CHAPTER V
OBEDIENCE: DISCERNMENT FOR MISSION

"There is something great and divine in this virtue, since Our Lord loved it so much from his birth to his death, since he performed all the actions of his life out of obedience." (SV XII, 426)

1. INTRODUCTION
St. Vincent wanted his missionaries to be obedient like Jesus, who always did the will of his Father. Our obedience, then, is a constant search to formulate decisions about our personal goals and community plans within the light of God's salvific plan. As members of a community that professes to dedicate itself to God for the evangelization of the poor, discernment of God's will should be one of the hallmarks of our lives. It profoundly influences our relationship with God, but also brings us into close contact with others, as we try to listen to the voice of the Lord together.

2. THE PRESENT SITUATION
The complexity of modern life gives rise to a new context for living evangelical obedience. There is a growing awareness of the value of the human person and the rights of individuals. We are more and more conscious of the importance of self-expression and the need to participate in the decisions that affect our lives. Everywhere people demand respect for different opinions, ideas, cultures and practices and expect the right to question or criticize authority. The principle of subsidiarity, recognizing the legitimate autonomy of individuals and of institutions, has taken on new importance as autocratic methods give way to democratic styles of governing in society. Even though these ideas are frequently honored more in theory than in practice, they still form the basis for contemporary thinking.
There is, however, a negative side to this reality. A distorted sense of personal liberty, which highlights rights and downplays responsibilities, fosters egoism and an environment of exaggerated individualism. Abuse of power, expressed in the betrayal of public trust or in a lack of respect for human rights, or even direct oppression, has led some to view authority with suspicion and others to adopt a lifeless passivity before authority.
The Congregation has not remained unaffected by contemporary developments in society. Many steps have been taken for promoting dialogue and participation in community decisions. Our Constitutions explicitly call us to a spirit of mutual responsibility (C 96, 97). There are at times, however, problems in living this out. Some local communities still encounter difficulties in finding the means to foster communication. Greater personal freedom has, at times, led some to search for personal security and to choose ministries based on personal preference rather than on the communal call of the mission.
With the expansion of the Congregation into parts of the world where there are very distinct cultures (e.g., in Asia and in the nations of the southern hemisphere), different concepts of authority have begun to confront us. This produces some tension between western notions of obedience and the ways that other cultural traditions come to decisions. Much sensitivity will be needed to discover how best to understand the essential meaning of obedience in these new situations.

3. THE VOW OF OBEDIENCE
In the Congregation, we dedicate ourselves to Jesus' mission of evangelization. This central inspiration is the foundation for our vow of obedience. Following Christ, the evangelizer of the poor, carries with it the commitment "to be obedient to the will of the Father manifested to us in many ways" (C 36). Rather than adding on something optional, the vow makes explicit an essential element in our vocation.
Our new Constitutions highlight the communal orientation of Vincentian obedience and its missionary end. "To participate in this mystery of the obedient Christ requires us all to seek, as a community, the will of the Father" (C 37, § 1). Obedience involves a conscious search for the meaning of our mission and for the specific ways of carrying it out. This kind of discernment is the responsibility of every member of the Congregation (C 96).
Because the Spirit of God speaks through all, authority in the Congregation, which is a function of seeking and acting on God's will, is undertaken in a spirit of dialogue and consultation (C 97). Superiors have the delicate task of promoting the discernment of God's will and the ultimate responsibility for decision-making. "They should engage in dialogue," but they "retain the authority to decide and command what is to be done" (C 97, § 2). "By reason of our vow we are obliged to obey the pope, the superior general, the provincial, the local superior and their substitutes when they give us a command in accordance with our Constitutions and Statutes" (C 38, § 1). This means that the members will "strive to obey superiors as promptly, joyfully and perseveringly as they can" (C 37, § 2).

4. THE VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE
At the core of Jesus' redemptive mission lies his unconditional obedience to the Father. This filial obedience is the immediate consequence of a life totally given over to the Kingdom of God. Christ's obedience is passive in the sense that he submits to the human condition and accepts suffering and death. But it is, above all, active because he consistently offers himself to do his Father's will.
St. Vincent saw in Jesus not only a model to admire, but also an example to follow. The following of Christ means entering into the mystery of his life and taking on his mission. Faced with the Master's example, the missionary is challenged to identify his life completely with the reign of God. Convinced that the kingdom is God's work and gift, St. Vincent recommended that we never move ahead of Providence (SV I, 68, 69). But, he also wanted the Congregation to cooperate actively with the Father's will in historic situations: "When it comes to doing a good work, say to the Son of God: O Lord, what would you do if you were in my place?" (SV XI, 348).
Missionary obedience is the gift of oneself in total availability for the evangelization of the poor. This option makes God's reign and its in-breaking in the lives of the poor the primary point of reference for our life. Obedience moves the missionary to be less attached to his own desires and frees him to be more concerned with God's liberating will for the poor. The freedom that comes from identifying ourselves fully with God's point of view makes obedience prophetic. When fidelity to God becomes our principal motivation, all our other motives and plans become subordinate. Obedience challenges not only our own personal desires and goals, but those of the larger society as well.
Since ordinarily we know God's will through human mediation, obedience demands a process of discernment. The missionary needs to listen to God's voice not only in his own heart; he must, at the same time, pay attention to how God speaks through the needs of the poor, the signs of the times, the world, the Church, the community, and legitimate authority. Attentive listening is a community project which summons us to dialogue in sincerity as brothers and to search together for God's will. Obedience also demands that, after dialogue, we implement, through concrete projects and actions, what we perceive as God's will.
As part of the communal dimension of our obedience, some members are entrusted with positions of authority in order to promote and implement our mission. The responsible exercise of this authority obliges superiors to discern the will of God along with the other confreres. Neither superiors nor other members should readily identify their personal will with God's will or substitute private plans for the community mission. All missionaries have to take into account the community and its judgments when making personal decisions. While we try to achieve consensus on decisions that affect our life and ministry, for many reasons that is not always possible. Even when we are not fully in agreement, obedience means a willingness to accept and support the decisions of the community and those in authority. It also implies our taking responsibility for the commitments and decisions made in community.

