What is obedience?

There are various sorts of obedience: one can be subordinate to someone else out of compulsion, or for natural reasons, for example, so as to gain some advantage for oneself, in order to be secure or successful. One can also be obedient simply because one wants peace of mind. All of these variations have nothing to do with the longing to be devoted to the Immaculata.

This obedience is a lofty act of love — the love of a child for its mother, a servant for his Lord, a creature for its Creator.

In other words, it is supernatural obedience. One carries out a command not because it is pleasant, reasonable, wise, or holy in itself (for example, a command to pray), but rather because the command is the will of the superior and accordingly the will of the Immaculata, and therefore ultimately God’s will. Without this attitude one is not an instrument in the hand of the Immaculata, but rather — I declare it openly — an instrument in Satan’s hand, however many spiritual books one may read, however many Rosaries one may pray, however many great deeds one accomplishes. (Letter to Fr. Florian Koziura, May 30, 1931 ; CDM, p. 119–120.)

It is through supernatural obedience that one shows whether one truly loves God.

Love consists, after all, in an act of will, which in obedience is conformed to God’s will and subjects itself to it, as the Immaculata did. Indeed, the Mother of God pleased God so much because she was never unfaithful to God’s will, even in the slightest thing. The living M.I., the Knighthood of the Immaculata in practice, consists of this holy obedience. ( Letter to Br. X, April 18, 1934 ; BMK, p. 267.)

This faithful, joyful and instantaneous hearkening to God’s will through the voice of His instruments, through the voice of the human authority that He has set over us, is quite important to St. Maximilian, as we can see not only from the frequency with which he speaks about it, but also from his example.

He often told the story of that memorable occasion when he, as a young novice, was selected to continue his studies in Rome. At first he declared to his superior that he was not suited for the assignment because of his poor health. Later on, however, after he had thought about the matter, he went back to his superior and asked him to make the decision according to his (the superior’s) will, without taking into account at all the reasons that he (the novice) had mentioned.

And what would have happened, if the Father Superior had listened to my reasoning and acted accordingly? Would the M.I. have come into being? Would Niepokalanów exist today? Would we all be here today? Do you see what great importance obedience has in God’s sight?

One should not imagine, however, that obedience consists in some sort of spiritual laziness, in a listless and thoughtless fulfillment of duties.

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WEAPONS OF THE KNIGHTS

The weapons of the Knight (6 × 2 po)