“It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey.”
St. Ignatius of Loyola
While giving a retreat, someone asked: “What about the idea of ‘obligation’ in our faith? We have Holy Days of Obligation, for example, but everyone’s schedules are so busy and it takes a real sacrifice to get to Mass during the week. God is loving and understands our situations. So, how can we reconcile this idea of being
forced to do something with a loving God?”
It was a good question. Living in the United States in 21st century, we have been enculturated to think of concepts like “obligation” and “obedience” as dirty words. We’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that
if I’m obedient to something other than myself, my freedom is hampered. But is this true?
Consider a talented athlete. In order to play a game well, he must train, and this requires discipline. He must
oblige himself to follow a routine in which he will build stamina and dexterity, and he must
obey the demands of his body to eat healthy in order to stay strong and supple. Without this discipline, there is no way he would be prepared to succeed on the field.
Consider family life. If I love my spouse and children, I will oblige myself to making sure their needs are met by submitting to the discipline of going to work every day, managing the house, striving for effective communication, and being available to them. I will obey the demands of love in order to maintain the bonds of relationship. If I fail in this discipline, my family life will crumble.
When it comes to faith, WHY do we think we can succeed without obliging ourselves to the grit of spiritual formation: the disciplines of worship, prayer, study and service?
In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus commanded his disciples to go forth and teach the nations “
to observe all I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20) In her wisdom, the Church has responded to Christ’s mandate by setting up modes of worship and prayer, and a liturgical calendar that is at once beautiful and practical in her cycle of feast days. If we truly believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that we encounter Him in the Holy Eucharist and the word of God proclaimed, then the question becomes: Why not WANT to make attending Mass a priority—even when it’s inconvenient? If I want to be a Christian worth his salt, why wouldn’t I want to submit myself to the discipline of discipleship?
At heart of this question might be a crisis of faith:
What do I believe in? Is it a set of ordered rules and regulations? Or is it Jesus Christ, “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”? All of the things the Church has in place for us (the sacramental system, the body of teachings, and prayer practices) rotate around the distaff of Jesus Christ. If you’re not seeing Him at the center, then I would invite you to consider a paradigm shift in the way you think. It’s not about checking off items on a checklist; it’s about being in love.
