Jesus' obedience —as Saint Paul teaches us— did not simply consist in letting Himself be subjected to the Father's will, but rather He Himself became obedient: His active obedience made the Father's plans and the means to achieve the salvation of the human race His own.
One of the clearest signs of walking on the right path, that of humility, is the desire to obey, "whereas pride inclines us to do our own will and to seek what exalts us, and to not want to be guided by others, but rather to guide them. Obedience is the opposite of pride. But the Only Begotten of the Father, who came from Heaven to save us and heal us from pride, became obedient unto death on the cross." He has taught us where we must direct our steps: *Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path*, priests recite today in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Obedience is born of freedom and leads to greater freedom. When a person surrenders their will in obedience, they preserve their freedom through the radical and firm determination to choose what is good and true. Someone who chooses a highway to arrive sooner and more safely at their destination does not feel coerced by the speed limits and signs they encounter; the rope that ties a climber to their climbing partners is not a bond that restricts them —even though it keeps them firmly secured— but a link that gives them safety and prevents them from falling into the abyss; the ligaments that connect the different parts of the body are not ties that hinder movement, but a guarantee that movement is carried out with fluidity and firmness. Love is what makes obedience fully free. How could we think that Christ —who loved and instilled this virtue so much— was not free? "For anyone who wants to follow Christ, the law is not burdensome. It only becomes a burden if one fails to see in it Jesus' call or lacks the desire to follow that call. Therefore, if the law sometimes feels heavy, it may be that we need to improve not so much the law, but our commitment to following Christ.
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments (Jn 14:15). This is why I want to obey You and obey Your Church, Lord; not primarily because I see the rationality of what is commanded (though that rationality is so often evident), but —primarily— because I want to love You and show You my love. And also because I am convinced that Your commandments spring from love and make me free. *I run in the path of your commandments, for you have broadened my heart… I will walk in freedom, for I have sought your precepts* (Ps 119:32, 45)."
HCD