(Rivista Internazionale - December 1998: The Vow of Obedience - 2/3)

Whereas in the Old Testament the fear of God, the only Lord (Deut 5, 29) was seen as the fundamental duty for rendering the covenant between Jehovah and his people effective, in the New Testament Jesus Christ, referring to a solely exterior understanding of the law, stresses the faithfulness of intentions in observing it. Jesus sees himself and his life in total obedience to his loving Father.
St. Paul sums up all this with the affirmation that: «Christ has become obedient until death for us».
St. Augustine defines obedience as a theological and moral virtue. St. Thomas Aquinas separates obedience to God from obedience determined by mutual human relations, where in this latter case conscience has precedence over a superior’s commands.
Many theological and philosophical analyses on obedience tend to give answers to the question of obedience in human relations (for example: up to what point do you have to obey a sovereign, a tyrant or a leader?). Is there a duty of obedience towards parents, when they order marriage, even marriage with a certain person, or entry into religious life for their children? Where do we put obedience to the party or to the so-called «will of the people»? According to canon law, there is canonical obedience and religious obedience. For members of a religious order, however, the central issue consists of the evangelical counsel with regards to the religious profession: it is vigorously stressed - and also documented through the religious’ public vow - that they must give total obedience to their (religious) superiors for what regards the Rule and the Constitution. In this case the «superior» is the Pope and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (and after these, the Grand Master and the superiors under him: the Grand Commander, the Grand Prior, the Regent of the Sub-Priories).
If obedience is seen as perfecting the virtue for totally following Christ, then the observance of obedience comes within the fulfilment of the divine and ecclesiastical commandments where not in opposition; and the statute of the Order certainly has precedence here.
For those who conduct a life consecrated to God and who reinforce this choice with the profession of vows, obedience represents the accomplishment of God’s will in the concrete situations of daily life. It follows that, although the superior of the Order himself is bound by this «golden rule», he must also lead and educate his religious to carry out God’s will. This implies that the superior’s orders and authority are well defined. Therefore, there is no «blind obedience» but limited obedience, since the orders given could go against a concrete divine commandment.

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