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Writer's pictureSarah Raad

Obedience

And today it occurs to me that I should “Do whatever He tells me…”


Saint Peter Fisherman (Unknown)

My second son tries my patience sometimes. He decides – as so many children do – to be deliberately disobedient. If I call him to come into a room, he will not obey. If I ask him to pick up his clothes, he will not obey. If I remove a computer from his desk so that he will not use it, he will not obey and will seek it out and use it anyway.


And this – constant disobedience – is possibly the MOST annoying thing that I have ever had to deal with in my life! And though I know that this is a phase and a natural part of his growing independence and his ability to learn how to exist in the world, I still find the situation mind-bogglingly annoying!


And I have been thinking about this problem for a while now, and I have come to the same conclusion… disobedience is awful. And while I have been sitting knee-deep in misery – so to speak – I have come to realise that this frustration that I have with my son’s disobedience is based around the fact that the things that I am asking him to do are things that are GOOD for him and in his best interests – even when he does not believe me or feels annoyed by being asked to do those things.


And I have been thinking about that ruefully today because it occurs to me that I am far worse than my son.


God asks me to obey His holy will, and just like my son, I pretend I cannot hear Him asking me for things and go about my merry way without ever thinking that I have done anything wrong…


How different I am from Saint Simon Peter…


“Jesus said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking... But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’ And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.’” (Luke 5:1-11).

A carpenter told a fisherman how to fish and Simon Peter did as he was asked… He did not say, but hold on, who are you to tell me what to do? Or fishing does not work like that, we are too close to the shore. Or, I am tried and I simply do not wish to do this.


And when the Blessed Mother instructed the servants she said, “Do whatever He tells you.”


And today it occurs to me that I should “Do whatever He tells me”… Because as Saint josemaria said, “The power of obedience! The lake of Genesareth had denied its fishes to Peter’s nets. A whole night in vain. Then, obedient, he lowered his net again to the water and they caught ‘a huge number of fish.’ Believe me: the miracle is repeated each day.”


For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.

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