Right Attitude of Obedience
In matter, which do not alter the course of actions approved for me by my confessor, I will try, with a spirit of true, prompt and joyful acceptance, to obey all those who will ask something from me. (OOCC, X, p. 141; STA, 193)
St. Vincent Pallotti considered obedience as a very significant virtue for a Christian. According to him, a Christian must obey with a spirit of true, prompt and joyful acceptance of what he is expected to do. First, obedience must be true. The motive of the one who obeys must be honest and genuine. There is no pretension and hypocrisy behind the act of obeying. Second, obedience must be prompt. It means that the person obeys a particular order immediately. There is no procrastination and postponement of the act of obedience. Third, obedience must be a joyful acceptance of a given order. It implies that the command given is received joyfully and willingly executed. There is no dislike of the command and hesitation in the execution on the part of the person who receives the order and executes it. Finally, one must obey a given order with these threefold attitudes only when the command given in no way goes against the plan God has marked out for the genuine growth of the person. A person comes to know God’s plan for him in a concrete manner, through the directives of God’s representatives here on earth, i.e., through those persons God has placed over a person as his leaders. St. Vincent Pallotti meticulously lived out these attitudes in the practice of the virtue of obedience in his life.
Do I have the right attitudes in my practice of obedience? Am I true, prompt and joyful when I obey? Do I examine if the act of obedience I am called to live is in line with God’s plan for me? Do I accept the directives of God’s representatives, and accept them as the will of God for me in my daily life?
Obey me and I will be your God and you shall be my people; only do as I say and all shall be well. (Jer. 7: 23)