Obedience is not a popular word in 21st century culture in the west as we all like to do our own thing and think that we know best.
Recall the episode when Peter and his friends had been out fishing all night and caught nothing, not a single fish. As they returned to the shore, Jesus, the carpenter’s son is standing there. He tells Peter to go back out and cast on the other side of the boat. Now Peter was a professional fisherman. He knew the Sea of Galilee well, he understood where the fish would be and that they could not be caught in the daytime as they returned to the deep. Jesus on the other hand was not a fisherman. So what did Peter do? He set out in unquestionning obedience, did as the Lord had said and caught so many fish he couldn’t load them onto the boat. Moreover, the massive catch did not break the nets.
That was an act of obedience that we can learn from. ‘Keep the Sabbath holy’ and ‘Do this in memory of me’ are two more commands from Jesus. We should take every opportunity to rkeep the Sabbath by attending Mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. These simple acts of obedience will result in bringing us closer to Jesus and to rich rewards in heaven.
In order to obey, we have to remember the full meaning of the word in Hebrew shama which means “to hear, listen, obey”. Listen for God, hear what He says and follow His commands.
How do we hear the Word of God? By reading scripture and what better time to start than at the beginning of this Year of Faith.
Contemplative Catholic 