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"One must learn how to obey before he can command." "When... stubbornness takes hold of one’s mind, how can sanctity ever flourish? Where humble obedience reigns, grace will triumph." "Be obedient to your superiors and be submissive to their orders, since not the inferiors, but the superiors have to watch as though they had to render to God an account of the things which regard the good of your souls." "Your obedience must have no limits. Even if your superior is at fault, obey and hold your peace. Come to me later and I shall uphold your rights and give each one his due. Obey and do not criticize orders." "The true Christian obeys his parents, his teachers, [and] his superiors because he sees in them God Himself, Whose place they take." "Obedience is not only the sum total of spiritual perfection, it is also the easiest, safest, surest, and quickest way of growing in holiness and gaining Heaven itself. The reason obedience is not carried out is because its great worth is unknown…. [We should] realize how much we lose each time we choose to follow our own whims, or every time we transgress a rule, neglect our duties, grumble, criticize, or disapprove of a superior’s judgment." "[To Saint Dominic Savio] "[Obedience] is the surest way to scale the heights of perfection. There may be some, for instance, who wish to do penance and fast although their superior advised otherwise. Let us obey, because then we shall be sure of doing God’s Will and climbing higher on the ladder of sanctity. [On the importance of unquestioning obedience] My dear sons, heed what your superiors tell you. If you suspect that they would disapprove of what you are about to do, don’t do it. If you come across a book, think: Would Don Bosco let me read it? Your conscience will tell you. If a companion slips you a note, ask yourselves: What would my superior think of me? Tear it up instantly, or better still, hand it over to the superior in charge. This will show your good will. Never answer such notes. If you notice a group of boys guardedly whispering and keeping a sharp lookout for superiors, shun them like the plague. Poison and death are in their midst. Remember: this poison need not cause eternal doom instantly, but it is always deadly. One may rise again by a good confession, but the poison’s effects are horrible: remorse, spiritual boredom, weakness, new evil inclinations, deplorable weakness of relapsing into sin, bitter memories, fear of God’s punishments, greater difficulty in doing one’s duty, occasional disgrace and ill repute among companions. Think of this before getting into such trouble. Abide by what your superiors tell you without trying to hunt out the reasons. If they forbid something, just say: That’s poison and death. I do not want to die."
"Disobedience is the root of every evil." "If you wish to please Jesus and Mary, obey your Guardian Angel’s inspirations." "Obey your superiors, both ecclesiastical and civil, and your teachers. Accept all their instructions, counsels, and corrections humbly and respectfully and be convinced that everything they do is for your good." "The Lord always blesses those who are obedient to His commands." "When giving orders, put it this way: “Could you oblige? Would you do me a favor? Could you do this for me? Would you object to doing this?” Never use a tone of command. Never say ‘I want.’ Likewise, never demand what is physically or spiritually harmful or above a subject’s capacity." "Obeying your parents is like obeying Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and St. Aloysius." "[To the superiors] "I’d like you to learn how to make honey as the bees do. Do you know how they go about it? First, they do not act independently, each on its own, but as a team under the direction of a queen bee, whom they obey in every detail. Secondly, they go from flower to flower to extract nectar, and only nectar. ...Honey is an image of all good things which stem from piety, diligence, and cheerfulness. These three things will bring you immeasurable joy, sweet as honey. But you must imitate the bees. First, obey the queen, which in your case means the house rules and your superiors. Without obedience there is chaos and discontent and nothing will be right. [Secondly,] you must also imitate the bees in choosing only what is good and discarding the rest. Each of you must find what is best in his companions and then try to imitate then in that. What must be done is to say determinedly: I want to make that virtue my own." "Don Bosco often exhorts you to be obedient… When a superior speaks to you, he does so in the Name of our Lord and you should obey him as you would Our Lord. This is even truer of the confessor who, more particularly, acts and speaks in God’s Name. You must therefore give his words great importance and take them as truly coming from God."
"The means [St.] Dominic Savio used to put himself on the road to heaven and beyond the reach of the devil were great obedience to and great confidence in the spiritual director." "There can be no virtue without obedience." "[December 29, 1887, to Father Bonetti, who requested a memento
for the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians] "Be obedient and you will become a saint." "Try very hard, young men, to imitate Jesus in His obedience. He should be your only model in this." "Don Bosco once asked a cleric, “What do you think is the easiest way to become saints?” He himself answered, saying, “To recognize the Will of God in our Superiors and to submit entirely to it.”" "Do what I say: obey promptly, cheerfully, fully. Let your superior’s
will, his mind, and his sentiments be your own. Let’s be one in heart
and mind to love Mary and save souls."
Read other quotations by Don Bosco
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"How
true indeed, that he who clings to his own way pays with his own coin."
"To
do what we are told, for love of Jesus, makes us very pleasing to God."
"We
must, each of us, be willing to sacrifice our own will, even at a heavy
cost. There is no need to sacrifice one’s health or money or to undergo
privations, penances, or extraordinary fasts. The sacrifice that is needed
is the sacrifice of the will. Each of us must be equally prepared to preach
or to cook, to teach or to sweep, to catechize or to pray, to supervise
or to obey. Such an attitude shall obtain God’s blessing on us because
then we shall be true, faithful disciples and servants. As Samuel said
to Saul, “Does the Lord desire holocausts and victims and not rather that
the Voice the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices
and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.” We are therefore
to hearken and generously follow our superior’s voice, for he represents
God and the call of duty. Thus we shall achieve the purpose of our vocation,
earn many merits, and save our own souls and those of others."
