Toward Easter - Daily Readings & Meditations for Lent 2025 - Day 32

What does it mean to be obedient in today's Church? As we approach the final stretch of Lent—just two weeks away from Holy Saturday—this reflection tackles one of the most challenging aspects of modern Catholic life.

The journey begins with beautiful scriptural images of Christ as our Good Shepherd, living water, maternal figure who never forgets us, and the light of the world. These metaphors reveal how completely Christ nourishes our spiritual lives, especially through His Body and Blood. But such overwhelming love demands a response from us, ideally one of prompt, joyful obedience.

Yet obedience isn't simple in contemporary Catholicism. Between different communities with varying relationships to Church authority—from SSPX to diocesan structures—Catholics must navigate competing claims about where true obedience lies. The reflection acknowledges this tension honestly, advocating for a middle path that prioritizes obedience to Christ and Church dogma while extending grace to those whose prudential judgments differ from our own.

There's wisdom in recognizing that the Church allows latitude on many matters. Rather than demanding absolute uniformity or abandoning structure entirely, we're called to respect the legitimate diversity within Catholic practice while maintaining unity on essentials. As we enter Passiontide tomorrow, we're reminded of seminarians making their commitment to celibacy through subdiaconate ordinations—men whose sacrificial obedience deserves our prayers and support.

How will you balance faithful obedience with thoughtful discernment this Holy Week? Join us tomorrow as we explore love unto sacrifice on Passion Sunday, marking our entry into the final phase of our Lenten journey.

Chapters

• 1:37 Lenten Reflection Begins
• 3:10 Love and Obedience Theme Introduction
• 6:07 Prayers and Resolutions for the Day
• 7:32 The Challenge of Modern Church Obedience
• 10:47 Supporting Seminarians and Passion Sunday Preview
• 12:57 Closing Thoughts and Farewell

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:50

Sancte misericordiae amare morti decadast nos in te speraverunt done with our interview with Father Maudsley. So that's why this is happening later than usual, and I slept in a little bit this morning, so, anyways, that's why it's happening closer to noon. But anyways, we will be going over. Saturday of the fourth week of Lent. We are on day 32 of Lent, so two weeks from today is Holy Saturday. Is the really the end of Lent? So we will be talking about love and obedience today. Without further ado, I'll put up our image on screen so you don't have anything to look at, you just listen, and so I don't have to worry about anyone watching me while I read. That's really the actual reason I do it, believe it or not, um, but anyway. So let me put up that image and let's get going.

Speaker 1: 2:23

Saturday of the fourth week in lent love and obedience from Psalm 22, verse 1, the Lord ruleth me and I shall want nothing. As the great week approaches when we celebrate the anniversary of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His redemptive sacrifice, which reconciled us with God and gave us the power to become children of God, the Church, in order to strengthen our faith in the Savior, has read, has us read and meditate on the prophecies which depicted him so far in advance and in so moving a manner. The two sacred texts describe Jesus by using several images. First, he is presented to us as the Good Shepherd who guides us toward green pastures. He is also our source of living water. Next, he is depicted under the aspect of the best of mothers, who can never forget her child. Finally, jesus says himself in the Gospel that he is the light of the world. The teaching by images is clear Mother nourishment, water and light are all that are needed to make life grow. What more could our Lord have done for us than he has done? What could he have given us that we have not received? He willed to become himself our nourishment and our drink. And what pasture more delicious and salutary, more nourishing and fortifying could he have ever found than that of his body and his blood? What shall we give back to him for all that we have received from him? Never will we be able to give him all that he deserves. Lord Jesus, give me thy love so that, with thy grace, I may love thee, please thee and serve thee. I want to become thy loving child, and for that to be so I promise thee today to make efforts in obeying all that thou commandest me, by the voice of my superiors, whether at school or at home, by the voice of my superiors, whether at school or at home.

Speaker 1: 4:40

And now a prayer, let's see. So the book gives two options for prayers every day, and I choose one Today. We will go with the prayer from St John Vianney, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, amen. I love Thee, o my God, and my sole desire is to love Thee to the last breath of my life. I love Thee, o my divine Savior, because Thou wert crucified for me. I love Thee, o my God, because Thou holdest me here below, crucified for the. Thee, my God, grant me the grace to die loving thee and feeling that I love thee, my God, as I draw nearer to my end in thy mercy, increase my love and perfect it.

