GOD OBEYS HIS
CREATURES
“Et descendit cum eis
et venit Nazareth
et erat súbditus illis.” (Lk 2:51)
JESUS OBEYS
“I must preach
the kingdom of God.
I must abide
in thy house.
I must do the
works of him who sent me.
The Son of Man
must suffer many things.
The Son of Man
must be lifted up.
The Son of Man
must suffer to enter his glory.
The Son of Man
must rise again.
He always
talked as one under orders.
Free from the
compulsions of heredity, circumstances or family,
this Boy of twelve said that he was bound
by heaven’s commission.
The only acts
of Christ’s childhood which are recorded
are acts of
obedience—
obedience to his
heavenly Father and to his earthly parents.”
(F Sheen, Life
of Christ)
“For just as
by the one man’s disobedience
the many were made
sinners,
so by one man’s obedience
the many will be
made righteous.” (Rom 5:19)
THE RESULTS OF
OBEDIENCE (& FAITH)
Abraham
becomes the father of many
by Hagar, Sarah and
Keturah (Gen 12-25);
Moses frees
the Israelites (Ex 14);
Joseph becomes
the guardian of the Son of God (Mt 1-2);
Mary becomes
Jesus’ mother (Lk 1-2);
the shepherds find Jesus, Mary and Joseph
(Lk 2:18);
the Wise Men likewise (Mt 2:1-12);
the lepers are made clean (Lk 17:14);
the blind man is able to see again (Jn
9:6-7);
the wedding feast had better wine (Jn 2:3
ff).
YOU ARE THE
BOSS!
“Volo quidquid vis,
volo quia vis,
volo quómodo
vis,
volo quámdiu
vis.”
“I want
whatever you want,
I want because
you want,
I want the way
you want,
I want as long
as you want.”
(Prayer of
Clement XI after Mass)
THE SACRIFICE
OF WHAT IS MOST DIFFICULT TO LET GO OF
“The Lord
loves obedience better than any sacrifice.’ (I Sam 15:22)
“Rightly is
obedience set before sacrifice,
because through obedience we offer up our own
will.”
(St Gregory
the Great, Morals, 14)
UT IUMENTUM
“Et ego insípiens factus sum, et
nescívi,
ut iuméntum
factus sum apud te.
Ego autem semper tecum;
tenuísti manum
déxteram meam.
In consilio
tuo dedúces me,
et póstea cum
gloria suscípies me.
Quis enim mihi
est in caelo?
Et apud te
nihil vólui super terram.
Defécit caro
mea et cor meum;
Deus cordis
mei,
et pars mea Deus in aetérnum.”
“I was stupid
and ignorant,
I was like a
beast [of burden] toward thee.
Nevertheless I
am continually with thee;
thou dost hold my right hand.
Thou dost
guide me with thy counsel,
and afterward thou wilt receive me to
glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee?
There is
nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee.
My flesh and
my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion for
ever.” (Ps 73:22-26)
SUPERNATURAL
“In the
apostolate, obey without paying attention
to the human
qualities of whoever it is asks you to do something,
or to the way he
asks you.
Otherwise it
is no virtue at all.
There are many
kinds of crosses:
some have jewels or pearls or emeralds on
them,
some are lacquered or made of ivory.
But some are
made of wood
like our Lord’s. …
Only after
obeying, which is a sign of rectitude of intention,
may you make fraternal correction with the
required conditions….”
(St Josemaría,
Furrow, 373)
INTELLIGENT
AND PONDERED
St Josemaría
always taught that obedience be
pondered,
deliberate, fruit of the utmost act of the will—
“un querer libérrimo”—a wanting that
is most free.
Once he told
someone:
“In matters of
obedience, I have to count on your will
that has to be
free, free, free …
(Urbano, Hombre de Villa Tevere, 221)
Feel free to express our thoughts,
to
give feedback,
to
point out problems or difficulties,
to ask
questions,
to
clarify.
ON GOOD GOVERNMENT
“Authority.
This does not consist in the one above
yelling
at the one below,
and he
in turn to the one further down.”
(St Josemaría, Furrow, 386)
“The good shepherd does not need to terrorize the sheep.”
(St Josemaría, Furrow, 404)
“The science of government is, in the last analysis,
understanding
and charity.” (St Josemaría. 194)
“To govern is to get people to work.
Good government is to get people to work
methodically
and happily.” (St Josemaría, 195)
THE STUBBORN AND BELLYACHING CHOSEN PEOPLE
“Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving;
and the people of Israel also wept again, and
said,
‘O that we had meat to eat!
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing,
the cucumbers, the
melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
but now our strength is dried up,
and there is nothing at all but this manna to
look at.”
“Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families,
every
man at the door of his tent;
and the anger of the LORD blazed hotly,
and Moses was displeased.
Moses said to the LORD,
‘Why have you dealt ill with your servant?
And why have I not found favor in your sight,
that
you should lay the burden of all this people upon me?
Did I conceive all this people?
Did I bring them forth, that you should say to me,
Carry them in your bosom,
as a
nurse carries the sucking child,
to the land which you swore to give their
fathers?
Where am I to get meat to give to all this
people?
For they weep before me and say,
Give us meat, that we may eat.
I am not able to carry all this people alone,
the
burden is too heavy for me.
If you will deal thus with me,
kill
me at once.’”
(The Lord distributes the burden).
“And the LORD said, ...
The LORD will give you meat,
and
you shall eat.
You shall not eat one day, or two days, or five days,
or ten
days, or twenty days,
but a
whole month,
until it comes out at your nostrils
and
becomes loathsome to you,
because you have rejected the LORD who is among
you...”
(Num 11:4-6,10-15,18-20)
Mother,
teach me to detect God’s will
whenever
it comes,
however
it comes;
teach me to gladly do his will,
whatever
it be,
because
he wants it,
the
way he wants it
as
long as he wants it;
teach me to say ‘Yes’
even
when it is difficult;
teach me to stand by you and to stand with you
in
Bethlehem,
in
Nazareth,
on
Calvary.
C:\Documents and Settings\user\My Documents\RETREAT\crt_13HiddenLife&Obedience.rtf
Revised 25 March 2005