Volume III, Treatise V, Chapter VI

Blind Obedience

‘Our holy founder says, that as there are two ways in God’s Church to salvation—one which relates to the keeping of the commandments, and which equally concerns all Christians; the other which regards religious in particular, viz., the practice of evangelical counsels, which are superadded to the commandments —so in like manner there are two sorts of obedience in religion. The one is general, common, and imperfect; the other is perfect, and shows the force and virtue of obedience, and teaches us how far a true religious may advance in perfection. The imperfect obedience, says this saint, has eyes to its own advantage; the perfect is blind, but in this blindness, wisdom and perfection are clearly perceived. The one discusses every command; the other obeys without reasoning upon any point. The first is always more inclined to one thing than another, and is never indifferent upon the matter; the second is like the ‘tongue of a balance, which without leaning this or that way, is always equally disposed to the different things it may be commanded. The first complies exteriorly, by executing the orders given, but resists interiorly, whereby it disobeys, and consequently does not deserve the name of obedience. The second is not only content to do what is ap~ pointed, but even submits both will and understanding to that of the superior, always concluding that he has reason for what he does; nor does it seek out reasons to obey, nor so much as permit itself to be led by those which do occur. The bare consideration of the superior’s command is the only motive why it obeys. This is properly the blind obedience which the saints and spiritual writers so constantly recommend to us, and of which they have left behind them so great examples in their own practice. When they call this obedience blind, they do not mean an indiscriminate submission to everything commanded, though the thing should even be criminal. This would be a very dangerous error, as St. Ignatius observes. Their meaning therefore is, that in all things, where there appears no sin, we ought not to discuss the case, but to obey with a holy simplicity of heart, concluding our superior’s command to be conformable to the law of God, and making this command and obedience itself the sole motive and reason why we obey. Cassian calls this an obedience “without discussion or examination” —Lib. 4, de Inst. Renunt., c. 10, 24,—for in effect we ought perform simply what is commanded us, and not exert ourselves to find out and examine the reasons thereof. St. John Climacus says in like manner, “that obedience is a movement of the will, without previous discourse or examination”. He calls it also “a voluntary death, a life void of curiosity, and an entire renouncing of our own discernment”—Grad. 4, art. 3. St. Basil upon these words of Christ, “‘feed my sheep’ (John 21:17),— which were spoken to St. Peter, and in him to all ecclesiastical superiors, says, that as sheep follow their shepherd and are led by him to what place he pleases, so a religious ought to be guided by and follow his superior, by obeying him blindly, without reasoning on his orders.

St. Bernard says, “that perfect obedience, especially in beginners, ought not to ask, what? or wherefore? but endeavour to execute faithfully and submissively what is commanded”—Ep. de Vit. Solit. ad. Frat. de Monte Dei. “True obedience”, says St. Gregory, “neither examines the superior’s command, nor his intention therein; for he that has once given up himself entirely to the conduct of his superior, never finds greater satisfaction than in obeying his orders. He that knows how to obey well, does not know how to interpose his own judgment, since he knows obedience to be his greatest good”—Lib. 2, Reg., c. 4. The questioning God’s prohibition cost our first parents very dear. Their ruin and ours took its date from hence. By this the Devil wrought their fall. ‘ Why”, says he, “has God forbidden you to eat of all the fruit that grows in Paradise?” Eve answered him, “that therehy they might avoid death” —Gen., iii, 1. For God, speaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, said expressly, “the day you eat of this fruit you shall] die’ (Genesis 2:17),—and yet Eve began to doubt of the meaning of God’s threat. She imagined that it was only to affright them, which thought very much disposed her to be afterwards deceived. For the Devil laid hold upon this advantageous occasion, and said to them, “You shall not die, but thereby come to the knowledge of good and evil, and become like gods yourselves” (Genesis 3:4,5) Thus he persuaded them that God had laid the prohibition upon them for fear they should eat and grow as wise as himself. Eve, carried away with a desire of being raised above her present vondition, gave credit to the serpent, eat of the forbidden fruit, and made Adam eat with her. Here you see that our first parents, in consequence of their reasoning, disobeyed, and thereby incurred the death of their souls at the same moment, and made themselves subject also to the death of the body, and were for ever driven out of the garden of Eden. This stratagem of the Devil against our first parents succeeded then so well, that he has made use of it ever since against us their posterity. This made St. Paul, who knew the Devil’s craft and cunning, forewarn us of it in these words, “I fear lest the serpent, who so artfully seduced Eve, should corrupt your minds also, and make you fall from that simplicity which Christ demands of you”—II. Cor., xi. 3. Take care therefore that you be not deceived by this old serpent; apply yourself to what is commanded you, by executing it punctually, without examining the reasons or motives of it, and this prompt and blind obedience will serve you as an infallible rule in everything you do. It is of great importance in the beginning, says St. Bernard, to accustom ourselves to a blind obedience. ‘ For it is morally impossible that a novice should long keep in his cell, or persevere in religion, if he follows the common rules of ordinary prudence, and if he desires to know the reason of everything commanded him”. What therefore must he do— how must he behave himself? ‘Let him become a fool, that he may become wise; let all his discretion be to have none at all whilst he obeys; and let his wisdom and prudence never appear in matters of obedience. It belongs to the superior to examine and consider well of things, before he commands; but the subject’s duty is to execute them with humility, confidence, and simplicity, when once commanded”—Ep, ad. Frat. de Monte Dei. In fine, the superior is to reason the case, and the subject is to obey.

