Monday, June 30, 2014
The Virtue Of Obedience
Anyone who is serious about obtaining eternal life in God's kingdom will do all he/she can to increase in the virtue of obedience. Without it, one will never please God. The eminent Jesuit theologian Father John Anthony Hardon, offered the following definition of obedience: "The moral virtue that inclines the will to comply with the will of another who has the right to command. According to Father Hardon, obedience is pleasing to God because it means the sacrifice of one's will out of love for God.
The Holy Bible stressed obedience throughout its pages. Obedience is extremely pleasing to God. It is so pleasing and important that the Holy Bible instructed children to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20), wives to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22), and slaves to submit to their masters (1 Peter 2:18). When Christ came down incarnated as a man, He also placed Himself under submission to His mother Mary, to His stepfather Joseph, and to God His Father. Christ was obedient, and He is our role model to follow.
When pride was found in Lucifer's heart and disobeyed God, he was kicked out of Heaven. When pride was found in Adam and Eve and they disobeyed God, they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Disobedience is the result of pride. When a priest or a nun takes a vow of obedience, it is to conquer his/her desire to be first or to be at the top. God puts everyone under authority. Through obedience, we learn humility and to sacrifice our own will and follow God's will. Our role as Catholics is also to be obedient. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
CCC 1269 Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to "obey and submit" to the Church's leaders, holding them in respect and affection. Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.
The office of Bishop is a sanctified office even if the bishop himself is a sinner. After all, Christ chose sinful men to continue His ministry. Because the Archbishop sits in a sanctified office, He is not separated nor excommunicated from the Catholic Church. It is only those who oppose the Archbishop who put themselves outside the Catholic Church.
Obedience is linked to faith. Abraham obeyed because he had faith that God will provide a way for his son Isaac to live despite that he was told to sacrifice his son. Abraham obeyed when God told him to leave all the securities behind in the land of Ur even when he did not know where he was going. He had faith that God will lead him to the right place. This is why Abraham is called the "Father of faith." Despite the fact that he did not know where to go, he obeyed nonetheless because he had faith that God will show him the way. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Perfection of faith when she answered "Let thy will be done."
CCC 144 To obey (from the Latin ob-audire, to "hear or listen to") in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself. Abraham is the model of such obedience offered us by Sacred Scripture. The Virgin Mary is its most perfect embodiment.
The Catholic Church is perfectly clear that Church leaders are to be obeyed and respected. Of course, Protestants usually remind Catholics of the sexual abuse committed by a few priests. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI has instructed the faithful to contact the civil authorities when priests try to sexually molest them. And so we follow what our Pope says.
I said this in my one of my comments under my recent post. If the Archbishop of Guam tells a priest to open his parish for the Neocatechumenal Way, the priest must comply. The Neocatechumenal Way has received the blessings and support of five Popes; therefore, the Archbishop of Guam is not going against the Catholic Church or her teaching in commanding a priest to open his parish for the Way. Why? Because the Archbishop is telling the Parish priest to open his parish to something that five popes had always accepted. The NCW was never rejected by the Catholic Church. Therefore, it is the Parish priest who must comply with the faith that God will give him the grace to see what all five popes see in the Way. If the parish priest refuses to obey, then it is the parish priest who goes against the Catholic Church. It is the parish priest who broke his vow of obedience, and it is the Parish priest who disobeyed God.
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So, Diana, you can copy and paste too? I don't think plagiarism is a virtue, is it? - perhaps you should reference your sources in the future Eg http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=5245
ReplyDeleteIn any case, I can copy and paste too, in this case from http://www.catholiccanonlaw.com/Blind%20Obedience.pdf
"There are some people who trust lawful authority to direct them without fail. When faced with a
directive, they neither seek to know options and consequences nor deliberate their choices. They simply trust
that lawful authority will stay within the bounds of its power. *This attitude is not true Obedience nor is it
virtuous.*
Because of the freedom we share in Christ, we have an obligation to know the legitimate boundaries
of lawful authority in our lives. We have an obligation to know the Divine Laws and what our obligations
to God are. Only with knowledge of Divine Laws and the legitimate boundaries of lawful authority can we
obey. Without such knowledge, we fall prey to manipulation, coercion, or simply conformity to peers."
And: "Only when lawful authority stays within the bounds of its power do we have to obey. However, such
obedience is not blind. Rather, the person who obeys recognizes that the directive given is within the bounds
of the authority held, knows that it is not contrary to higher obligations, and freely chooses to follow it for
the sake of giving authority its due. Moreover, when options are available, the person must be free to choose
between options."
