A spiritual writer, who certainly did not lack wit, made this remark: "He who proposes to give up all must count himself among the things to be given up."
In fact, what would be the use of breaking with the world and its idols if we keep ourselves as an idol. By the vow of poverty we give up material possessions; that is already a great deal. By the vow of chastity, we give up the affections of the heart, and all who have bound themselves by this vow know they have given up much more than treasures of metal, wood or stone.
It is by the vow of obedience, however, that we give ourselves most completely. It is the vow by which we renounce our whims and desires and by which we bind ourselves to the Rule of the Institute. It requires more than the renunciation of material goods and the affections of the heart; it requires the renunciation of the spirit. If it is true that liberty is the most precious thing on this earth, then the greatest sacrifice is the oblation of this liberty to God. That is what enhances the merit of the vow of obedience.
We submit to orders regarding the major points of the Rule, but are we as conscientious as we ought to be in the observance of little things? When our Superior General commands, of course we obey; but do we obey with the same promptness, the same abnegation, without calculation or hesitation when a subordinate superior commands?
Nevertheless the voice of God speaks to us through this superior just as well as through the highest authority. If it is the Sovereign Master that we intend to obey, is He not represented at the lowest rung of the ladder as well as at the highest? We need faith and self-denial and must exercise ourselves in them with ever-increasing fervor. We must accustom ourselves to submit in the least details. We must see God in all our superiors, whoever they may be, and endeavor always to obey faithfully and joyfully.
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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
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