Obedience: A Virtue For Everyone!

On March 19 we celebrate the first of St. Joseph’s two feast days. The Solemnity in March celebrates St. Joseph as the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary; her provider, protector, and chaste companion. Shortly following, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. This day is dedicated to remembering when the Angel Gabriel came to the Blessed Mother and announced that she would conceive Jesus our Messiah. 

We celebrate these occasions with hindsight. We have the Bible and Church teaching, and with those things we have the knowledge of how these events worked out. St. Joseph did not. He was a man, however, who undoubtedly practiced obedience to God. He put God’s ways and God’s law ahead of his own desires. Because of his dedication to follow God, when it came time for him to “take up his cross daily,” he was able to do so. He was given an immense amount of Holy Grace, but grace works in cooperation with our actions. Grace is not a magic dust that makes everything easy; we must decide to follow the Lord in pure faith. 

Likewise, our Blessed Mother was not someone who spent her life before the Annunciation doing her own will. She was a girl dedicated to her Jewish faith. It was by the grace of God that she was made sinless in the Immaculate Conception, but again, there was no magic dust of obedience laid upon her. She still made choices to follow the ways of the Lord, which is why she’s such a good example to us. 

St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother were people who trusted God; a God they knew was sovereign and mighty. Often, we live with a sense of false trust- we trust that God is a good Father and he will bring to fruition what (we think) we need. God is a good Father, but sometimes we reduce Him down to someone who will do our bidding, and we don’t even recognize when we do it! Though our prayers are heartfelt, they lack fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is not merely being scared or trembling. It is instead a deep and profound respect for God as King and Creator. It recognizes that we fit in to His world, not the other way around. True trust in the Lord prays, “Father, I submit my life to you and I trust in your plan. Even if there is suffering, you are my God and my King. I want your will for my life, not my own plans.” 

This Lenten season, let us celebrate these upcoming Solemnities by recommitting to following God’s ways instead of our own. “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart,” Psalm 40:8.