Catholic Obedience..Yesterday and Today

Where is Catholic Obedience in today's 21st century? Well it is not where you may think it is.

WHAT IS OBEDIENCE

Obedience is the carrying out of orders from lawful superiors with the intent of carrying out their will. Catholics especially prize obedience,because of Christ's own example,and because in their lawful superiors they see the representatives of Christ himself.

"Let every soul be subject to higher powers-for there is no power but from God."
Romans 13:1


OBEDIENCE AND THE FAITH

It is the teaching of the Church that obedience is part of justice,one of the Four Cardinal Virtues,which are in turn subordinate to the theological virtues of Faith,Hope, and Charity. Faith is greater than Obedience.

Now sometimes the things commanded by a superior are against God,therefore superiors are not to be obeyed in all things. -St.Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
Summa Theologica II-IIQ.104

But though we, or an angle from heaven,preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.

-Galatians 1:8

THE FAITH AND TRADITION

Now the truths of our faith were received even by Jesus himself as a tradition of handing down from his Father.

Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine but His that sent me." -John 7:16

Jesus said to them,"Amen,Amen I say to you, the Son cannot do anything of himself,but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever He doth these the Son also doth in like manner." -John 5:19

"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me, He gave me commandments what I should say and what I should speak." -John 12:49

Likewise, Our Lord hands the Faith down to us as a tradition through those of our lawful superiors who are obedient to the Faith.

"Because the words which thou gavest to me, I have given to them." -John 17:8


CATHOLIC OBEDIENCE IS ALWAYS.........OBEDIENCE WITHIN TRADITION.


TRUE OBEDIENCE

According to the great theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, true obedience is a balance twin errors of defect and excess, which are disobedience and false obedience (IIaIIae, Q104, 5ad 3). Today this second error is common among Catholics who, when they follow orders to depart from Tradition,think they are being obedient.

OBEDIENCE IS THE SERVANT OF FAITH ...NOT THE OBEDIENCE.-Spanish Proverb