July 25
Obedience Of The Incarnate Word
Preparation. - “I came down from heaven,” says our Saviour, “to do the will of Him that sent Me” (John 6. 38). We shall meditate tomorrow on the obedience of Jesus, first, in His incarnation and birth, and secondly, during His hidden life. At the thought of a God obeying His creatures we shall resolve to submit fully and ungrudgingly to all lawful authority, for we are in this world only to obey God.
I. Jesus Obedient In His Incarnation And Birth
Being sovereignly independent, the eternal Word wished to become man, in order to obey His Father. To become man was in itself a disgrace for Him, but to become man out of obedience appeared to Him as an imperishable glory. Hence, as St. Paul says, He came sent by His Father in the fulness of time, that is, at the time designated by the divine decree (Gal. 4. 4). The heavenly ambassador announced to Mary this ineffable mystery. The immaculate Virgin deliberated before accepting the glorious maternity offered her. But let us here admire the eternal Word silently awaiting the decision of His creature. O sublime subjection! The uncreated Word becomes man only when the Virgin of Nazareth had pronounced her humble “fiat”: “Be it done unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1. 38).
Thenceforth Christ’s whole life was consecrated to obedience. He was born at the the time appointed by the Providence of His heavenly Father, in the place foretold by the prophets, and under the influence of the imperial decree, requiring His parents to betake themselves to Bethlehem. From His very entrance into the world He said to His Father: “Sacrifice and oblation Thou wouldst not; but a body Thou hast fitted to Me. Holocaust for sins did not please Thee. Then said I: behold I come ... that I should do Thy will, O God” (Hebr. 10. 5-8).
After this offering of Himself, Jesus placed Himself entirely at the disposal of Mary and Joseph. He suffered them to swathe Him, to lay Him on the straw of a manger of animals. Never did He complain that the stable, the uncomfortable couch were unbecoming His greatness, and that such abasements were unworthy of Him. No, Jesus never used such language; His sole thought was to obey, to subject HImself unreservedly to the divine authority in the person of those clothed therewith. Can we after this hesitate to submit without discussion to those that guide us? Is it not a glory for the creature to walk in the footsteps of the Creator?
O Incarnate Word, Thou didst say that Thou camest not down form heaven to do Thy will. Enable me to understand that I have not been placed in this world to live according to my whims, but rather to practice every day of my life a prompt, blind and generous obedience to those who direct me towards Thee. I am resolved, first, to look upon them with respet as Thy representatives; secondly, to suppress within me all wish to argue and all repugnance, when I receive their orders; and thirdly, gratefully to accept from them corrections, reproofs, and admonitions, even when they are undeserved. “I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
II. Jesus Obedient During His Hidden Life
The time of Mary’s purification having come, the divine Child allowed Himself to be brought to the temple and offered as a victim to the eternal Father. Herod soon sought Him to immolate Him to his jealous hatred. Instead of resisting him or causing him to die, Jesus yielded and withdrew into Egypt. There He learnt to speak, walk and serve under the direction of His happy parents, the loving witnesses of His perfect docility. He left Egypt, but when? After seven years of exile, and on an express order from heaven; and instead of choosing Himself His residence in Judea, He accompanied Joseph to Nazareth.
O holy House, true sanctuary, where the Incarnate Word subjected Himself during so many years to His own creatures! Holy House of Nazareth, I salute thee, thou art the image of the religious houses, where obedience is so highly honored; the image of the Christian families, where the children find it a pleasure to obey their parents; the image of the holy tabernacles, where Jesus offers Himself as an example of subjection to all docile and faithful souls.
The Holy Ghost resumes the Saviour’s hidden life in these words: “He was subject to them,” that is, to Mary and Joseph. He obeyed them in all things without discussion or remark. He undertook the most menial tasks, such as to work, sweep the house, chop wood, and the like. A God serves, exclaims St. Alphonsus; a God works, a God is fatigued and humbles Himself, oh! how energetically does this conduct condemn our repugnance to obey, our resistance to the orders given us, and our continual tendency to follow in all things our won notions, our self-will!
The Child Jesus obeys Mary punctually, This is a motive for us to submit to our Mother the Church in her teachings and precepts. Jesus accomplishes exactly the desires of Joseph; should not we also execute in like manner the will of our superiors? They hold towards us the place of God, as Joseph represented the eternal Father in the eyes of Jesus.
O holy Infant, preserve me from the misfortune of obeying through merely natural motives, without a spirit of faith and grace. The merely material execution of an order is, indeed, like a body without a soul, and action without life or merit. Deign to keep before me without ceasing the divine principle, which ought to animate my obedience and render it supernatural, universal, and persevering until death.
