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Meditation 18. Jesus Christ's Hidden Life and His Admirable Obedience
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Imagine that you see Jesus toiling in a carpenter shop, obeying the holy Virgin, His Mother, and St. Joseph.
Prayer of Petition — O Jesus, I know that all the evils in the individual and in society come from disobedience, and on the contrary, all blessings come from obedience. Therefore Thou hast taught and urged it with such earnestness and have practised it unto death with such heroism, even to the death of the Cross. Grant me grace to imitate Thee, Lord, and to be obedient unto death.
First Point
My soul, before you, Jesus Christ saw all the difficulties which perfect obedience brings with it, and He overcame them all out of love for His Eternal Father and for you. To live one's life through to death according to the judgment and will of another, is something subject to many great difficulties. What would you do, O my soul? All these difficulties are an effect of Divine Providence, and Jesus Christ encountered them all before you did, and for your sake.
Let us reflect — The first difficulty which obedience presents is the burdens and duties which are assigned to us according to the responsibilities and state in which we live. Let us imagine, if you please, that a task has been allotted us which is too lowly to suit our taste. We are persuaded that persons who have been preferred to us have less talent than we. We flatter ourselves that we have enough talent to fulfill any role.
Now, what do I hear, O my soul? That this assignment is too lowly for you? Cast a glance at Christ. Who is this Man? He is King of kings, God of hosts, Supreme Ruler of the universe. What are His talents? He has so much Wisdom that doubtless with no difficulty He could convey the knowledge of His Divinity to all men. He possesses the power to fill the world with miracles. He has enough eloquence to be able to move all hearts to love Him, enough virtue and resourcefulness to be able with no effort to convert everyone.
Yet what is the assignment this great Lord is filling? Oh, wonder above all wonders! For a period of about thirty years He is employed in a workshop in the status of carpenter's helper, and in this lowly employment He obeyed His foster-father in everything. Turn, then, your eyes to this workshop. Observe the Divine Workman there; and after that, complain of your occupation, if shame does not hinder you.
The second difficulty which obedience presents, arises from the superiors who direct us. It is quite certain that in the period of a lifetime, either in our home or at work or in social life, we will have superiors whose directions seem troublesome. One superior will lack the discernment needed to know the abilities of his subjects, and he will not know how to manage things rightly. Another superior will lack the charity to sympathize, the kindness to show due concern about others. One superior will not be meek nor use politeness and kindness to win the hearts of others and sweeten the yoke of obedience to him. Another superior will not be impartial with everyone.
One who wants to practise true obedience must raise his heart above all these weaknesses. For this, our model is Jesus Christ. See Him standing before Pilate's tribunal. Pilate pronounces the sentence and condemns Him to die. What could it have cost Christ to escape this sentence? He could have overwhelmed everyone with full proof of the injustice of this sentence. He could have hurled Pilate from the tribunal into hell. As He did on other occasions, He could have made Himself invisible and so escape His captors. (Cf. Lk. 4:30 and John 8:59). But Jesus does not avail Himself of any of these ways.
He accepts the sentence of death from Pilate's lips as coming from the lips of His Eternal Father. He promptly obeys, and obeys to the point of suffering death, even the death of the Cross. Now who then, should have it in him to complain about superiors, after Christ offered such heroic obedience to the most unjust judges in the world?
The third difficulty that obedience presents arises from the nature of obedience. In the home and elsewhere many things are commanded which do not agree with our opinions and which seem to us neither useful nor necessary nor wise. Things are commanded for which we feel a natural dislike.
Many things will be commanded, probably, which completely oppose our taste and which are in themselves difficult, especially if they are to last a long time, or for the rest of our life. But tell me, my soul, how Jesus acts in His role as your model and for love of you? Do you think it was easy for Him to spend thirty years in a workshop and obey every suggestion of a carpenter? Do you think it was not wearying for Him to travel three years, walking from place to place amid continuous mockery and much other ill-treatment and persecution, while people were continually seeking to put Him to death?
