St. Ignatius of Loyola once said, “Few people understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to him, and if they were to allow his grace to mold them accordingly.”

The word “obedience” may seem somewhat foreign to us. Maybe, in a best case scenario, children are obedient, but aren’t you supposed to outgrow that? Isn’t that what maturity is all about? 

However if we think about it, in a sense we’re obedient to many people and many things: to a boss at work, to traffic laws (at least usually), to the laws of physics – we can’t just jump off the top of a skyscraper and expect things to have a happy ending – and to doctors, to accountants, even to the guy at Sprint or Verizon or T-Mobile who sets up your cell phone account. 

Jesus himself, God become man, was obedient. In the gospel today we read that Jesus went back with his parents to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. Let’s pause there for a moment. We believe as Christians that Jesus is the incarnate second person of the Blessed Trinity. He is God. So why is He obedient to Mary and Joseph? They were wonderful parents, but they’re merely human. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. Jesus obeys Mary and Joseph because by his obedience to his mother and his foster father, he is ultimately obeying God. By obeying those in authority, Jesus is ultimately showing obedience to God. 

It helps if we remember that the word “obey” comes from two Latin words which mean, “to listen.” So obedience is not just submission to someone who is more powerful or knowledgeable than we are. Obedience to God means listening to the God who loves us and wants our happiness.

Jesus experienced the peace that comes from obedience. He offers us that same peace. It comes from listening to God. God speaks in many different ways. Through the Bible. Through the Mass. Through the teachings of the Church. Through the events of our lives. The peace that comes from obeying God is incredible. The peace that comes from listening to God as he speaks a personal word to us is beyond compare. Our peace lies in obedience to God.

Pope John XXIII is one of the most beloved popes in the history of the Church. In stressful situations and tremendous workloads, he kept his sense of humor and he radiated peace. A journalist asked him once: “So how many people actually work in the Vatican?” He responded: “Oh, about half of them.” He was short, overweight, and rather homely. He once said: “Sometimes I ask God this question. Lord, you knew from all eternity that I was going to be the Pope. You had all eternity to get me ready. So why didn’t you make me better looking?” 

And this same peace extended to his immense responsibilities as Pope. On the night after he announced his plans to convene the Second Vatican Council, Pope John had trouble falling asleep. He later admitted that he talked to himself as follows that night: “Giovanni, why don’t you sleep? Is it the pope or the Holy Spirit who governs the church? It’s the Holy Spirit, no? Well, then, go to sleep, Giovanni!” 

As Pope he would end his day before the Blessed Sacrament. He said that he would end his prayer for the world by saying: “Lord, I’ve done all I can. It’s your Church. I’m going to bed!” 

Do you want to know the secret to his peace? His motto as Pope gives us a clue. It’s “Obedience and Peace.” It’s so simple and so important. Obedience and peace. When we sincerely seek to listen to God we experience a lasting peace. When we sincerely seek to follow His voice, we experience the peace that the world cannot give. 

The Church invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family today. It tells us something about the importance of the family. The family is the cornerstone of society. As Pope Francis puts it, this covenant of love between a man and a woman brings life and reveals God. So let’s celebrate our families today. 

It’s also a good day to ask ourselves, is there peace in our homes? This doesn’t mean the absence of difficulties. In fact, as we just saw, the Holy Family had many difficulties. It doesn’t mean that everything is tranquil and no one ever gets upset. 

But I invite us to reflect with God during the Mass today and ask: is there peace in our homes? Can we ask for forgiveness? Can we forgive? Do we really feel loved and accepted in our families?

Mary, the Mother of God, gave us the key. She pondered in her heart. She took the time to reflect and listen to God. And she said yes. She obeyed God.

God wants us to have peace. His will for us is that we have true peace. We probably don’t think about it often, but God wants to give us peace. When we obey God, we’re giving him permission to grant us peace. So let’s follow Mary’s example today and commit to listening to God. How do you do this as a family? Pray together.

Pope Francis asks all of us this question. “I would like to ask you, dear families: Do you pray together from time to time as a family?” What about praying the Rosary together? Grace before meals? Do we pray for each other? And here get creative. Maybe I need a post-it to remind me. Use it. 

When we do this, we listen to God and we can obey him. We can truly love one another as He loves us. And, like Mary, we experience the peace that comes from listening and obeying.

After the Our Father, we’re going to say these words. Let’s allow them to sink in. And when we receive Christ in the Eucharist, let’s ask Him to make them come true in our lives. “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”