Dear Anonymous at 3:33 p.m.,
DeleteFirst of all, copy and paste means to copy everything word for word. This is what copy and paste is for this is what is written in the weblink you provided:
Anyone who is serious about obtaining Everlasting Life in Heaven will do all he can to increase in the virtue of obedience. For without it, one will never please the Lord, Who is our benevolent Creator and compassionate Master.
Now this Is what I wrote in my post above:
Anyone who is serious about obtaining eternal life in God's kingdom will do all he/she can to increase in the virtue of obedience. Without it, one will never please God
As you can see, I can read an article and summarize it on my own, and the article came from a "Catholic" website, not outside a Catholic website (since we have been accused of not following Catholic doctrine).
As for the canon law that you cited, it addresses the faithful. Canon Law for priests and clerics is very straightforward. It simply says:
Canon 273 Respect and Obedience Respect and obedience to the Pope and their bishop .
http://canonlaw.wikispot.org/Book_2
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church is Pope-Bishop-Priest. Unlike the layperson, the priest makes a vow of obedience. You can read more about vow of obedience in the Catholic encyclopedia.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11182a.htm
As I said, the Archbishop is not going against the Catholic Church in telling a priest to open his parish to something that has been approved by five popes. The Pope accepts the NCW, and so does the Archbishop of Guam. Any priest who do not accept what the Holy See has endorsed and supported is against the Catholic Church.
Dear Diana, you are right that obedience is a virtue and the bishop can ask for obedience in faith matters. But we should also emphasize volunteering. Most of the things we do when we walk are volunteer works. We choose to volunteer because we have faith in what we do. People, including clergy, who have no faith and commitment in the Way cannot be forced to volunteer their time and talent.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 4:37 p.m,
DeleteA layperson cannot be forced to join the Way. However, a priest made a vow of celibacy and obedience before God to the Archbishop. This is what Cardinal Arinze says about priestly vow of obedience:
"In extracts from the book published by L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Arinze says, “The obedience that the priest gives to the Holy Father, the bishop and his representatives is based on faith. Through this obedience, the priest gives God the possibility of making complete use of him in carrying out the mission of the Church. The purpose of obedience is not to diminish the role of the priest, or to treat him as inferior or keep him from adequate personal growth.”
Cardinal Arinze warned that priests “should not try to introduce a sort of secular democracy that is not in accord with the divine nature of the hierarchical institution of the Church. The virtue of humility is one thing, it’s another thing to seek to clericalize the laity or laicize the clergy. The Church has nothing to gain by this, and everything to lose with similar initiatives.”
The cardinal went on to note that priests should always obey their bishops, “even when in the worst of scenarios the bishop assigns a task that surpasses the capacity of the priest or could make him suffer or harm him. God will not cease to protect the priest who is obedient. The judgment of God with regard to the bishop is a different question!”
Even when this obedience implies adversities for the priest, “in the end God protects the priest who respects and obeys the Bishop with firm fidelity and nobility of character. The intervention of God can appear after months or even years, but it does finally come. Some saints were only done justice after death,” he added."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2149686/posts
"A layperson cannot be forced to join the Way" Not true.
DeleteAsk Deacon Claros. He was forced to join the NCW against his will because ultimately the diocese would not allow him to go into the Dioconate unless he joined a community.
Dear Catholics United,
DeleteA deacon also takes a vow of obedience to the Archbishop. If the Archbishop tells him to go to another parish, he must obey, and if the Archbishop tells him to join a community, he must also obey him. What the Archbishop ask is within the boundary of his office and of the Catholic Church.
United- Enough with your lies. LARRY CLAROS was in the WAY before he became a DEACON. HOW DO I KNOW THIS? I'M HIS PERSONAL FRIEND.
DeleteTim Rohr is giving another useless round to recycle his outdated stuff. Gosh, is this not boring yet? Even Catholic United is saying no five Popes in a row can be trusted. Yeah, he says these Popes are all wrong! Talk about stubborn rejection of reality... The Way was approved by all five Pope who have met us. But Catholic United, Tim Rohr, Chuck White and the whole gang at Jungle Watch think they know much better... How sad! Who they think they are?!
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 4:48 p.m.,
DeleteCatholics United is saying that all five popes in a row cannot be trusted??? Then who is he supposed to place his trust on......Tim Rohr?? The members of the Way have never said such things. We never say that the Pope cannot be trusted.
On a side note Fr. Paul is saying Mass at St. Anthony/St. Victor parish in Tamuning. Family and i were blessed to attend his 9:30am Sunday service. If you want to experience a Mass delivered with a homily constructed with both the utmost intelligence and eloquence deserving of Rome itself, then come and attend and listen to Fr. Paul at St. Anthony/St. Victor services.