Was it something agreeable for Christ to hear the sentence of death, a sentence to die in disgrace on the Cross? In all these things He obeyed, and obeyed without contradicting, without delaying, without resentment, and with perfect compliance... Ah! What is our obedience compared with that of Jesus Christ?
Affective Acts
(1) Humiliation — From whatever aspect I look at my soul, I cannot find it resembling Thee at all, Who are the Model of Holiness. My duty is to rid myself completely of self-will. I should look on my superiors with a lively faith, O my Divine Guide, and lean on all their directions, and not only should I avoid taking with ill feelings what they order, but I must carry out orders well, even with joy. That is the way I must obey; for my state as son in a household, or as a citizen in a community requires it, just as the glorious example of Christ presented to me requires it of me. But have I behaved this way?
O my Jesus, Thou knowest how many sins I have committed in this matter. I know not how to count them — how many sins from a stubborn mind, how many instances of a rebellious will, how many faults of grumbling and other such faults from selfish interests, and how many times, when I did manage to obey, I fulfilled things badly. Would these sins alone not be enough? Yet have I not others that will come before Thy tribunal?
(2) Repentance — Now I know my unfaithfulness, O my Jesus, and I repent of it with all my heart. Oh, how tragic in Thy sight have been the sins which have seemed trivial to me up to now! In the authority of my parents and superiors I should have recognized an authority that was not mere men's, but Thine. Therefore it is not a man whom I have offended by my disobedience, but Thy Supreme Majesty. As many times as I preferred my judgment to my parents' and superiors', I have likewise made light of Thy Infinite Wisdom.
As often as I have, inwardly or outwardly, criticized my parents' or superiors' orders, I have cheaply regarded the provisions and wishes of Thy Infinite Goodness and Love. "He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me..." (Lk. 10:16). These are Thy words, O my Jesus, and by them I realize the evil I have done. Oh, how blind I have been! How little notice I have taken of these sins! Now I know them and repent of them with all my heart, my Jesus.
Second Point
God wills obedience — God demanded this virtue of our first parents in paradise. He demands this virtue of obedience of all children, that they show it toward their parents, who stand in the place of God. He sets this requirement before soldiers, that they show obedience to their officers. It is for subjects to practise toward civil powers, for all the faithful to practise it toward the Church. When obedience is practised perfectly, all runs in good order, everything is peaceful and happy. But if it is lacking, all is disorder, confusion, anarchy and ruin.
By word and example Jesus Christ has chosen to teach this virtue of obedience. Oh, what wonderful advantages a soul has which acts with obedience in everything! An exception would be what opposes God's Law; for that is sinful, and one who commands sin does not represent God,¹ but satan.
You have seen, O my soul, the obedience of Jesus Christ. Consider now the blessings that this virtue brings with it.
First Blessing — An obedient soul is sure of doing God's Will at every moment. Suppose that by a special Divine Decree your Guardian Angel (who otherwise would assist you invisibly) accompanies you visibly day and night, and in all circumstances informs you what God wants of you, and what God does not want of you. Could there be a better fortune than this? O my soul, is your faith alive? Then realize that by wisely obeying,¹ you are always and at every moment sure of doing God's Will. This is as sure as it would be if an angel who was accompanying you in visible form, assured you of it. It is as sure that you would be doing God's Will, as it is that Christ did it at Nazareth. You can be as sure of this as the Apostles were who received their orders from the lips of Jesus Christ.
Second Blessing — An obedient soul elevates his works, making them have an immense value before God. Nothing in the world has a value equal to obedience. Every work, even the least, that is done from obedience, becomes very great before God; whereas those works, no matter how great, that are done against obedience, lose all value before God.
To eat and drink moderately out of obedience is something so precious in God's sight, that thereby one gains a merit beyond all calculation. Fasting on bread and water undertaken against the will of one who rules us, though it lasted a whole year, does not earn the Divine pleasure; rather God regards it with contempt. It is a little thing to wash a dish, to sweep a floor, and quite great thing to travel over the world preaching the Gospel.
