Opera Omnia

INSTRUCTION XVI¹
CONSCIENCE AND OBEDIENCE
Three gemstones, three strengths

Religious shine and become effective in their ministry by means of three precious gemstones. These are chastity, poverty and meekness. History is its proof.
Those who would lead others to the ideals of holiness and eternity must be poor in spirit.
Those who would lead others to moral uprightness must be chaste and virginal.
Those who would bring others to order in the family, in society, to unity in the Church, must be submissive.
Many have wanted to reform the Church, but without first reforming themselves. Theirs was neither mission, nor virtue, nor true piety. Jesus Christ led the way through example, preached through his word, and died to win grace for us.
Every person has to fight concupiscence on a threefold front: concupiscentia carnis; concupiscentia oculorum; superbia vitae.² The first is offset by chastity; the second by poverty; the third by obedience.
By means of the three vows the Religious converts passion

into virtue and apostolic strength. It is the secret of eternal happiness.
Poverty, in fact, is the greatest wealth. The reason is that every renunciation will be rediscovered in heaven changed into purest gold: possidebunt regnum coelorum.³
Chastity is the greatest love we can show God and our neighbor; our happiness will be in proportion: intra in gaudium Domini tui.⁴
Obedience is the greatest freedom. It gives us control over our unruly passions and prepares us for eternal beatitude.

Forming a person's conscience

To form the conscience of a young person is a teacher's greatest commitment. In fact, it is on an upright and enlightened conscience that the successful outcome of life and eternity depends. Without such a conscience one can foresee all kinds of moral and material misfortune.
There are three components in the formation of conscience: deep convictions impressed on the mind; good habits, corresponding to like principles; the help of grace which comes to the rescue of our human frailty.
The aspirant lives in the Institute sufficiently long enough for the formation of his conscience. It is necessary, however, that he be open with the Master, and that the Master, aware of his needs and the state of his spiritual life, should help him by advice, patient charity and prayer.
In our Institute,

such an undertaking will not be difficult if there is a holy intimacy and collaboration between candidate and Master.
Once conscience is formed there is no need for detailed training or assistance, familiarity, warnings, or punishment. By now the individual has acquired a character; he is capable of supporting and forming others.
An all-round conscience must be based on a clear understanding of life: present life and eternal life; on the notion of an allwise God, our Creator and Redeemer; on the conviction that, having come from the creative hands of God our Father, we shall return to him to render an account of the talents and graces we have received; that there are two eternities beyond this life: a happy one and an unhappy one; that each person has before him two ways, the narrow road that leads to heaven and the open road that leads to hell; that we are materially free to choose either one; that death brings the curtain down on this life; that in this world good seed and weeds grow together; that at the end of time there will be the separation of both: the wheat to the Father's house, the weeds consigned to fire; that death can come to us at any time and therefore estote parati;⁵ that life is a trial of faith, love and fidelity to God.
These truths have to be inculcated in an ongoing way so that they become the guiding light of every project, thought, feeling, opinion and action.
The underlying truth is that life is ordered to eternal happiness. But to get there we need to know, love and serve the Lord as docile sons and daughters. In following the Church, God will reward everything that is done in accordance with

his holy will. In omnibus operibus tuis memorare novissima tua et in aeternum non peccabis.⁶

The Superior has gradually to step aside because the Religious already has his life based on eternal principles, and in every eventuality he has recourse to prayer. Yet, with broader-based convictions, greater self-mastery and a solid prayer life, he will advance still further, day by day; he can achieve holiness by living in Jesus Christ.

For admission to Orders

We need to remember the teaching of Saint Pius X as regards admission to holy Orders. This is just as true for other admissions as well. Negative signs are not enough; what are absolutely needed are the positive signs of a vocation. It is not good enough for the candidate to avoid wrongdoing (at times people say, He's not bad!). What he needs to be is pious, virtuous, diligent, committed to the apostolate, observant of religious life and endeared to the Congregation.
A vague hope that he will improve in the future is not enough. Trust must be maintained when the candidate struggles to overcome temptation and prays assiduously.
Be careful it does not happen that, on an unfounded hope of saving one person, you lose others. For love of the Institute and the candidate himself do not put off dismissing a person. The Superior, the Master and the Confessor have, in this respect, a very delicate duty.

