Corpus Christi, Obedience, and the Artist

“The Apostles obey because it is Jesus who asks them.”

G.K. Chesterton gives us a wonderful example of the freedom that comes with obedience to authority.

“We might fancy some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. So long as there was a wall round the cliff’s edge they could fling themselves into every frantic game and make the place the noisiest of nurseries. But the walls were knocked down, leaving the naked peril of the precipice. They did not fall over; but when their friends returned to them they were all huddled in terror in the centre of the island; and their song had ceased.” – G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

It is human nature, a little pride mixed with a little stubbornness, to want to know the reason behind a request before we comply with it. But God often asks us to obey even if we do not completely understand the “why.”
It is sometimes easy to forget that the people we read about in Scripture were real people. Even though they were devoted followers of Christ they were still human and experienced all the doubts and frustrations that we still struggle with today.

Feeding the 5000

Imagine the reaction of the Apostles when Jesus tells them to feed a crowd of thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish. In spite of all they had learned, all they had seen, they still did not quite understand what was happening. How would you react when asked to do something that seemed impossible? It would probably depend very much on who was asking. The Apostles obey because it is Jesus who asks them. They do not understand necessarily, but they obey. Then Jesus works a miracle and the Apostles confusion and frustration is turned to joy and gratitude.

Trusting in God is perhaps the hardest thing for us to do. This is the recurring theme in the history of our salvation; do we trust in God? It is a question we have been faced with from the very beginning. In our small finite lives here on earth we cannot see the completeness of God’s plan for us. We are children who cannot know everything the parent has in mind. But Christ’s teachings are God’s teachings, conveyed to us through His Church, and we are called to obey them.

God also wants us to understand His teachings, that is why He has given us His Church, to explain His teachings to us. But too often we lose sight of this and think of the Church as a man-made institution. But we are finite creatures and our job is to obey our creator even if we do not fully understand the whys and hows.

God wants us to experience his victory in life even more than we do ourselves – victory over sin, over selfishness, over frustration, over everything that holds us back from true fulfillment now and for all eternity.
Why do we obey? The apostles obeyed the commands of Jesus out of their love for him. Our obedience is not dependent upon the importance of what we are asked to do but rather on our love for Him who asks it of us.
Our first parents were faced with the same questions we face today. Is the Lord to be obeyed in all things whatsoever He commands? Is He a Holy Lawgiver? Are His creatures bound to obey and accept His will? How much do we love Him?

We are often faced with a choice between what we want to do and what we feel is the right thing to do. Or to put it another way, what we want to do and what God is calling us to do. This situation can cause agonizing stress as we feel we are pulled in two different directions. But we frequently put aside our own wants and desires for the sake of a loved one. Why would we not do so for God? We may find in doing so that what we gain is worth far more than what we have given up.

The Obedience of the Artist

God calls us to use our gifts and talents to help others find their way back to Him. Being obedient to His word is far easier than having to face the consequences and responsibilities of disobedience.

Obedience does not come up too often in the creative community. Since the so-called Age of Enlightenment, artists have been encouraged to express themselves, to dig deep into their emotional well and produce work that is often incomprehensible. But this is a selfish attitude born out of self-love. If we love God above ourselves, we will bring to Him the gifts and talents that we have sharpened into skills, and He will use them to change the world.

Obedience is often seen as a hinderance to creativity. But this is not really the case. Ask a painter, or a songwriter, or a poet to create anything they want and they will most likely agonize for hours over what they should do. But ask a painter for something that includes a horse, a songwriter to write a song about love, or a poet to craft a poem about death, and they will more often than not dive into the work, excited by the challenge provided by a simple directive.

All we have to do is follow in the Apostles’ footsteps by handing over our loaves and fish. Above all God wants our trust, faith, and obedience. With those He will work wonders that far exceed anything we could accomplish on our own.

“Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace.” -Thomas Kempis

Pax Vobiscum
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