5. LIVING OBEDIENCE

Relationship with Jesus. Jesus, ever obedient to the Father, is the inspiration for our obedience. An intimate union with Christ in prayer and attentiveness to his word play a key role in obedience to God's will. He calls us to listen with docility to the impulses of the Spirit. We must constantly challenge our own ideas, opinions and actions with the values of the Kingdom.
Attention to the Signs of the Times. Since God's presence is manifested in concrete life situations, it is imperative that we understand the world and especially the situation of the poor. Close contact with the poor enables us to listen to God with them, who is present in the midst of their suffering. Study and social analysis are indispensable means for discovering the signs of the times.
Simple Dialogue. Since God's will is rarely self-evident, dialogue is necessary for living obedience. Honest communication among all the members of the community, especially with superiors, makes true discernment possible. Members of the Congregation should take advantage of structures which already exist, such as: provincial and local plans, meetings, consultations, visitations, etc. Moreover, other means for promoting communication and discernment should be created.
Responsible Initiative. Creativity and initiative are part of a resourceful response to God's call in history. Even from the time of initial formation, the spirit of personal responsibility and respect for legitimate differences needs to be fostered. At the same time, the obedient missionary has to know how to submit his creativity and initiative to the needs of the poor, the good of the community, and the decisions of the superiors. Mutual responsibility for the local community plan will be a sign of our solidarity and obedience.
Humility. Obedience is born of humility. Only those who are humble, like the poor, can put aside their own opinions in order to listen to the wisdom of others. Only humility keeps prophecy from falling into self-righteousness. Humility reminds us that the search for God's will is an on-going enterprise in which no one can claim always to have the correct response.
Mortification. Obedience to God's will sometimes demands renunciation. On occasion God interrupts our plans and asks us to put aside personal priorities for the sake of the Kingdom. The willingness to sacrifice one's own desires for the good of the mission and the needs of the poor makes obedience both difficult and meaningful. Ironically, one of the areas in which it can be most difficult to be obedient is in the willingness to assume the mantle of leadership.
Formation for Leadership. Since superiors bear a special responsibility for promoting discernment, and not simply good order, they need to be prepared for the ministry of leadership. The provinces should provide resources to prepare local superiors for their service to the confreres.

OBEDIENCE: DISCERNMENT FOR MISSION
- Some Texts That May Serve for Meditation -

1. "Our Lord, Jesus Christ, taught us obedience by word and example. He wished to be submissive to the Most Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and other people in positions of authority, whether good or disagreeable. For this reason we should be completely obedient to every one of our superiors, seeing the Lord in them and them in the Lord. In the first place we should faithfully and sincerely reverence and obey our Holy Father, the pope. We should also humbly and consistently obey the most reverend bishops of the dioceses where the Congregation has houses. Furthermore we should not take on anything in parish churches without the approval of the parish priests." (CR V, 1)

2. "What are we to do, then, so as not to waste time and effort? The answer is, never to act from self-interest or by mere whim, but to get into the habit of doing God's will in everything; in everything, mind you, not just in some things. It is this sanctifying grace which makes both the act and the person acceptable to God. How consoling it is to think that when I keep my rules, when I do my job, when I obey superiors and when I turn to God to offer him all these things, that is how I make myself constantly acceptable to God. That means that we must ask for sanctifying grace, receive it and put it to use; otherwise, all is lost.
`Many will say to me,' Jesus Christ said, and I was talking to you about this recently, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy, expel demons, and practice virtues in your name?,' and he will answer: `I never knew you; away with you, evil-doers.' `But, Lord, the prophecies, the miracles, done in your name, do you call those evil deeds?' `Away from me, you evil men, I do not know you.' `Well who, then, will get into the kingdom of heaven?' `Those who will do the will of my Father who is in heaven' (Mt 7:21-23).
Our Lord, then, will never say to someone who has tried always to follow God's good pleasure `I do not know you.' Quite the contrary, that is whom he will bring into his glory. O Savior, grant us the grace to fill ourselves with this desire, never to bear wild fruit, but that all we do may be done for you and by you, so that they are acceptable to your Father; please move us to make this fidelity our own and to carry out all our work according to your will.
Let us give ourselves to God, my brothers, paying attention and remaining firm in this, for in doing so, what reason will we not have for praising God? What a look he will direct towards the Congregation as a whole and to each individual member! Anyway, in nomine Domini. That is plenty on the motives which urge us to make a habit of the practice of doing God's will in all things, and to make us resolve to follow our Lord's maxim: `Cibus meus est ut faciam voluntatem ejus qui misit me,' `My food is to do the will of him who sent me.'" (SV XII, 156-157).

