Obedience

Prayer for the Virtue of Obedience Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may subdue both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favour in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath! Fr. Lasance, Catholic Girls Guide Teach Obedience, dearest Jesus, Such as was Thy daily food In Thy toilsome earthly journey From the cradle to the rood. Teach Thy Heart, to me, dear Jesus, Is my fervent, final prayer, For all beauties and perfections Are in full perfection there. Do you, dear child, remain always a docile, obedient daughter of your father and mother. Your fulfillment of the fourth commandment will be as a sweet odor before the Lord, and wall make you one day a partaker in the bliss of heaven. Additional reflections from Fr. Lasance Catholic Girls Guide At Nazareth a mirror bright Stands before the Christians sight; Look therein and you will see How obedient you should be. - To whom do you owe obedience? To your parents before everyone else, according to His example of whom we read: He was subject to them. Your parents are for you the representatives of God on earth. Therefore always pay heed to their exhortation, never grumble or make a pert answer. I have already said a great deal as to what your conduct to your parents should be, when I spoke about the fourth commandment. - But mark this well: do not regard obedience as a painful necessity; consider it rather to be Christian virtue. Obedience of this nature has its root in humility; faith sanctifies it, and love renders it sweet. For it is only Christian obedience, the obedience which springs from lobe of God, that will remain with you through life, whatever may be your circumstances. On the other hand, obedience which arises from compulsion, human respect, or a desire to please, is merely external, and therefore of no value. Obedience of this nature will never last long, and will not bring you true peace of mind. - What is obedience? It consists in subjecting our own will to the will of another. This most precious virtue is termed by St. Augustine the mother and root of all virtues. St. Bonaventure calls it a ship, in which one sails to heaven. Hence we learn that obedience is a virtue, indispensably necessary for everyone, but especially for children and young people; for obedience is order and order must prevail in every place where God is and where He reigns. Disobedience, the offspring of pride, kindled the flames of hell, and peoples its dread abode. In regard to this St. Bernard says; Abolish disobedience, and you will abolish hell. Obedience is, according to St. Francis of Sales a sweet virtue. He says: He who rightly obeys will live aright; he will live sweetly, as does the child in the arms of its mother, free from anxiety and care.