Yet God values highly that washing, that sweeping, when done from obedience, and counts that preaching as nothing if done against obedience. The only rule for measuring the excellence of a deed is God's Will. Whenever God Wills something, though it be no more than weaving baskets like the anchorites of old, it is a deed so great that no man on earth and no angel in Heaven can do anything greater.
Look again, my soul, at Saint Joseph's workshop. See Jesus Christ there, and you should know that the lowly office He performs there is so noble that one cannot speak of anything nobler. Why is this? It is because He does the Will of His Eternal Father.
Third Blessing — Infallibly and in a short time an obedient soul obtains perfect holiness for two reasons: The first is that obedience is the very essence of holiness and perfection. For if holiness means nothing else than fulfilling God's Will in the way God wishes, an obedient soul, as one who does only what God Wills, when he sleeps or works, meditates or does anything else, by occupying in this way every moment of the day and night in fulfillment of the Divine Good Pleasure, he must necessarily reach a perfect holiness and reach it in a very short time.
The second reason is that the Lord has so ordered things. Because God loves an obedient soul, He carries it in the bosom of His Providence as a mother carries her tender baby, nourishes it, coaxes it, and takes special care of all that pertains to it. Thus even all hell and all the world can be roused up against it, even its superiors can, of set purpose, strive to oppress it; and all their efforts will be absolutely in vain; for this soul enjoys the protection of a God of Wisdom, Power, and Infinite Love, Who will infallibly lead it in this life to that degree of holiness which He wants it to reach, and in the next life will raise it to that throne of glory which He has destined for it from Eternity.
Affective Acts
(1) Faith — It is true that superiors² do not rule us except in the name of Jesus Christ. I ought to gladly accept the orders they give me, not because it is their will, but because it is the Will of Jesus Christ. The Lord's words are very clear, and one who does not put complete trust in them treats Jesus Christ as a liar. "He who hears you, hears Me; he who despises you, despises Me." (Lk. 10:16) I submit my mind to this, Thy word, O my Jesus. I believe that the will of my superiors is Thy will. I believe that what they order, Thou dost order. I believe that I cannot withdraw myself from their bidding without separating from Thy Providence.³ This I believe, my Jesus, and I believe it on Thy word.
(2) Hope and Confidence — As alive as my faith is, O my Jesus, so great is my trust. I have promised obedience, and I have perpetually and entirely surrendered my will and liberty. Thou — so I hope — hast accepted this sacrifice and have chosen and promised to rule and guide me by the voice of my superiors. I surrender myself, then, to the bosom of Thy Providence and am living on in safety. Thou art Infinite Wisdom and know what my superiors' directions are, and that they are the most suitable for me. Thou art Infinite Goodness, and will take care that my superiors always provide what is more profitable for me. I hope and trust in Thee, my Jesus. Thou will arrange things so that my superiors always do what is more serviceable toward my last End, and so that, thanks to Thy Providence, I may attain that degree of glory in paradise which Thou hast prepared for me from eternity.
3. Let us make the Act of Oblation which Saint Ignatius made: Lord, receive all my freedom. Take the whole of my memory, understanding and will. Whatever I have or hold, Thou hast given me. I give it all back to Thee and surrender it completely to the guidance of Thy Will. With Thy love and with Thy Grace I am rich enough. Give me but that and I ask for nothing more. Amen.
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
Footnotes
¹Note — As St. Peter said, "We ought to obey God rather than man." (Acts 5:29) Thus, we must not obey civil authorities if they command us to do something that is against the law of God. For example, many Nazi officers were rightly condemned to punishment at the Nuremberg trials after World War II, even though these officers claimed that they were merely "obeying" the orders of their superiors. No one may transgress the law of God, claiming obedience to human superiors. What is true in the civil order also holds true within the Church. A Catholic has the duty to resist orders from ecclesiastical superiors, even from the highest authorities, if they command anything contrary to the traditional teaching and practice of the Church.
In Sacred Scripture, Paul "upbraided Peter (the first Pope) to his face because he walketh not in truth." (Gal. 2:11-20). St. Thomas Aquinas, basing himself on this scriptural passage, speaks of the duty for an "inferior" to resist and correct a superior who commands anything contrary to the law of Christ. (See *Summa theologiae*, II-II, q. 33, a. 4, and *Super Epistulas S. Pauli, Ad Galatas*, 2, 11-14, lec. II, n. 77 & nn. 83f).
