In the evening of July 9, 1937, a deceased religious sister asked St. Faustina to offer one day of fasting and all her spiritual exercises on that day for her. The saint answered that she would.
The saint wrote, “From early morning on the following day, I offered everything for her intention. During Holy Mass, I had a brief experience of her torment. I experienced such intense hunger for God that I seemed to be dying of the desire to become united with Him. This lasted only a short time, but I understood what the longing of the souls in purgatory was like. Immediately after Holy Mass, I asked Mother Superior’s permission to fast, but I did not receive it because of my illness. When I entered the chapel, I heard these words: ‘If you had fasted, Sister, I would not have gotten relief until the evening, but for the sake of your obedience, which prevented you from fasting, I obtained this relief at once. Obedience has great power.’ After these words I heard: ‘May God reward you.’”
The saints understood the power of obedience. St. Catherine of Bologna said, “Obedience is, without doubt, more meritorious than any austerity. And what greater austerity can be thought of than that of keeping one’s will constantly submissive and obedient?”
St. John of the Cross said, “Obedience is a penance of the soul, and for that reason a sacrifice more acceptable than all corporal penances.”
St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi said, “A little drop of simple obedience is worth a million times more than a whole vase full of the choicest contemplations.” And St. Alphonsus Rodriguez said, “To pick up a straw from the ground through obedience is more meritorious than to preach, to fast, to use the discipline to blood, and to make long prayers, of one’s own will.”
When St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi was sick, she would refuse delicate food or costly medicine that was offered her. But if the person bringing it to her required her to take it as an act of obedience, the saint would make no further objections, saying only “Blessed be God,” and taking it instantly.
According to St. Francis de Sales there are two kinds of obedience, one necessary, the other voluntary. The first includes a humble obedience to our lawful superiors, and the second (voluntary obedience) is such as we undertake by our own choice. People do not choose their own king, bishop, or parents, but most people choose their confessor or spiritual director.
St. Maximillian Kolbe wrote, “God, who is all-knowing and all-wise, knows best what we should do to increase his glory. Through his representatives on earth, he continually reveals his will to us; thus it is obedience and obedience alone that is the sure sign to us of the divine will. A superior may, it is true, make a mistake; but it is impossible for us to be mistaken in obeying a superior’s command. The only exception to this rule is the case of a superior commanding something that in even the slightest way would contravene God’s law. Such a superior would not be conveying God’s will … Obedience is the one and the only way of wisdom and prudence for us to offer glory to God. If there were another, Christ would certainly have shown it to us by word and example. Scripture, however, summed up his entire life at Nazareth in the words: He was subject to them; Scripture set obedience as the theme of the rest of his life, repeatedly declaring that he came into the world to do his Father’s will. Let us love our loving Father with all our hearts. Let our obedience increase that love, above all when it requires us to surrender our own will. Jesus Christ crucified is our sublime guide toward growth in God’s love.”
服從彰顯天主旨意
在1937年7月9日傍晚，一位已亡的修女要求聖女傅天娜為她奉獻一天的齋戒和一天的神業。這位聖人答應了她。
這聖人寫道：『這天後的清早，我為她的意向奉獻上所有的一切。在聖彌撒中，我短暫的體驗到她的折騰。我體驗了對天主強烈的渴求，我好像臨終似的渴望著與祂結合。這僅維持一瞬，但卻讓我明白煉獄靈魂渴求是這般的殷切。彌撒後我立即請求院長的准許作齋戒，但因為我的疾病而不獲批准。當我進入小聖堂的時候，我聽到這些說話：「修女，如果你作齋戒，我不到今天傍晚都不能得到解脫，但因為你對不准齋戒的服從，我立得到了釋放。服從有很強大的力量。」在這話語之後我聽到：「願天主賞報你。」』
這位聖人明白服從的力量。波羅納的聖女加大肋納說：『服從沒有疑惑地，比任何的苦行更有價值。有沒有想及其他任何的苦行能夠比恆久溫順的服從意願更好呢？』聖十字若望說：『服從是靈魂的補贖，因為這個原因，它是一個犧牲比肉體上的所有的補贖更為主所接納。』聖瑪達肋納巴季說：『一小滴的簡單服從比滿載上選默觀的花瓶更有百萬倍的價值。』聖雅風說：『為服從而拾起地上的一根稻草比為自己的意願去傳教，齋戒、苦鞭，作長時間的祈禱更有價值。』
當瑪達肋納巴季病的時候，她拒絕服用美好的食物和昂貴的藥物，但若是要求她以服從去接納，她不再予以反對，但只說『願天主受讚美。』便立即服用。
據聖方濟各、沙雷氏，服從有兩種，一是需要的，另一是自願的。第一種是謙遜地服從合法的上司，第二種（自願的服從）是一如我們按自己的選擇而為。人民不能選擇他們自己的君王或主教，或家長，但大部份人選擇他們的告解神父或神師。
聖高比寫道：『天主是全知和全智慧的，知道去光榮祂我們所應做的。經過祂在世上的代表，祂不停地向我們啟示祂的意願；由此就是服從和只有服從是跟隨祂旨意的肯定標記。一位長上可以，是真的犯錯；但聽從長上的指示對我們來說是沒有可能會是錯的。唯一例外的是當長上的指令是在事情上，稍微的違背天主的法律…。服從是一個，唯一的一個智慧和慎重的方法去光榮天主。如果還有其他的，基督早應肯定地以行動和榜樣告知我們。聖經總結了祂在納匝肋的整個生命說：祂服從他們；聖經把服從作祂生命的主題，重複地宣稱祂遵從天父的旨意來到世界上。讓我們全心地愛我們可愛的天父。讓我們的服從增添這份愛，有需要的時候，在一切事情之上，讓我們放棄我們自己的意願。耶穌基督釘死在十字架上，是我們在天主愛內成長最為讚嘆的指引。』