DeleteFr. Paul engages his parishoners, walking down the aisle during his homily, making contact with the young and old. No faltering in his voice, no stumbling to remember what he prepared,
he's truly a model Priest that we are blessed to have on this island. We were fortunate that our kids received his blessings as we went up for the Sacrament of Communion.
His big message, parents teach your children faith. Do not rely on their going to CCD alone, or theology classes, don't think of the answer yourselves, if you google it, make sure you are googling a Catholic site. Required, get a copy of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church for your homes.
Luckily growing up, we had this book at home among the Childcraft and World Book encyclopedias and it is the best defense to other parties saying "that their way is the way."
In itself that moniker is arrogant and it is confusing to most unsuspecting people.
The Archbishop truly dis-serviced the faithful on the island by going after this man. Fr. Paul is one of this Dioceses' great assets and he is truly the persecuted one for standing up for the truth of our Church.
Diana claims, the NCW has the approval of five Popes. I say, Popes can be wrong, Cardinals and Bishops can be wrong, but not God. Never. Which is why we are not lying down for the NCW.
Dear Catholics United,
DeleteI am certain that Father Paul makes excellent homily. However, I disagree with you when you say that the Popes can be wrong. In matters of faith and morals, the Pope with the teaching Magisterium is never wrong because they have infallibility. In other things such as sports, medicine, science, and politics, the pope can be wrong. It is only in matters of faith and morals that the Pope has infallibility.
Fr Paul was suspended because he apparently harbored a potential sexual predator on church property. The case is in Rome and the verdict will be announced from there. Are you impatient to wait for the decision, dear United?
DeleteThere are more stolen/ fake/ manipulated letters published on Jungle Watch with no credentials. I mean zero credentials! Considering Tim Rohr's track record of lying, stealing and distorting documents, it is hard to believe he did not lie again. The moral decline of the anti-Way gang continues to expose itself.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 5:53 p.m.,
DeleteI agree with you. Those documents were addressed to certain priests. Most likely, Tim Rohr is not going to say that he obtained those letters from the priests themselves. But it would be interesting to find out from those priests if they gave Tim Rohr a copy of those letters, which was addressed to them. I do not think that a priest would lie before God. If those priests say that they did not give any copy to Tim Rohr, then there is clearly a thief inside the chauncery who has access to these personal documents.
I don't know how Tim Rohr got his copies of the letters to the priests but I saw a copy of one of the letters 6 years ago. A parishioner said the priest had made photocopies and given copies to several people. This person was one of them and showed it to me.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 11:00 p.m.,
DeleteBy distributing copies of this letter to several people shows that the intention of this priest is to sow division in the Church. Rather than being obedient to the Archbishop, he does this to get the people to rally support for him against the Archbishop. What other purpose would there be?
When you get an illegal copy of a document, you are not free to publish at your will. Stop insanity!
DeleteThe copies sent out to the three Filipino priests were in the hands of the parishioners. Why do you think we protested?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 3:42 p.m.,
DeleteWhy were the letters even in the hands of the parishioners in the first place. Is it not because the priest could not follow his vow of obedience he made to the Archbishop? So, he made copies to be distributed to the parishioners in the hopes of people uprising against the Archbishop whom he swore obedience to?? It sounds to me more like a betrayal.
Diana, you CANNOT FORCE a person to join The NCW if the person does not believe in it. I really don't care if it is the priest! DO NOT FORCE! It's like a dictatorship....DO THIS OR ELSE!
DeleteHow do you know the priest copied and passed it out? It may have been leaked out. It may have been leaked out by someone in the chancery way back when!
Dear Anonymous at 11:11 p.m.,
DeleteA priest is a different story. He made a vow of obedience to the Archbishop. So, if the Archbishop tells the priest to open his parish to the NCW, he should do so. Read what I posted on the" Virtue of Obedience", and then read my last post on "Cardinal Arinze on Obedience".
If the parishioners didn't want the NCW in the parish so be it!
DeleteDear Anonymous at 11:52 am,
DeleteYou do not speak for everyone in the parish. Speak only for yourself.
By the way, I entered a new post on Cardinal Arinze's viewpoint on "Obedience" which is found in the following weblink:
ReplyDeletehttp://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2014/06/cardinal-arinzes-on-obedience.html
And so if the Abishop tells a priest to commit murder, rape, or go against the teachings of the Church, or even follow Satanic practice, then what? Obedience? Get your head out of the clouds.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 6:44 a.m.,
DeleteThis only goes to show that you did not read my post. I wrote in my post that if a priest sexually abused you, you report him to the civil authorities. I also stated in one of my comments that if a priest tells you to murder, then one does not need to obey that priest. A person cannot go against their moral conscience.
