Summing up the entire spiritual life, Saint Francis de Sales, Patron Saint of Spiritual Directors said: “Simply Obey. God does not ask anything else of you.”
Saint Francis de Sales spoke about the importance of obedience
because our Lord spoke about the importance of obedience, as we heard in our Lenten
Gospel today: “But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called
greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Obedience to the commandments keeps us in right relationship
with God, and obedience to the inspirations of His Holy Spirit make us
instruments of his grace in the world.
All of our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving is really
at the service of helping us to be more obedient to the commands and
inspirations of God. Fasting can
strengthen our wills against disordered tendencies, and almsgiving flows out of
that command to love our neighbor as ourselves. Prayer helps us to love God and
to hate offending him through disobedience. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are
like unfurling the sails of our soul, so that we can be directed by the Will of
God.
Obedience is not always easy, just ask Adam and Eve and every human being that
has ever lived. However, to the soul who loves God, obedience becomes a
delight.
Our Lord is clear that, Obedience and disobedience have
eternal consequences. Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought about a fracture with
God that is felt in every human life. The Lord teaches about the eternal
consequences of disobedience in today’s Gospel too, when he says, whoever
breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will
be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
Where disobedience brought about broken communion with God,
Christ’s obedience brought salvation, he who was, as St. Paul says, “obedient unto
death, death upon a cross”.
The Lenten journey leads us to encounter Christ and emulate
Christ who is totally obedient to his Father’s will; the Sacred Heart is an
obedient heart, it is the heart of one which has surrendered everything to the
Holy Will.
We cannot err in obedience to God, rather we ought to strive, as
the Lord teaches to obey the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter of God’s will,
as did Christ his Son for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
Trusting in the goodness of our Heavenly Father, who calls
us to obedient and faithful lives, let us present our prayers with humility and
confidence.
For the Church, especially during this Lenten season, that
all her members may grow in obedience to God’s commandments and openness to the
inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Let us pray to the Lord.
For all spiritual leaders, bishops, priests, deacons, and
religious, that inspired by the example of Saint Francis de Sales, they may
guide the faithful toward greater obedience and trust in God. Let us pray to
the Lord.
For world leaders and all in positions of authority, that
they may seek the wisdom of God and lead with integrity, justice, and a spirit
of obedient service to truth and peace. Let us pray to the Lord.
For all who struggle with obedience to God’s will,
especially those battling temptation, addiction, or disordered desires, that
through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, they may find strength and freedom in
Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.
For the success of our parish Lenten mission this weekend,
and for blessings upon our mission leader Fr. Laniaskas.
For the sick, the suffering, and those experiencing hardship
or loss, that they may obediently unite their trials with Christ’s own
suffering and experience His comforting presence. Let us pray to the Lord.
For the deceased members of our families, friends, parish,
and benefactors: may they come to share in the eternal joy of heaven. Let us
pray to the Lord.
Loving Father, help us always to respond with joyful
obedience to your holy will. Hear these prayers we offer you through Christ our
Lord.
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