The Thing About Obedience

No conversation about the SSPX is complete without the word “obedience” being thrown around. And, in all fairness, the nature of obedience is really at the heart of the matter, so this makes sense. However, in the context of these conversations, the notion of obedience seems to frequently take on a character that exalts this particular virtue above all the rest. One gets the impression that modern Catholics have been formed with a Bible translation that presents St. Paul’s famous treatises on charity with the word “charity” translated as “obedience”: “And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three,” Paul writes, “but the greatest of these is obedience.”

Now, it may seem like I am caricaturing the position of commentators who oppose the Society, but I don’t think I am. Erudite commentators who oppose the Society, and do so intelligently and in good faith, generally have no issue admitting that the crisis in the Church is unique and universal—meaning that it is grave and cannot be ignored and that it touches on every aspect of the life of the Church, thus it harms the lives of Catholics. Nonetheless, no matter how bad the crisis, or how corrupt the hierarchy may be, and so on, for those who have planted their flag in the “obedience” camp, it is simply beyond the pale that the Society could be justified in its actions. The Great Cholesterol ... Sinatra M.D. F.A.C.C ... Check Amazon for Pricing.

Cardinal Sarah’s intervention, written against the Society, is a perfect example. In it, he recognizes the reality of crisis and admits that there are prelates who act as false shepherds, etc. In other places, Sarah has compared the suppression of the Traditional Roman Rite to diabolical activity; and he has, at times, spoken against the most public and grave theological tendencies stemming from various Roman authorities, at least during the Francis papacy. Nevertheless, when it comes down to it, his position is that one must obey, at the expense of everything else, and it seems that this obedience will somehow cover the multitude of sins denigrating the lives of Catholics the world over.

We can only speculate, but Sarah has had a public closeness to Opus Dei, which has a policy of never criticizing the hierarchy. In addition, and I can say this from experience because I was very close to joining Opus Dei before I committed to Catholic Tradition, there is an extraordinary level of importance placed on obedience to superiors in a very distinct way in the spirituality of Opus Dei. This emphasis on obedience is not a novel thing, technically speaking, because members of religious orders have historically made specific vows of obedience, along with their other vows. In addition, Sarah holds Benedictine spirituality dear to his heart, and it is public knowledge that he strongly considered joining a Benedictine monastery.

Now, far be it from me to criticize Benedictine spirituality, but it is worth pointing out that the monastic way of life is not the way of life for most Catholics, whether they be clerical or lay. Again, this is not a criticism, just an observation of the facts. And, the fact remains that since those who join particular religious orders must take a vow of obedience, this tells us that there is more than one way to approach the virtue of obedience. Simply put, the need for the vow in religious orders tells us that the monastic understanding of the virtue is not the normal understanding; and, therefore, it is not the standard for the vast majority of clerics and laymen.

Similarly, we find a similar distinction in the lives of regular citizens versus professional soldiers. The Chain of Command is everything in a military setting because the potential consequences of disorder and chaos in conflict scenarios can prove to be disastrous; therefore, subordinates do what they are told because the success of the mission depends on it. Those of us who are not in military orders do not make the same commitment to obey superiors, even if we demonstrate our obedience in different ways.

I am just as patriotic about my nation as a decorated member of my nation’s military, and I am, in principle, willing to die for love of country; however, I did not make the decision to obey orders the same way a soldier has. To extend the analogy, the military institutions are no more or no less a part of the country than the civilians, and the superiors of the various orders have a direct authority over their subjects; but they still must answer to both the head of state and the law. And, the head of state is also not above the law, especially Divine Law and Divine Commandments.

We know that Scripture tells us that heads of state have authority that, in principle, comes from God; so, we are to obey them, generally speaking. However, we also know that there are great heroes of Catholic history who have even led movements against their governments, with military power, because of their allegiance to a Higher Law. General Franco comes to mind. They “disobeyed” laws on the books to ensure the integrity of God’s Law as the supreme law in their nations. Because of this, they are heroes.

Even in military settings, soldiers are tested on what the limits of obedience must be in a given situation. They must be prepared to conscientiously disobey when a superior demands something that will lead to failure. Of course, it is not always the case that a subject can understand the plan of the superior fully, so, all things being equal, they should be prepared to obey. However, if it is evident that disaster will follow obedience to a particular order, they must be prepared to disobey.

This disobedience appears, on the surface, to be immoral; however, it is done out of respect for the military as such and to keep their vows and pledges in the truest sense. Honest Money: The Bibl... North, Gary Check Amazon for Pricing.

Catholics must obey the pope, all things being equal, but we must also obey God. There are times when the pope’s commands are not in line with God’s commandments. This is tragic, but it does happen. To deny that this could happen would be to conflate the will of the pope with the will of God. Of course, it is the case throughout Church history that so many holy popes have done the will of God, and we see this in the fruits of their actions. However, it is also the case that popes have erred, and the results have been destructive.

Now, it is also important to keep in mind that the papacy itself, even when considering papal infallibility, makes distinctions between what Catholics are obliged to obey in all circumstances and what may not be binding. We must follow the pope to the letter when he defines dogma for us, or when he approves of dogmatic commands from an ecumenical council. However, even within the teachings of a Council, not all are binding in the full sense because they are not presented as such.

Historic theologians from the Council of Trent wrote the following in a treatise on how we know what is defined—and, therefore, binding in conciliar teachings—and what is not of the same caliber:

But whatever is introduced in the decrees of councils or popes by way of explanation, or to respond to an objection, or is merely taught in passing as something distinct from the main point which was the subject of controversy: these things do not pertain to the faith, that is, they cannot be considered judgments that determine what is of catholic faith…Not all, even of those things that the councils affirm simply and absolutely, is a de fide decision.(De Locis, lib. 5 cap. 5 q. 4)

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