Likewise, the great theologian, Cardinal Juan de Torquemada (1388-1468), citing the doctrine of Pope Innocent III, says that even if the Pope should command something that is incompatible with the law of Christ, then that Pope must not be blindly obeyed:
Torquemada writes, "By disobedience, the Pope can separate himself from Christ despite the fact that he is head of the Church, for above all, the unity of the Church is dependent on its relationship with Christ. The Pope can separate himself from Christ either by disobeying the law of Christ, or by commanding something that is against the divine or natural law. By doing so, the Pope separates himself from the body of the Church because the body is itself linked to Christ by obedience. In this way the Pope could, without doubt, fall into schism... Especially is this true with regard to the divine liturgy as for example, if he did not wish personally to follow the universal customs and rites of the Church.... Thus it is that Pope Innocent III states (*De Consuetudine*) that, it is necessary to obey the Pope in all things as long as he himself does not go against the universal customs of the Church, but should he go against the universal customs of the Church, 'he need not be followed...'"
Many other saints and theologians, including St. Robert Bellarmine (see *De Romano Pontifice*, lib. II, chap. 29, in *Opera omnia*) teach the same important distinction in regard to true obedience.
²Note — Since obedience is the tool used by enemies infiltrated into the Church to destroy her from within, it must be noted that superiors have limited jurisdiction. So if a superior commands something beyond his jurisdiction, even if it is not sinful in itself — one does not sin by refusing the order even if it is against the wishes or "orders" of the person who is one's superior in other matters.
In this matter, since he does not have jurisdiction, he is not a superior. This is clearly the teaching of the Church. By promulgating the Code of Canon Law wherein the limits of jurisdiction are spelled out — the Church clearly teaches who has authority — in what matters.
³Moralists would further point out that some disobedience is not always a Mortal Sin.
Preparatory Prayer as on page x
Composition of Place — Imagine that you see Jesus toiling in a carpenter shop, obeying the holy Virgin, His Mother, and St. Joseph.
Prayer of Petition — O Jesus, I know that all the evils in the individual and in society come from disobedience, and on the contrary, all blessings come from obedience. Therefore Thou hast taught and urged it with such earnestness and have practised it unto death with such heroism, even to the death of the Cross. Grant me grace to imitate Thee, Lord, and to be obedient unto death.
First Point
My soul, before you, Jesus Christ saw all the difficulties which perfect obedience brings with it, and He overcame them all out of love for His Eternal Father and for you. To live one's life through to death according to the judgment and will of another, is something subject to many great difficulties. What would you do, O my soul? All these difficulties are an effect of Divine Providence, and Jesus Christ encountered them all before you did, and for your sake.
Let us reflect — The first difficulty which obedience presents is the burdens and duties which are assigned to us according to the responsibilities and state in which we live. Let us imagine, if you please, that a task has been allotted us which is too lowly to suit our taste. We are persuaded that persons who have been preferred to us have less talent than we. We flatter ourselves that we have enough talent to fulfill any role.
Now, what do I hear, O my soul? That this assignment is too lowly for you? Cast a glance at Christ. Who is this Man? He is King of kings, God of hosts, Supreme Ruler of the universe. What are His talents? He has so much Wisdom that doubtless with no difficulty He could convey the knowledge of His Divinity to all men. He possesses the power to fill the world with miracles. He has enough eloquence to be able to move all hearts to love Him, enough virtue and resourcefulness to be able with no effort to convert everyone.
Yet what is the assignment this great Lord is filling? Oh, wonder above all wonders! For a period of about thirty years He is employed in a workshop in the status of carpenter's helper, and in this lowly employment He obeyed His foster-father in everything. Turn, then, your eyes to this workshop. Observe the Divine Workman there; and after that, complain of your occupation, if shame does not hinder you.
