Following the Obedient Jesus
I intend that every thought, word, and deed of mine … be transformed into the obedience of Jesus Christ … I intend to regard every creature as my superior. And therefore I intend to execute all orders for the love of God. (OOCC, X, pp. 157, 158; STA, 267)
Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father all through his life here on earth. He never attempted to do his own will, even in situations that were demanding. He always chose to do what God, his Father, wanted of him even if it meant that he had to undergo hardships and pains. Jesus’ obedience to the Father was unconditional. He placed no “ifs” and “buts” when he had to obey the Father. He accepted the Father’s will, though it was not easy for him to say “yes”. Yet he said “yes” to the Father’s plans for him, because he was convinced that the Father’s will was his way of life. St. Vincent Pallotti lived his life in imitation of the obedient Jesus in his thought, word and deed. His imitation of Jesus’ obedience made him consider every creature as his superior. He had cultivated an attitude of readiness to do whatever others demanded of him. He had pledged to execute all orders given by anyone for the love of the obedient Jesus. In this manner, St. Vincent Pallotti obeyed everyone with deep inner joy, for in obeying someone in a given situation, he lived the life of the obedient Jesus.
What is my attitude in living the virtue of obedience? Is my living of obedience a joyful self-giving in imitation of Jesus’ self-giving? Am I ready to accept the hardships involved in obeying joyfully?
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he [Jesus] prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” (Lk. 22: 41- 42)