3. "We must give ourselves to him without delay at this very moment, holding nothing back, so that he will be pleased to draw us to this life of his chosen ones, to strip us of so much self-will and self-centeredness which prevent God from taking undisturbed and total possession of us. What is to prevent us all, here and now, from making a joint declaration of surrender to his divine goodness? So, let us say to him: `King of our hearts and souls, here we are, humbly prostrate at your feet, surrendering completely to you in obedience and love. Once more we dedicate ourselves, totally and for ever, to the glory of your Majesty. We beg you with all our hearts to bring about your reign in the Congregation and to give it the grace of putting its management into your hands, with no one deviating from this, so that all of us are guided by the way Our Lord and his followers lived.'" (SV XII, 134)

4. "Let us ask him, my brothers, to grant us the grace to get ourselves into that frame of mind in which we are always guided by God, with him leading us by the hand into the presence of His Majesty. O my Savior, free us from having any preferences, like a beast of burden who does not care whether he carries one load or another, whether he is with a wealthy owner or a poor one, whether he is in this country or that; it is all the same to him; he waits, he moves on, he suffers, he works night and day; nothing takes him by surprise.
My God! That appeals to me, I would love to do the same, but I see clearly that I am a prisoner. I have difficulty in detaching myself from the things I like; for example, if I am not named to preach, if I am not assigned work, if my opinion is not taken, if people do not think well of me. I would have great difficulty in giving in to certain persons. However, with your grace, my God, I can do anything. I am not asking to be an angel nor like an apostle; in a certain sense I am that already. What I want, my God, is merely the flexible approach you give to animals, the courage to suffer which you give to soldiers and their fidelity to military order. O my brothers, how embarrassed we would be if we were left behind by ordinary soldiers and lowly beasts in matters which are so pleasing to God, matters which his own Son was pleased to experience personally. Embarrassment, Fathers and Brothers! Do not heed this wretch talking to you; of all people he is least worthy of hoping for such a happy state, because of the poor use I have made of my freedom and the graces given me by God when I have loved things other than him. Fathers and Brothers, let us hand ourselves over to his infinite goodness, confident that he will rid us of this earthly preference in which we have steeped ourselves. It is a question of trying to eliminate preferences, letting go of our own opinion, our own will, our own inclinations, and everything which is not God; it is an active virtue; if it is not in action it does not exist. We have got to work at this, my brothers, we have got to get down to it often and always, and tomorrow at prayer; why not?" (SV XII, 236-237)

5. "`But,' someone will say, `I am an old man.' You are an old man! So what! Should you, for that reason, be less free of preferences, less virtuous?
`But I am a highly qualified man.' Wait a moment. He is highly qualified! And because he is, he does not need to be free of preferences, does not need to be ready to do what the superior or office-holder asks of him. I ask you, is that objection reasonable? Should it come from the mouth of someone who has undertaken to serve God?
`But, Father, he is a holy man.' I am glad he is a holy man! Well, is that a reason for exempting him from doing what is wanted of him, what he is ordered to do, from obeying this superior who is, if you like, less perfect than he, less qualified and, even, if you like, someone in whom there are obvious defects? Once again, is that a valid objection? Obviously not at all. And it should not in any way exempt him from having a spirit of detachment with regard to work: to go out into the country, if he is sent; to stay at home, if that is what is wanted; to be part of a seminary staff or to give a mission; to stay in this house or that other one; to go to far-off countries or not; to obey this superior or another one, since God wants him and he has been judged suitable for leadership and authority." (SV XII, 48-49)

6. "Learning is not absolutely necessary for being in authority, but when learning and leadership skills and sound judgement go hand in hand in the same person, O God, what a treasure!
Seniority is not always to be taken into account in the appointing of superiors, since one sees many young men who have more talent for leadership than many older and more senior men. David is an example of that; he was chosen by God to lead his people although he was younger than all his brothers. Look, a man who has sound judgement and great humility is able to exercise authority well, and I have had experience of men who are the opposite of this and who thirst for power ) they achieve nothing worthwhile.
Experience has also shown me that a man who has been in authority and has held on to that mentality and wishes to be in charge was never either a good community member or a good superior." (SV XII, 49-50)

Chapter VI

Powrót