This very obedience, however, will be acceptable to God and agreeable to men only if compliance with what is commanded is not cringing of sluggish or half-hearted, but free from any grumbling or any reaction of unwillingness. For the obedience shown to superiors is given to God, as he himself said: Whoever listens to you, listens to me (Luke 10:16). Furthermore, the disciples' obedience must be given gladly, for God loves a cheerful give. If a disciple obeys grudgingly and grumbles, no only aloud but also in his heart, then, even though he carries out the order, his action will not be accepted with favor by God, who sees that he is grumbling in his heart. He will have no reward for service of this king; on the contrary, he will incur punishment for grumbling, unless he changes for the better and makes amends.

Well! Is that a challenge or what? Not only are we to obey, we are to obey with a cheerful heart! Even if we don't like it, and say nothing to anyone else, we are still called on the carpet by the rule because we are grumbling in our hearts. It reminds us that God sees the heart, and therefore, sees the grumbling as well.

It calls to mind though the parable about the two sons, one is asked to go into the fields and says he will, but does not. The other son says no way, but eventually does go into the field and does the work his father asked him to do. We know Jesus favored the son who said NO, but went and did it anyway. I think there is a safe comparison here between the monk/nun/lay who says "of course I will do that" while thinking a wide variety of spiteful things they can do to make their obedience an act of passive aggression. Then the monk/nun/lay who says no, but then takes a change of heart and obeys after all.

What Benedict is trying to teach us is to bring our will in line with the will of the Superior, and by doing that, in line with the will of God. Or, let your yes really be yes, and not some passive aggressive exercise in oneupmanship. Now, as Lay Cistercians this passage can apply to us just as much as to the monk/nun. It applies at the local level of our personal community, and at the larger level of the LCG, and even at international level, as well.

Someone said once, "fake it till you make it." There is truth in that. When I was in college as an adult, and the younger students would say I can't get excited about this class, I would tell them to fake it till you make it. Decide that you are interested, no matter what, and before very long, you are interested! In spite of yourself. The same should apply to the monk, the nun, and the Lay Cistercian.

When we were asked to write papers in response to the questions given us by the International Committee, how many of us really sat down and wrote what we were asked to write? I can tell you from experience, not very many. In the light of today's reading, shouldn't that shame us? It is no good being wrapped up in "me" and "my views," because we are not alone in this charism. It is well known I oppose too much organization, but if the Charism is calling us to put some organization into things, then who am "I" to say no?

How do you resist?