The remarks which the apostle makes upon Abraham’s blind obedience, in doing his duty by preparing all things to sacrifice his son Isaac, are very fit and proper for our present discourse. God had promised to multiply Abraham’s posterity, like the stars of Heaven and theé sands of the sea, and to make him the father of many nations. Now Abraham had only one son by Sarah, nor were there any hopes of having any more, by reason of their great age; and though he might have expected more children, yet this very promise was made to him only in behalf of Isaac, God telling him expressly, “‘ Isaac shall raise posterity to thee” (Genesis 21:12) Yet notwithstanding all this, when God commanded him to offer up Isaac to him as an holocaust, he made no delay, nor doubted in the least of God’s fulfilling the promise made him, but put all things in readiness blindly to execute God’s orders. He took his son, bound him, laid him upon the altar, and had his arm lifted up ready to sacrifice him. “He still hoped”, says St. Paul, “even against hope, that he should yet be the father of many nations’ (Romans 4:18) Natural reason told him, that he had no more children when Isaac was once taken away; but supernatural hope vanquished this diffidence of nature, and Abraham, without relying upon probabilities, firmly believed that God would perform his promise, either by raising Isaac from the dead, or by some other way he did not know of. ‘Distrust did not stop him; because he was strengthened by faith, giving glory to God, and knowing most certain that God was able to fulfil the promise he had made him”—zdid., iv. 20, 21. God was so pleased with Abraham’s obedience, that immediately. upon it, he promised him that the Messias should descend lineally from him, and by that means his posterity should be as numerous as the stars, in these following words: ‘I have sworn by myself, that since thou hast done this action, and not spared thy only son for my sake, I will bless thee and multiply thy seed as the stars of Heaven and the sands of the sea-shore. Thy posterity shall be masters of their enemies’ towns, and all nations shall be blessed in thy seed; because thou hast obeyed my voice”— (Genesis 12:16), etc. Consider, says St. Jerom upon this passage, how much God was pleased with Abraham’s blind obedience, since he rewarded it so generously, as, “for one son whom he would have sacrificed upon Earth, to promise him a progeny equal in number to the stars of Heaven”. The ancient fathers set so great a value on this kind of obedience, and so constantly practised it, that whole volumes are full of the examples they have left behind them; and several of these examples were ratified from Heaven by miracles, to make us the more sensible of the merit of obedience, and to teach us how pleasing it is to Almighty God..