Speaker 1: 5:26

Our two thoughts for the day the first comes from St John Vianney again, and the second comes from the invitation of Christ. So our first comes from St John Vianney again, and the second comes from the imitation of Christ. So our first thought from St John Vianney. His love carried him to do what we would have never dared to ask of him. The second thought from the imitation of Christ Learn to obey your superior promptly if you wish to subdue your lower nature. We have three resolutions to respond to the love of Jesus for us by a prompt and joyful obedience. Number two, to take care to be punctual in order to create a peaceful atmosphere at home. And number three, to pray, especially for seminarians ordained subdeacon today, this marks their definitive commitment to celibacy. It is also from this point onward that they recite every day the prayers of the breviary in the name of the church. Why not make a spiritual communion for their intention? Okay, that's it for the reading today.

Speaker 1: 6:44

This is a really difficult subject in today's church. You know the subject of obedience who and what must we be obedient to? What are the limits of obedience? Um, you, these are all difficult subjects because we live in a day and age when it seems like being obedient to the church or to members of the church, hierarchy of the church, could mean being disobedient to Christ, and that makes us really hard, right? I mean, for instance, this this whole book toward Easter, written by father uh Trodec. Um, father Trodec is a member of the SSPX, and you know, right or wrong, whatever side of the issue, of the SSPX issue you stand on, like, their relationship with the hierarchy of the church is um, it's a difficult one to discuss because it is. It's very different, you know, I don't think anyone um is opposed to acknowledging that at least, but you know the sspx um to acknowledging that at least.

Speaker 1: 8:00

But you know the SSPX um, everyone has different notions of obedience. It can take it to different extremes. There are those who who more, uh, who leave the church because they, they, they, they, they cannot be obedient to to any part of it. And then there are those who call for church because they, they, they, they, they cannot be obedient to to any part of it. And then there are those who call for this um, absolute obedience to everything, right In. Both of those extremes are bad, you know. But the question is where in the middle is the correct path and where you fall on.

Speaker 1: 8:44

That is going to, it's going to influence a lot of what you know, what you think about the SPX, what you think about the Ecclesia Day communities, what you think about dio spx, what you think about the ecclesia day communities, what you think about diocesan tlms or what you, how you feel about going to a local novice, ordo over the tlm vice. You know, all of this it's very fluid within the church and I think, first and foremost, we have to acknowledge that it is fluid and that there are some boundaries right, that the church sets on what we have to believe with these things, but the vast majority of it is allowed and we have to acknowledge that and give people that grace you know to. If they feel that they, you know that they are best served at the SSPX, then so be it. We have to give them that grace. And if they feel like they would be, that they need to be under the diocesan structure, and so be it. Like, all of these are allowed positions and we have to acknowledge that and let people use their own reason and prudence to decide these things for themselves and for their families.

Speaker 1: 9:55

So, yeah, this, you know, obedience is a a hard subject. There are entire books written on the subject. Um, you know, I I'm in the middle of reading one by, uh, dr, uh peter kwafniewski. Um, so it's a hard subject for me to speak on, because actual experts and actual theologians are all over on the issue. Right, because, like I said, there's a wide allowance of position here, so I can't shed a ton of light here for you. It is something that you largely have to use your own reason and prudence to really decide for yourselves. But I guess all I can say is, first and foremost, we have to be, you know, obedient to Christ. We have to be obedient to the. You know the dogmas of the church. But we have to give people that grace. You know, where there is a difference of opinion allowed on issues is a difference of opinion allowed on issues. So that's all I really have for you on this subject today. I know it's shorter than usual. It is interesting that I was so.

Speaker 1: 11:10

I was unaware that seminarians traditionally were ordained as subdeacons. Today, in the liturgical calendar, um, subdeacons is one of the. Uh well, I think subdeacon actually is a major order. I think everything below subdeacon is a minor order. It could be wrong, but everything, um, I know everything below deacon was more or less done away with in the liturgical liturgical changes after vatican ii.

Speaker 1: 11:39

The traditional order still ordained subdeacons separately from the, the full diaconate, but um, but yeah, so for so pray for any sub or seminarians who are being ordained subdeacon in the traditional orders today, as Father says, this marks their definitive commitment to celibacy. It marks when they must start to pray the breviary. So if you make it to Mass today, offer that Mass up for their intention. Offer that mass up for their intention. If you don't make it to mass today, offer a spiritual communion for their intention. But tomorrow marks Passion Sunday, the beginning of Passion Tide, and tomorrow we will talk about love unto sacrifice. So once again, thank you all for joining me. Uh, we do have quite a few people watching live right now, especially on Twitter. Thank you all for watching Um, I definitely appreciate it and I will see you all tomorrow on passion Sunday. Thank you.