The Vow of Obedience Made Simple...
I would suggest that when most of us think of religious taking a vow of obedience we consider that the person will have to submit their will to a long list of rules and to the will of their superiors. It is true that, according to the Constitutions and Statutes of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the vow does oblige members to “submit their will to their lawful superiors” (C.71) but there is far more to it than that. The religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience can in fact be a way of becoming free for God and a way of finding true joy. We are called to be contagious with joy, the joy of the Gospel. The Redemptorists particular mission is to bring the good news of plentiful redemption to the poor and most abandoned so how does the vow of obedience impact on or contribute to that mission? We will begin by examining where the word comes from in the first place. Obedience means:
“To listen intently, to open one’s ears, to heed in practice.”
“Listen” is a word we hear a lot in connection with the vow of obedience and indeed religious life in general, for example the prologue to the Rule of St Benedict begins “listen carefully”. This rule has been the basis for many monastic ways of life, the Cistercians also follow this rule, and St Benedict describes us being “armed with the strong and noble weapons of obedience”. It is comforting to think that obedience can “arm” us to cast aside daily distractions and free ourselves for God however the Constitutions and Statutes of the Redemptorists take a slightly different approach:
While the traditional monastic emphasis on obedience serves as a spiritual fortification, much like how blood thinners work to prevent clots and ensure the smooth flow of blood in the body, the Redemptorists' interpretation suggests a nuanced understanding. They propose that true obedience, much like the careful administration of blood thinners (read about Xarelto (rivaroxaban)), requires a delicate balance — too much can lead to vulnerability, while too little may result in rigidity and blockages in our spiritual growth. This analogy enlightens us to the idea that spiritual practices, like medical treatments, must be tailored to the individual's needs, ensuring a healthy and holistic approach to religious life and personal well-being.
“Evangelical obedience contributes to the true development of the human person dedicated to Christ.” (C.75)
Therefore obedience is not something Redemptorists and other religious do in order to put aside our human dignity and serve blindly: it is in fact one of the very things that helps us develop as truly free human beings. The confreres of the Redemptorist communities around the world are charged to “show their constant fidelity to God’s will” (C.74) and through this they carry out the mission of Christ who said:
“I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)
Even Jesus was obedient unto the will of the Father and the Constitutions and Statutes of the Redemptorists state that “Superiors should be docile to God’s will in the exercise of their office” (C.72). They should also use the authority they have been given by the grace of God “in a spirit of service for their brothers, so that they show forth how God loves them” (C.72). We return again to the idea of listening and the superior is instructed to “willingly listen” (C.72) in order to culture an “active and responsible obedience”. This is highlighted in the Statutes:
“When the community has taken a decision on any matter, all will wholeheartedly unite their efforts in carrying it out.” (S.48b)
The brothers are “bound to obey such precepts willingly and promptly” and the superior does have the right to “impose formal precepts of obedience” (C.73.3) however they “should not use this power unless there is a grave reason and with the consent of their consultors” (C.73.3). The superior and the brothers are called through their loving obedience to “engage in dialogue and fraternal discussion” (C.73.1) so that God’s will may be discerned in the community as he “speaks through the voices of people and the signs of the times” (CC. 37. 38.). Bishop Kevin Dowling C.Ss.R. describes the Vow of Obedience as a “Vow of discernment through listening to the many voices of God”. By truly listening we are able to respond in freedom to the call of God. Obedience promotes the common good and Bishop Dowling C.Ss.R. reminds us that the way we live obedience invites others to “understand the importance of living interdependently”. We have said that to live loving obedience we must listen, submit to our lawful superiors, engage in fraternal discussion and work together for each other but we must also slow down! Bishop Dowling C.Ss.R. reminds us that the “frenzy of our activism neutralises our work for peace. It destroys our inner capacity for peace”. Therefore we must give God the time and space to be able to speak to us so that we can discern His will. Some of this might sound lovely and some of this may sound difficult. One thing is for sure, nobody says it is easy to live loving obedience. However Bishop Dowling C.Ss.R. asks us to remember the story of Jeremiah and the potter at work when God says “can I not do with you what the potter does?”
The question now is how do those of us who have not been called to a vocation to Religious life or priesthood live obedience in this way every day? There are actually a number of ways, for example the Holy Mass is a living expression of obedience. We each have the capacity to listen, to understand and to respond. In a homily given on the solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Fr. Jim McManus C.Ss.R. outlined the Holy Mass in terms of these steps: first we listen to God’s Word; second we try to understand it in silent prayer and through the homily and finally we respond in grateful thanksgiving by offering the gifts. At this moment we offer ourselves to God, place our trust in Him and participate in “the paschal mystery, which is the mystery of obedience” (C.71). The Constitutions and Statutes of the Redemptorists call us to “dedicate our own will to God” (C.71), which we do when we offer ourselves with the gifts of bread and wine. This particular Constitution also encourages us to “bring all their resources of mind and will, as well as their gifts of nature and grace…to the tasks assigned to them” (C.71). We can also say therefore that if we use all our God given gifts to be the best we can be each day in our work and with our family then we are being truly obedient and do not forget the charge we are given at the end of Holy Mass to go and “announce the Gospel of the Lord” or to “go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life”. This reminds us that we must go forth and be Christ to others and one way we can do this is to live loving obedience. In this way we can become free for God and truly joyful. As an Italian priest once said when visiting the Redemptorists in the London Province “true joy is contagious”.
St Alphonsus is a Doctor of the Church and is often called the Doctor of Prayer. In his book “The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ” St Alphonsus shows us that love does not insist on its own will so let us ask for the grace to be lovingly obedient with one of St Alphonsus’ prayers:
My God and my all, I feel that, despite all my ingratitude and negligence in serving you, you continue to call me to your love. Here I am, I no longer want to resist. I want to abandon everything so as to be wholly yours. I no longer wish to live for myself. Your claim to my love is too strong. My soul has fallen in love with you, my Jesus; it sighs after you. And how can I love anything else, after seeing you die in pain on a cross in order to save me? How could I look upon you dead and consumed with suffering, and not love you with all my heart? Yes, I love you, my dear Redeemer; I love you with all my soul; and I desire nothing except to love you in this life and for all eternity.
I ask you my love, my hope, my fortress and consolation, to give me the strength to be faithful to you. Give me light, and let me know what I should detach myself from. And give me strength, because I want to obey you in everything.
Love of my soul, I offer and give myself to you completely, to satisfy your desire to unite yourself to me, that I may be wholly united to you, my God and my all. Come, my Jesus, and take possession of my whole self, and draw to yourself all my thoughts and all my affections.
I renounce all my appetites, all my consolations, and all created things: you alone are enough for me. Give me the grace to think of nothing but you, to desire nothing but you, to seek nothing but you, my beloved and my only good!
O Mary, Mother of God, beg for me the grace of holy perseverance.