St. Ignatius, following these holy men, as well in their practice as doctrine, instructs us in our duty of obedience by things very obvious to sense, and makes use of the two following comparisons, no less profitable than proper for that end. All those, ’ says he, that live under obedience, must know that they are to suffer themselves to be led and guided, as Divine Providence shall direct, by the hand of their superior, just as a dead corpse, which permits itself to be moved and carried where you please. St. Francis likewise made use of this comparison, and proposed it often to his religious, in,the words of the apostle, ‘“‘ you are dead, and your life is hidden in God with Christ” (Colossians 3:8) And, indeed, a good religious ought to die to the world in this manner, since his entrance into religion is a civil death. Let us, therefore, die this happy death. A dead body sees not—it answers not—it complains not, nor has it any perception. Let us have no eyes to observe curiously our superior’s actions; let us make no reply to the prescriptions of obedience; and, when we are commanded anything against our inclination, let us act as if we had no feeling. Linen that has been much used, and is almost worn out, commonly serves as a winding-sheet for the dead. A religious ought to wish to be treated in the same manner, no less in respect of his clothes than in everything else. He should wish to wear, for example, an old torn habit, and to have the worst and most ordinary things both in his cell and in the refectory. He that has not a will thus disposed, but frets and troubles himself when he meets with this kind of usage, is not truly dead to the world, as becomes one of his profession, but is totally a stranger to the spirit of mortification.

St. Ignatius says, moreover, and it is the second comparison he makes use of, that we must be in the hands of God and our superior like a staff which we take in our hand to walk with. A staff goes wherever you carry it; where you lay it down, there it stays; nor has it any other motion but what it receives from the hand that holds it. <A religious ought to be the same —he must give himself up into the hands of his superior when put in this or that office; and whether it be honourable or mean, he must be content with it, and remain in it without showing any repugnance at all. If a staff should come once to make resistance, and carry itself to some other place than that in which you laid it, or if it should become rather inconvenient to you than serviceable, you would certainly throw it away. So, when you resist him who is to govern you, and when you show dislike of the place or employment he has put you in, or when there is any opposition in your actions, and in your will and judgment, to the intentions he has on you, it is certain that you rather inconvenience him than do him the service you owe him. If you persist in this spirit of indocility, you will soon be thought a burden to every superior you live with;

it will not be known how to deal with you, or how to derive — advantage from you; and at last every one will be glad to be rid of you, so that you will be continually tossed from one house to another. There is no pain in carrying a staff in our hand, because it serves us for all uses we put it to; nor ought any subject to give pain or trouble to his superior, in whose hands he is, but, on the contrary, prove useful and agreeable to him, and give him occasion to say, as the centurion did: “TI have soldiers under me, and I say to this, go, and he goes; and to another, come, and he comes; and to my servant, do this, and he does it”.—-Mat., vill. 9.

St. Basil, treating of this subject, makes use of another comparison which is also very apposite. As a workman, says he, who is employed in a building, uses all the instruments of his art as he pleases, and never finds any of them disobedient to his hand, or resisting the motions he gives them, so a religious ought to be in the hand of a superior a useful instrument, which he may use as he pleases in a spiritual building; he is never to make resistance, but to do what is appointed him. Moreover, as the instrument does not choose its employment, so the religious ought never select any office, but leave, that and himself also totally to the care of his superior. In fine, continues this saint, as an instrument does not act in the absence of its master, because it cannot move of itself, and has no other motion than what it receives from the artist who makes use of it, in like manner a religious ought to do nothing without orders from his superior, nor in the most trifling things dispose of himself even for one instant, but at all times and in everything follow the movements and impressions of his superior.

Such ought to be the obedience of religious; and I remember one of our fathers (P. Antone Araoz), who had been a long time superior amongst us, said on this subject, that for fifteen years together he never thought of giving a reason of his commands to any one of his subjects, thinking that if he had done -otherwise he should have done them an injury. Then it was that they lived in such holy simplicity and profound resignation, that nobody interfered with or questioned the superior’s orders, but as soon as the word of command was given, every one submitted his judgment so far to it, that he forthwith concluded the thing commanded not only just, but most suitable and best for him. We ought to propose this holy simplicity to ourselves; and, as the most ancient in religion are those who ought to give example to others, so it chiefly belongs to them to edify by their submission and obedience, for they must not think that their seniority authorizes them to examine or find fault with the orders of the superior.

It is related in the life of St. Ignatius, that he used frequently to say, when he was general of the society, that if his Holiness should command him to embark in the first vessel he found at Ostia, a port not far from Rome, and to put to sea without mast, sail, oar, helm, or any other thing necessary for a sea voyage or for the maintenance of life, he would immediately obey him, not only without uneasiness or repugnance, but with great interior satisfaction. A man of quality hearing him say this, was struck at it, and told him there would be no prudence in such an action. Prudence, replied the saint,’is more necessary for him that commands, than for him who obeys in simplicity of heart.

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