Holy Obedience means two things: 1) Jesus' obedience unto death that makes

atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ex ...

and reparation for mankind's disobedience (

sins In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

) and 2) Christian obedience to God in imitation of and share in Jesus' obedience.

Nature of Obedience

Obedience, from the Latin ''obêdire'', ("to hearken to"),Delany, Joseph. "Obedience." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 19 May 2021 is "the moral virtue that inclines the will to comply with the will of another who has the right to command." Christ is the exemplar of holy obedience "becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." "Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." (Hebrews 5:8)Gomez, José H., "Holy Week and the obedience of faith", ''Angelus'', Archdiocese of Los Angeles, April 06, 2017
/ref>

As a moral virtue

Christian obedience is a free choice to surrender one's will to God, and an act of homage.

Amongst the moral virtues obedience enjoys a primacy of honour. The reason is that the greater or lesser excellence of a moral virtue is determined by the greater or lesser value of the object which it qualifies one to put aside in order to give oneself to God. Now amongst our various possessions, whether goods of the body or goods of the soul, it is clear that the human will is the most intimately personal and most cherished of all. So it happens that obedience, which makes a man yield up the most dearly prized stronghold of the individual soul in order to do the good pleasure of his Creator, is accounted the greatest of the moral virtues.

The

sacrament of confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an wikt:affirmation, affirma ...

seals one with the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

, who grants one all the

virtues Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

Theological Virtues Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally they have ...

Fruits of the Holy Spirit The Fruit of the Holy Spirit (sometimes, incorrectly, referred to as the Fruits of the Holy Spirit) is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living in accord with the Holy Spirit, according to chapter 5 of the Epi ...

, and

Gifts of the Holy Spirit A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα ''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of the ...

- necessary to obey God.

Degrees of Obedience

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

said that God is to be obeyed in all things, while human authorities are to be obeyed in certain things. All Catholics, the church teaches, must practice obedience of faith: assent of faith to the

magisterium The magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the Word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition." According to the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Chur ...

and

divine revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

(word of God), and religious submission to the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

and other

bishops A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. This includes obedience to one's

conscience Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

and obedience to valid law. As part of ordination,

diocesan priests In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...

and

deacons A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

promise obedience to God and to their bishops. Priests who are part of a religious order (along with all religious sisters and brothers) profess vows of obedience to the authorities of their religious community. Children obey their parents, because honouring parents is part of honouring God, and is required by God's commandment. It is the recognition of the authority of God vicariously exercised through a human agent that confers upon the act of obedience its special merit.

As evangelical counsel

Obedience is one of the evangelical counsels. The desire for worldly power and honour poses a hindrance to the soul from its true aim and vocation, and delays it from becoming entirely conformed to the will of God, and is therefore addressed by the counsel of holy obedience.Barnes, Arthur. "Evangelical Counsels." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 19 May 2021 Under the

Rule of Saint Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...

and that of

Pachomius the Great Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, ...

, holy obedience served as a sort of education in community life, under more experienced monks.

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

said, "The true obedient Religious is like unto a knight well armed and mounted the which overcometh and breaketh the ranks of his enemies, safely and without fear, because none of them can hurt him."

Vow of Obedience

Consecrated religious vow obedience to their superiors. Obedience is not vowed absolutely, and without limit, but according to the rule of each order, for a superior cannot command anything foreign to, or outside, the rule (except in so far as he may grant dispensations from the rule). The sacrifice of one's own independence and one's own will presupposes a spirit of self-denial and mortification; the readiness to accept a common rule which adapts itself to the desires and tastes of others is a mark of the charity. By reason of the vow of obedience and of the religious profession a deliberate act of obedience and submission adds the merit of an act of the virtue of religion. Aquinas makes it clear that the vow of obedience is the chief of the vows of religion.Vermeersch, Arthur. "Religious Obedience." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 19 May 2021

Exemplars of Obedience

Mary exemplifies obedience of faith by her assent of faith at the

Annunciation The Annunciation (from Latin '), also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the biblical tale of the announcement by the ange ...

: "Let it be done to me according to your word." Catholic martyrs obey Jesus and the church unto suffering - such as

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

, who suffered abuse for his

evangelization In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

- and unto death - such as

Mateo Correa Magallanes Mateo Correa Magallanes (also known as Mateo Correa, Fr. Correa; July 23, 1866 – February 6, 1927) was a Knight of Columbus, of Council 2140. Correa was born at Tepechitlán, Zacatecas, Mexico. He attended the seminary at Zacatecas on a sch ...

, who died rather than violate the

Seal of the Confessional in the Catholic Church In the Catholic Church, the Seal of Confession (also known as the Seal of the Confessional or the Sacramental Seal) is the absolute duty of priests or anyone who happens to hear a confession not to disclose anything that they learn from penitent ...

References

{{Reflist Religious (Catholicism) Christian ethics Doctrines and teachings of Jesus Christian terminology Dogma