Pope urges families to spread obedience to God’s plan in world

(April 24, 2009) The Gospel virtue of obedience stems from interior communion with God, and families need to share this "essential" value with society. Pope Benedict XVI said that on Thursday at a Mass he celebrated with organizers of the World Meeting of Families, which took place in Mexico City in January. Quoting St. Peter, who said, "We must obey God rather than any human authority," the Holy Father said in his homily, "The Word of God speaks to us of an obedience that is not mere subjection, nor simply an obeying of orders, rather it arises from an intimate communion with God and consists in an interior vision capable of discerning that which comes from on high and is above everything." Pope Benedict affirmed: "Our contemporaries need to discover this obedience, which is not theoretical but essential. It means opting for specific forms of behaviour which are based on obedience to God's will and which make us fully free.” "Christian families, with their domestic, simple and joyful lives, in which day by day they share their joys, hopes and concerns, and live in the light of faith, are schools of obedience and environments of true freedom,” the Pope said.