by Christ himself to rule over us
for our salvation and spiritual health. Voluntary obedience can be practiced,
though, towards those such as parents, who exist already as an obligatory
authority, by going beyond the necessary; that is, to obey in every little thing.
Especially, we should always regard the directives of our confessor as God’s
will, no matter if we agree or disagree with the penance given or the advice.
Listen, as if it were God’s own pleasant directive, speaking through that
confessor.
Certainly, do not think that voluntary
obedience is a saying “Yes” to everyone who has a request of us. We must always
obey the greater authority, and meet our vocations in life granted by God. For
one act of simple, voluntary obedience might cause disobedience in another area
of our lives. This is not to make one constantly worry, but simply a reminder
to be prayerful about all that we undertake. “Undertake nothing without
consulting God,” as St. Ignatius of Loyola once said. Let us pray, then, for
the increase of the virtue of obedience in the Spirit of Christ, to grow in the
Way that he first walked, that we, too, might walk in newness of life.
“An ordinary action performed through obedience and
love of God is more meritorious than extraordinary works done on your own
authority.”
--St. Louis de Blois
“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.’”
-- 1 Samuel 15:22 NRSVCE
Awesome!!!!!!!!
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