Saint Paul reminds his disciple Timothy of being prudent in admitting to holy Orders: Ne cito manus imposueris.⁷ The same recommendation should be applied also for other admissions as, for example, when it is a question of an only child, hereditary diseases, children of broken families, candidates with psychological defects: something rather widespread today. The Institute is obliged to safeguard itself.

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Art. 96. The Superior General with the consent of his Council can dismiss a Professed in perpetual vows according to the norm of the following articles and with the confirmation of the dismissal decree by the Holy See.
Art. 97. In order for a Professed member in perpetual vows to be dismissed, he must previously have committed three offences, grave and external, received two admonitions with a threat of dismissal, and failed to amend, according to the norm of Canons 656-662 of the Code of Canon Law.
Art. 98. If the offences spoken of in the preceding article are committed, the Superior General with his Council, considering all the circumstances of the case, shall deliberate whether there is cause for dismissal. If the majority of the votes are in favor of dismissal, the Superior General shall issue a decree of dismissal which, however, does not go into effect until it is confirmed by the Holy See.
Art. 99. The member to be dismissed has the right to defend himself freely, and his defence

must be faithfully entered in the acts of the proceeding.
Art. 100. A Professed member in perpetual vows legitimately dismissed from the Society if he is not in Sacred Orders, is automatically released from all his vows and the obligations of his Profession, without prejudice to the provision of the following article.
Art. 101. A clerical member in perpetual vows who has been dismissed, if he was only in Minor Orders is automatically reduced to the lay state. But if he was in Sacred Orders, he automatically remains suspended until he obtains absolution from the Holy See, the prescripts of Canons 641, 670-672 of the Code of Canon Law being observed regarding other sanctions to which he is subject.

Obedience and the will of God

The Lord created us for happiness in heaven. He arranges or permits everything that will ensure our arriving at this goal.
Obedience is the union of our will to that of God's. It is thus the great means for salvation; it is completely to our advantage because, rather than guiding ourselves, since we lack expertise and are blinded by our passions, the world and the devil, we allow ourselves to be guided by God, who is infinite wisdom and love.
Obedience underpins the truly wise person, who is wiser than enemies, teachers, the elderly. If Eve had obeyed God, she would not have put generations of human beings on the road to error, sin and death.
Obedience is surely the way of peace,

merit and grace, of God's blessing on the apostolate.
God blesses only what complies with his will.
Those who live in obedience assuredly promote the glory of God and peace among those of good will.
The Lord's will is manifested by means of his word, through Superiors, happenings and things.
By his word: the commandments of God, the evangelical counsels, the virtues recommended in Sacred Scripture.
Through Superiors: provisions made by the Church and the State. In the family, the parish, and school, in factories, associations and offices, in a diocese or in a community and so on there is always a person in charge. There is obedience also, in many cases, towards one's confessor.
Through happenings and things: the hardship of the seasons, sickness, accidents, malice, criticism, the difficulties of the environment, persecutions, our own temptations and the thousand and one other things that make up our days and years - all willed or allowed by God for our sanctification.

Virtue, vow and spirit of obedience

There is the virtue of obedience, the vow of obedience and the spirit of obedience.
The vow, a sacred promise made to God, obliges us to submit

to every superior who commands in virtue of holy obedience, that is, in virtue of the vow.
The virtue inclines our will to receive and to follow up on a broader scale all the legitimate orders of superiors and what God wills.
The spirit of obedience is the virtue itself, but expressed in a more exquisite, intrinsic and complete way. In the spirit of obedience the religious resolves to submit himself completely, promptly, and cheerfully. Prudent and humble, yet desirous to depend on others, he also follows simple directives and advice; he willingly fits in with the elderly, pleasing everyone as far as possible, so as to avoid choosing and preferring what is more to his own taste.
It is the sacrifice and offering of oneself to the Lord at all times.
It is the great duty of state.
It is an Institute's underpinning, like a building's keystone.
It is the virtue that safeguards the Institute's whole life.
It is the practice that facilitates the whole life of sanctification.
It is the mother and guardian of every virtue.
It is a social virtue and, at the same time, a personal virtue.
To follow one's own will, an independent will, is an attempt on the Institute's life. Those who routinely follow others rather than their superiors, put themselves inexorably on the road to ruin.
There are not many times when we are called to observe the vow of obedience; but as regards the vow, every act of obedience is in truth an act of religion as well. Thus there is always a

twofold merit; life is always nourished by the sap and the spirit of obedience.

