Part III, Chapter XI

Of Obedience

Charity alone can place us in perfection, but obedience, chastity, and poverty, are the three principal means to attain to it. Obedience consecrates our heart: chastity, our body; and poverty, our means, to the love and service of God. These three branches of the spiritual cross are grounded on a fourth, viz., humility. I shall say nothing of these three virtues, as they are solemnly vowed, because this subject concerns the religious only; nor even as they are simply vowed: for though a vow gives many graces and merits to virtues, yet, to make us perfect, it is not necessary they should be vowed, provided they be observed. For though being vowed, and especially solemnly, they place a man in the state of perfection; yet to arrive at perfection itself, it suffices that they be observed: there being a material difference betwixt the state of perfection and perfection itself; since all bishops and religious are in the state of perfection; and yet, alas! all are not arrived at perfection itself, as is too plainly to be seen.

Let us endeavor, then, Philothea, to practise well these virtues, each one according to his vocation; for though they do not place us in the state of perfection, yet they will make us perfect; and, indeed, every one is obliged to practise them, though not all after the same manner.

There are two sorts of obedience, the one necessary, the other voluntary. By that which is necessary, you must obey your ecclesiastical superiors, as the Pope, the Bishop, the Parish Priest, and such as are commissioned by them; as also your civil superiors, such as your Prince, and the magistrates he has established for administering justice; and, finally, your domestic superiors, viz., your father and mother, master and mistress. Now, this obedience is called necessary, because no man can exempt himself from the duty of obeying his superiors, God having placed them in authority to command and govern, each in the department that is assigned to him. You must, then, of necessity obey their commands; but, to be perfect, follow their counsels also, nay, even their desires and inclinations, so far as charity and discretion will permit. Obey them when they order that which is agreeable, as to eat, or to take your recreation; for though there seems no great virtue to obey on such occasions, yet it would be a great vice to disobey. Obey them in things indifferent, as to wear this or that dress; to go one way or another; to sing or to be silent; and this will be a very commendable obedience. Obey them in things hard, troublesome, and disagreeable; and this will be a perfect obedience. Obey, in fine, meekly, without reply; readily, without delay; cheerfully, without repining; and, above all, obey lovingly, for the love of him, who, through his love for us, made himself obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross, and who, as St. Bernard says, rather chose to part with his life than his 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.

We call that obedience voluntary to which we oblige ourselves by our own choice, and which is not imposed on us by another. We do not commonly choose our prince, our bishop, our father, or mother; and even wives, many times, do not choose their husbands; but we choose our confessor and director. If, then, in choosing we make a vow to obey, as the holy mother Teresa did, who, as has been already observed, besides her obedience, solemnly vowed to the superior of her order, bound herself by a simple vow, to obey father Gratian; or if, without a vow we dedicate ourselves to the obedience of any one, this obedience is always called voluntary, on account of its being grounded on our own free will and choice.

We must obey every one of our superiors, according to the charge he has over us. In political matters we must obey our prince; in ecclesiastical, our prelates; in domestic, our father, master, or husband; and, in what regards the private conduct of the soul, our ghostly father, or director.

Request your ghostly father to order you all the actions of piety you are to perform, in order that they may acquire a double value; the one of themselves, because they are works of piety; the other of obedience to his commands, and in virtue of which they are performed. Happy are the obedient, for God will never suffer them to go astray.

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