So, if a priest believes that to support the NCW would be to violate their own conscience?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 10:09 am,
DeleteOne is not supposed to go against their MORAL conscience. If a bishop tells a priest to murder someone, that would be asking to go against their moral conscience. When a bishop tells a priest to open his parish to the NCW, that is within the boundary of his office and the Church. The NCW is accepted by the Church; therefore, a priest should have no problem accepting it. As for those so-called liturgical abuses, the Holy See is fully aware of those unfounded allegations, which is why Pope Francis dismissed the investigations. They are nothing but unfounded allegations. The Way is very strong in Rome, so if there is a problem with how we do the Eucharist, they should have said something by now. Instead, they ceased all investigations.
Dear Anonymous at 3:09 p.m.,
ReplyDeleteYour weblink says nothing about the NCW. You are only repeating the things that have been said in 2005 and 2006. This is 2014. The things that were in Cardinal Arinze's letter is already being followed in the Way. Why do you think Pope Francis ceased all investigations of the Way?
Dear Diane
ReplyDeleteThe Way is not following what Cardinal Arinze, - on behalf of the Pope - directed them. They misinterpreted the directions validating themselves. Wrong is still wrong.
Pope Francis is a no-nonsense , no frills, no needless extras type of guy. It just is common sense that he would cease all investigations of the Way, when there is "already" a tremendous amount of information on the liturgical abuses that still remain in the Way's Mass.
Let us ask that the Holy Spirit grant us wisdom to know God's will, and the strength and courage to do God's will. May hardness of heart be removed.
Many involved in the Neo groups are having second thoughts of the way they celebrate Mass. They are waiting for Kiko's instructions to change. Why wait? The Mass "belongs" to Christ and not to any particular group. May we all be one.
Dear Anonymous at 4:29 a.m.,
ReplyDeleteCardinal Arinze's letter was written in 2005. It is now 2014. Nine years have passed. If we have been in disobedience all this time, the NCW would have been excommunicated. But it is not. Rather, an investigation was conducted by Pope Benedict XVI. Since that time, nothing ever came of the investigation. Why? Because all the complaints you have been giving to the Nuncio were all unfounded.
By the time Francis became Pope, he ceased all investigations on the Way. I'm sure that Pope Francis is not going to cease the investigation without first looking the allegations. To do so would be a gross negligence on his part. So, he looked at the liturgical abuse allegations, found them to be unfounded and ceased all the investigations.
The NCW is following all the instructions from the Pope just as the Pope instructed Kiko. The NCW all around the world does their Eucharist exactly the same way regardless of what country it is on.
The Mass does belong to Christ, but if you attend a Latin Mass and a regular Mass, you know that they are not exactly the same. If you attend a Byzantine Catholic Mass, it is also very different than the Novus Ordo mass.
Dear Diane,
ReplyDeleteYes, if I attend a Latin, regular, or Byzantine, or Novus Ordo Mass I would see differences. But each must be obedient to the instructions laid down for them..
The difference is the NCW is not following the instructions from the Pope. The Pope did not give the NCW the recognitio - written permission to retain the many additions and deletions in their Mass. Kiko apparently didn't want to be a different rite. Therefore, the NCW should be following the Roman Rite as per the Roman Missal/GIRM - no additions or deletions.
Your comment " So, he looked at the liturgical abuse allegations, found them to be unfounded and ceased all the investigations " is itself unfounded. Pope Francis NEVER SAID THE LITURGICAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS WERE UNFOUNDED. The NCW is saying that.
May truth prevail.
Dear Diane,
ReplyDeleteYou say that the NCW would have been excommunicated if they were disobedient. - There would not be many left in the Catholic Church if this were true. Most of us are disobedient in one way or another; but, God in His Mercy, gently tries to sway us back. 1 million members excommunicated??? Do you really think the Pope would do that and risk a schism??? Would he not gently try to lift the blindness from our eyes. Would he not try to melt the hardness of our hearts???? Would he not try to straighten the bend reed without breaking it????
Courage.
Dear Anonymous at 7:53 am,
ReplyDeleteThe Pope is not stupid. He knows that it is not the fault of the people if Kiko actually led them astray. All the Pope had to do is excommunicate Kiko, and the rest of the flock will leave him. But instead, the Pope gave him a position.
Dear anonymous at 7:38 am,
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that Pope Francis ceased the investigations without even looking at the allegations? To cease the investigations without looking at the allegations and reports that were collected would be a gross negligence on his part. If you feel that the NCW is in violations, write to the Nuncio.
By the way, the papal nuncio in the U.S. Celebrated the NCW Mass, and there was no problem and no complaints from the nuncio.