The second difficulty which obedience presents, arises from the superiors who direct us. It is quite certain that in the period of a lifetime, either in our home or at work or in social life, we will have superiors whose directions seem troublesome. One superior will lack the discernment needed to know the abilities of his subjects, and he will not know how to manage things rightly. Another superior will lack the charity to sympathize, the kindness to show due concern about others. One superior will not be meek nor use politeness and kindness to win the hearts of others and sweeten the yoke of obedience to him. Another superior will not be impartial with everyone.
One who wants to practise true obedience must raise his heart above all these weaknesses. For this, our model is Jesus Christ. See Him standing before Pilate's tribunal. Pilate pronounces the sentence and condemns Him to die. What could it have cost Christ to escape this sentence? He could have overwhelmed everyone with full proof of the injustice of this sentence. He could have hurled Pilate from the tribunal into hell. As He did on other occasions, He could have made Himself invisible and so escape His captors. (Cf. Lk. 4:30 and John 8:59). But Jesus does not avail Himself of any of these ways.
He accepts the sentence of death from Pilate's lips as coming from the lips of His Eternal Father. He promptly obeys, and obeys to the point of suffering death, even the death of the Cross. Now who then, should have it in him to complain about superiors, after Christ offered such heroic obedience to the most unjust judges in the world?
The third difficulty that obedience presents arises from the nature of obedience. In the home and elsewhere many things are commanded which do not agree with our opinions and which seem to us neither useful nor necessary nor wise. Things are commanded for which we feel a natural dislike.
Many things will be commanded, probably, which completely oppose our taste and which are in themselves difficult, especially if they are to last a long time, or for the rest of our life. But tell me, my soul, how Jesus acts in His role as your model and for love of you? Do you think it was easy for Him to spend thirty years in a workshop and obey every suggestion of a carpenter? Do you think it was not wearying for Him to travel three years, walking from place to place amid continuous mockery and much other ill-treatment and persecution, while people were continually seeking to put Him to death?
Was it something agreeable for Christ to hear the sentence of death, a sentence to die in disgrace on the Cross? In all these things He obeyed, and obeyed without contradicting, without delaying, without resentment, and with perfect compliance... Ah! What is our obedience compared with that of Jesus Christ?
Affective Acts
(1) Humiliation — From whatever aspect I look at my soul, I cannot find it resembling Thee at all, Who are the Model of Holiness. My duty is to rid myself completely of self-will. I should look on my superiors with a lively faith, O my Divine Guide, and lean on all their directions, and not only should I avoid taking with ill feelings what they order, but I must carry out orders well, even with joy. That is the way I must obey; for my state as son in a household, or as a citizen in a community requires it, just as the glorious example of Christ presented to me requires it of me. But have I behaved this way?
O my Jesus, Thou knowest how many sins I have committed in this matter. I know not how to count them — how many sins from a stubborn mind, how many instances of a rebellious will, how many faults of grumbling and other such faults from selfish interests, and how many times, when I did manage to obey, I fulfilled things badly. Would these sins alone not be enough? Yet have I not others that will come before Thy tribunal?
(2) Repentance — Now I know my unfaithfulness, O my Jesus, and I repent of it with all my heart. Oh, how tragic in Thy sight have been the sins which have seemed trivial to me up to now! In the authority of my parents and superiors I should have recognized an authority that was not mere men's, but Thine. Therefore it is not a man whom I have offended by my disobedience, but Thy Supreme Majesty. As many times as I preferred my judgment to my parents' and superiors', I have likewise made light of Thy Infinite Wisdom.
As often as I have, inwardly or outwardly, criticized my parents' or superiors' orders, I have cheaply regarded the provisions and wishes of Thy Infinite Goodness and Love. "He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me..." (Lk. 10:16). These are Thy words, O my Jesus, and by them I realize the evil I have done. Oh, how blind I have been! How little notice I have taken of these sins! Now I know them and repent of them with all my heart, my Jesus.