The obedience of Jesus and Mary

Jesus the Divine Teacher preceded us espousing the will of his Father from the moment of the Incarnation right up to the inclinato capite emisit spiritum;⁸ even up to his Ascension to heaven. At every moment and in the smallest detail he could say: quae placita sunt ei facio semper.⁹ The crib, the flight into Egypt, his life at Nazareth where he was subditus Mariae et Joseph;¹⁰ his public life, the passion, his death on the cross - all of this is summed up by Saint Paul in the expression: Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis.¹¹ Going on, he shows what the reward of Jesus' obedience was: propter quod et Deus exaltavit illum et dedit illi nomen quod est supra omnem nomen, ut in nomine Jesu omne genu flectatur coelestium, terrestrium et infernorum, et omnis lingua confiteatur quia Jesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris.¹²
It was in the garden of Gethsemane that Jesus repeated: Father, not as I will but as thou wilt. Not my will, but thine, be done [Mt 26:39; Lk 22:42]. He abased himself as far as he was able and thus he was raised up to the Father's right hand.
Mary's words are: Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.¹³
When Paul was stopped on the road to Damascus he enquired of Jesus Christ who appeared to him: What shall I do, Lord? [Acts 22:10] He is given the answer, he obeys then and always. At the end of his life he obeyed the order of his executioner,

bowing his head; supreme obedience! Then the corona justitiae.¹⁴
There is no other path to holiness and peace than this: fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo et in terra.¹⁵

Risks and enemies of obedience

The religious state has many benefits. There are, however, things that are tedious and perils on all sides which make up the uncertainties of the trade:
to receive orders that are tedious, unpleasant, depressing;
to fall into the hands of an unpleasant and difficult superior; and of living with unpleasant confreres;
to be misunderstood and sidelined - how many have suffered this fate!…
to be assigned to difficult tasks, and our health jeopardized;
to be changed on a moment's notice;
to be given a thankless task, which perhaps also seems disproportionate.
And when that which is a possibility becomes a reality? Then turn to Jesus: Non mea sed tua voluntas fiat.¹⁶

Enemies of obedience:
Lack of clear ideas in the Superior or in the subordinate.
Rationalist spirit, erroneous principles, age, temperament.
Individualism: to establish one's own life, to be an island or to have one's own nest in the community.
Superiors who are partial when giving orders.
Present-day worldly tendencies.
Laxism and bad example.

Obedience of mind, heart and will

Complete obedience involves the mind, the heart and the will.
The mind. This means to understand the meaning, the purpose and the constraints of the order given. For example, a person is given charge of a class of students, or the management of a magazine, and so on. A year's school work has to follow a program. Therefore there has to be preparation, explanation, application, in patientia et doctrina,¹⁷ with such suitable methods as will lead to the promotion of practically all the students.
The same is true, in due proportion, to the management of a magazine; choosing the means and achieving the goal.
The heart. This means to undertake lovingly the office, role or duty assigned. It means to love it in as much as it is the will of God and an occasion of many merits. In this regard there is the need to examine one's conscience often.
The will. This means to accept and consent docilely to such tasks, to apply one's spiritual and physical strength, to pray a good deal for success.
In opposition to complete obedience is semi-obedience.
The mind. This is to judge, to condemn, to detest the command while all the while, for external reasons, it has to be carried out. It is to avow to obey, while criticizing the order and the one who has given it.
The heart. Submission, without love, is like a flower without scent because it is not a supernatural submission. A person obeys in order to win over the Superior, because he has got the position he wanted; or because amour propre, interest, and vanity are satisfied… What is needed instead is love of God.

The will. Semi-obedience leads to a spirit of contradiction, laziness, subversion, carelessness, hypocrisy, and so on, which all hinder achieving the results that the Superior intended.
Obedience has a threefold foundation: authority invested in the Superior; one's religious profession, characterized by the gift of self, I am no longer mine, I am the Institute's; the vow which is a sacred commitment.
Conclusion: On his deathbed Saint John Berkmans confided: I have broken no rule since I entered the Institute. What is there left then to do? There is the final obedience to the invitation: Euge serve bone et fidelis, intra!¹⁸ by responding: Yes, I am coming!