July 24

The Spirit Of Obedience

Preparation. - The best means of overcoming our self-love and sanctifying ourselves is to practice obedience; and this consists, first, in performing all our actions with the intention of obeying, and secondly, in bearing all our crosses with perfect submission. Let us represent to ourselves Jesus saying to us all, in order to induce us to imitate Him: “My food is that I do the will of Him who sent Me” (John 4. 34).

I. Acting In A Spirit Of Obedience

Attachment to our own will is an evil so much the more fatal as we fail to perceive it, being blinded by our self-love. And nevertheless how great harm does it not inflict on us! It prevents our progress, robs us of our merits, and exposes us to be severely judged by Jesus Christ.

The best remedy to oppose to it is the spirit of obedience, which induces us always to act according to the direction of our superiors and spiritual directors. Being thus compelled to give up our whims and fancies, we repress our excessive love of liberty, and enter into the way of the perfect, which consists in pleasing God without any regard to ourselves. Such is also the proper means of drawing the divine blessing upon our works. One day our divine Saviour said to Simon: “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to Him: Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing; but at Thy word I will let down the net.” He did this and caught so many fish as to fill both barks, so that they were almost sinking (Luke 5. 4-7).

On another occasion the apostles had labored in vain, and our Lord said to them: “Cast your net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find.” They obeyed and caught a multitude of fish (John 21. 6). In like manner, our obedience will enrich us with virtues and merits, if we constantly practice it in a spirit of faith.

Let us, then, every morning make the intention of acting always and in all things, not with the wish of self-contentment and satisfaction, but solely to obey God and those who represent Him in our regard. Let us often renew this intention during the day, with the desire of consecrating unceasingly all our thoughts, words, actions, every beating of our heart and all the moments of our life, by an entire self-denial and a perfect subjection of ourselves to the divine authority.

O Jesus, my divine Master, impart to me the love of obedience, a spirit of submission and docility. Enable me to fulfill my duties not grudgingly, but cheerfully, so that I may say with Thee: “My food is to do the will of Him that sent Me;” and “I always do the things that please Him” (John 8. 29).

II. Suffering In A Spirit Of Submission

What a pure glory we render to the Lord by resigning ourselves unreservedly to the sufferings and trials of this life! We thereby acknowledge, not in words only, but in all truth His supreme dominion over our body and soul. In fact, nothing is so difficult here below as to suffer patiently. To accept pain, infirmity, humiliation with a docile mind, is to say sincerely to the Lord: “I revere and adore Thy sovereign power, for I will not resist it nor complain of its blows.” “I was dumb and opened not my mouth, because Thou hast done it” (Ps. 38. 10). This, according to St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, is to offer a perfect holocaust of one’s self, and to leave all things to God’s good pleasure, and, therefore, gives Him greater honor than all the works undertaken for His glory.

What true contentment could we otherwise seek, if we do not unreservedly conform ourselves to the wishes of the Supreme Good, of the uncreated Goodness, of Him whose Providence always aims at making us happy? Our real and lasting felicity does not consist in enjoyment, but in the peace of a conscience fulfilling its duty with resignation. Hence our divine Saviour said to St. Gertrude: “I would wish to see My elect more thoroughly persuaded that their prayers and works are very pleasing to Me, when they serve Me at their expense,” that is, when, although deprived of all sensible sweetness in their devotions, they nevertheless continue faithfully to fulfill their pious exercises, trusting in My goodness, which considers their good intention and kindly accepts their homages.

When, therefore, we are annoyed during prayer with disgust, distractions and even the assaults of hell, instead of allowing ourselves to be cast down and yielding to diffidence, let us be resigned; let us humbly submit to the will of God and offer Him our troubles. He will accept graciously our patience, and the good desires of our heart will ascend to Him as a most fervent prayer.

O my God, whom the angels and saints obey, to whom the very demons are compelled to yield submission, through the intercession of the ever faithful Virgin Mary, grant me the spirit of obedience and conformity to Thy good pleasure. My my views, my tastes, my natural inclinations never lead me away from Thy ever wise, ever holy, ever perfect, and ever infinitely amiable will!