Second Point
God wills obedience — God demanded this virtue of our first parents in paradise. He demands this virtue of obedience of all children, that they show it toward their parents, who stand in the place of God. He sets this requirement before soldiers, that they show obedience to their officers. It is for subjects to practise toward civil powers, for all the faithful to practise it toward the Church. When obedience is practised perfectly, all runs in good order, everything is peaceful and happy. But if it is lacking, all is disorder, confusion, anarchy and ruin.
By word and example Jesus Christ has chosen to teach this virtue of obedience. Oh, what wonderful advantages a soul has which acts with obedience in everything! An exception would be what opposes God's Law; for that is sinful, and one who commands sin does not represent God,¹ but satan.
You have seen, O my soul, the obedience of Jesus Christ. Consider now the blessings that this virtue brings with it.
First Blessing — An obedient soul is sure of doing God's Will at every moment. Suppose that by a special Divine Decree your Guardian Angel (who otherwise would assist you invisibly) accompanies you visibly day and night, and in all circumstances informs you what God wants of you, and what God does not want of you. Could there be a better fortune than this? O my soul, is your faith alive? Then realize that by wisely obeying,¹ you are always and at every moment sure of doing God's Will. This is as sure as it would be if an angel who was accompanying you in visible form, assured you of it. It is as sure that you would be doing God's Will, as it is that Christ did it at Nazareth. You can be as sure of this as the Apostles were who received their orders from the lips of Jesus Christ.
Second Blessing — An obedient soul elevates his works, making them have an immense value before God. Nothing in the world has a value equal to obedience. Every work, even the least, that is done from obedience, becomes very great before God; whereas those works, no matter how great, that are done against obedience, lose all value before God.
To eat and drink moderately out of obedience is something so precious in God's sight, that thereby one gains a merit beyond all calculation. Fasting on bread and water undertaken against the will of one who rules us, though it lasted a whole year, does not earn the Divine pleasure; rather God regards it with contempt. It is a little thing to wash a dish, to sweep a floor, and quite great thing to travel over the world preaching the Gospel.
Yet God values highly that washing, that sweeping, when done from obedience, and counts that preaching as nothing if done against obedience. The only rule for measuring the excellence of a deed is God's Will. Whenever God Wills something, though it be no more than weaving baskets like the anchorites of old, it is a deed so great that no man on earth and no angel in Heaven can do anything greater.
Look again, my soul, at Saint Joseph's workshop. See Jesus Christ there, and you should know that the lowly office He performs there is so noble that one cannot speak of anything nobler. Why is this? It is because He does the Will of His Eternal Father.
Third Blessing — Infallibly and in a short time an obedient soul obtains perfect holiness for two reasons: The first is that obedience is the very essence of holiness and perfection. For if holiness means nothing else than fulfilling God's Will in the way God wishes, an obedient soul, as one who does only what God Wills, when he sleeps or works, meditates or does anything else, by occupying in this way every moment of the day and night in fulfillment of the Divine Good Pleasure, he must necessarily reach a perfect holiness and reach it in a very short time.
The second reason is that the Lord has so ordered things. Because God loves an obedient soul, He carries it in the bosom of His Providence as a mother carries her tender baby, nourishes it, coaxes it, and takes special care of all that pertains to it. Thus even all hell and all the world can be roused up against it, even its superiors can, of set purpose, strive to oppress it; and all their efforts will be absolutely in vain; for this soul enjoys the protection of a God of Wisdom, Power, and Infinite Love, Who will infallibly lead it in this life to that degree of holiness which He wants it to reach, and in the next life will raise it to that throne of glory which He has destined for it from Eternity.
Affective Acts
(1) Faith — It is true that superiors² do not rule us except in the name of Jesus Christ. I ought to gladly accept the orders they give me, not because it is their will, but because it is the Will of Jesus Christ. The Lord's words are very clear, and one who does not put complete trust in them treats Jesus Christ as a liar. "He who hears you, hears Me; he who despises you, despises Me." (Lk. 10:16) I submit my mind to this, Thy word, O my Jesus. I believe that the will of my superiors is Thy will. I believe that what they order, Thou dost order. I believe that I cannot withdraw myself from their bidding without separating from Thy Providence.³ This I believe, my Jesus, and I believe it on Thy word.
