Imperfect obedience

 

Admonition 3b day 6

Imperfect obedience

However, if a Superior orders a Subject to do something against their own soul they are allowed to disobey, but they must not leave their Superior, And if in consequence they suffer persecution from some of their companions, they must love them all the more for God’s sake.

 

For those who were willing to endure persecution rather than wish to be separated from their companions, truly abide in perfect obedience for they lay down their lives for their fellows.

For there are many Religious who in retrospect, see better things for themselves than their Superior commands, return to the vomit of their own self will. These are (like) murderers who by their bad example cause the loss of many souls.

 

“If however a Superior orders a subject to do something against their own soul” I would write ‘conscience’ here instead of soul.

If a  Superior in Religion asked, no, ordered a Subject to do something against their conscience then it must be something grave because I do not visualise a subject disobeying because of something trite. Francis tells us that “they are allowed to disobey” for, as we all realise, we do damage to ourselves when we act against our own conscience.  Francis says ‘must’; the subjects can disobey their Superiors but must remain with them, that is why the obedience is imperfect.

Consequently should the Subjects suffer persecution from their companions rather than be separated from them then they must love them all the more and in doing so lay down their lives for their companions.

In finishing, Francis considers that the Religious who look back on the lives they lived before they entered the Order and think they might have done better for themselves than their superior commands “return to the vomit of their own self-will” – and are murders because their bad example can lead to others losing their souls.