"Nothing is more difficult to do than what is commanded." That is a psychological fact as old as the world.
Was that not already clear in the Terrestrial Paradise? Did God ask anything difficult of our first parents? Why then did they refuse to obey Him?
The commanded act is not intrinsically difficult; in many cases it is relatively easy to accomplish, but it is difficult precisely because it is commanded. It may be a very minor thing, but if it is imposed, it costs. Why? Because we do not like to submit, even in lesser details. That constitutes the particular value of obedience. To consent, for love of God, to do only what has been commanded is to live in perpetual renunciation which is the most perfect exercise of charity.
How consoling it is to know that the value of the virtue of obedience does not lie in the acts themselves, which may be mere trifles, but in the command, which imposes constant submission of my will for love of God.
My life can be truly beautiful. It may be made up of very little acts, insignificant deeds, but by the stamp of obedience which marks them, they take on great value.
I must renew myself in the practice of obedience and strive to acquire the spirit of obedience.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
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