(2) Hope and Confidence — As alive as my faith is, O my Jesus, so great is my trust. I have promised obedience, and I have perpetually and entirely surrendered my will and liberty. Thou — so I hope — hast accepted this sacrifice and have chosen and promised to rule and guide me by the voice of my superiors. I surrender myself, then, to the bosom of Thy Providence and am living on in safety. Thou art Infinite Wisdom and know what my superiors' directions are, and that they are the most suitable for me. Thou art Infinite Goodness, and will take care that my superiors always provide what is more profitable for me. I hope and trust in Thee, my Jesus. Thou will arrange things so that my superiors always do what is more serviceable toward my last End, and so that, thanks to Thy Providence, I may attain that degree of glory in paradise which Thou hast prepared for me from eternity.
3. Let us make the Act of Oblation which Saint Ignatius made: Lord, receive all my freedom. Take the whole of my memory, understanding and will. Whatever I have or hold, Thou hast given me. I give it all back to Thee and surrender it completely to the guidance of Thy Will. With Thy love and with Thy Grace I am rich enough. Give me but that and I ask for nothing more. Amen.
Now pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary and the Concluding Prayers as on page xi.
Footnotes
¹Note — As St. Peter said, "We ought to obey God rather than man." (Acts 5:29) Thus, we must not obey civil authorities if they command us to do something that is against the law of God. For example, many Nazi officers were rightly condemned to punishment at the Nuremberg trials after World War II, even though these officers claimed that they were merely "obeying" the orders of their superiors. No one may transgress the law of God, claiming obedience to human superiors. What is true in the civil order also holds true within the Church. A Catholic has the duty to resist orders from ecclesiastical superiors, even from the highest authorities, if they command anything contrary to the traditional teaching and practice of the Church.
In Sacred Scripture, Paul "upbraided Peter (the first Pope) to his face because he walketh not in truth." (Gal. 2:11-20). St. Thomas Aquinas, basing himself on this scriptural passage, speaks of the duty for an "inferior" to resist and correct a superior who commands anything contrary to the law of Christ. (See *Summa theologiae*, II-II, q. 33, a. 4, and *Super Epistulas S. Pauli, Ad Galatas*, 2, 11-14, lec. II, n. 77 & nn. 83f).
Likewise, the great theologian, Cardinal Juan de Torquemada (1388-1468), citing the doctrine of Pope Innocent III, says that even if the Pope should command something that is incompatible with the law of Christ, then that Pope must not be blindly obeyed:
Torquemada writes, "By disobedience, the Pope can separate himself from Christ despite the fact that he is head of the Church, for above all, the unity of the Church is dependent on its relationship with Christ. The Pope can separate himself from Christ either by disobeying the law of Christ, or by commanding something that is against the divine or natural law. By doing so, the Pope separates himself from the body of the Church because the body is itself linked to Christ by obedience. In this way the Pope could, without doubt, fall into schism... Especially is this true with regard to the divine liturgy as for example, if he did not wish personally to follow the universal customs and rites of the Church.... Thus it is that Pope Innocent III states (*De Consuetudine*) that, it is necessary to obey the Pope in all things as long as he himself does not go against the universal customs of the Church, but should he go against the universal customs of the Church, 'he need not be followed...'"
Many other saints and theologians, including St. Robert Bellarmine (see *De Romano Pontifice*, lib. II, chap. 29, in *Opera omnia*) teach the same important distinction in regard to true obedience.
²Note — Since obedience is the tool used by enemies infiltrated into the Church to destroy her from within, it must be noted that superiors have limited jurisdiction. So if a superior commands something beyond his jurisdiction, even if it is not sinful in itself — one does not sin by refusing the order even if it is against the wishes or "orders" of the person who is one's superior in other matters.
In this matter, since he does not have jurisdiction, he is not a superior. This is clearly the teaching of the Church. By promulgating the Code of Canon Law wherein the limits of jurisdiction are spelled out — the Church clearly teaches who has authority — in what matters.
³Moralists would further point out that some disobedience is not always a Mortal Sin.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre