The word obedience comes from the Latin ob audire, which literally has to do with hearing, or perhaps more correctly, listening. If we truly listen to someone who oversees us, we not only hear what they want us to do, but we can hear that there is a purpose behind it. This kind of listening breeds understanding, and with that understanding, we are apt to follow direction. 

Authorities who are guided by power can be difficult to understand, since their commands come not from a place of mission, but from a place of domination. This certainly was not the way St. Francis led. As we spoke of last week, he strove to lead by example, and it led to a great spirit of obedience among the brothers. 

Francis would often be asked to teach the brothers how to pray. Because of their simplicity, they did not yet know the Church’s official prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, or breviary. Francis taught them simply to say the Our Father and this little prayer, “We adore You, O Christ, in all Your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You, for by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world.” This basic instruction was like gold to the brothers. They recited these prayers often and in many different circumstances. 

Francis also instructed the brothers to obey the legitimate authorities in the Church, priests and bishops, even when these prelates were not themselves very holy. The obedience they showed was to God and to the teachings of the Church, not necessarily to the priest or bishop himself. 

Surely the brothers did not always agree with what they were asked. However, obedience does not require agreement. It requires humility. Francis was humble, and so the brothers were humble enough to accept direction from him. Certainly, this provides an example for each of us. 

This week, let us reflect on our own obedience, asking God for the humility to accept direction even when we don’t fully understand or agree, trusting as the brothers did in Francis’ guidance.