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 more openly  that  He  was  full  of  wisdom  and grace. At present,  however,  I  desire  to  impress upon  your  memory  these  words:  "He was  subject  to  them. "  Thereby  Jesus  became the model  of  respect  for  authority,  or  of  the virtue of  obedience.

2. Jesus  Christ,  as  the  eternal  Son  of  God, was Himself  authority  personified,  yet  "He was  subject." And to  whom  was  He  subject? To a  human  authority — "to  creatures. And  ought  man,  a  poor,  miserable  creature, instigated  by  pride  and  a  false  notion  of  liberty, refuse  to  acknowledge  the  authority  set over  him  by  his  Creator!

3. Respect  and  obey  authority  as  God  wills that you  should  do. Obedience is  a  virtue, an exceedingly  precious  virtue,  and  St.  Augustine terms  it  "The  mother  and  root  of  all virtues";  or,  as  St.  Bonaventure  terms  it,  "A ship  which  carries  one  safe  to  heaven." Obedience, respect for  authority,  is  for  all  men a most  necessary  virtue,  and  for  every  young man more  especially;  for  obedience  is  order, and order  must  exist  wherever  God  rules  and reigns. Disobedience, the  offspring  of  pride, kindled the  flames  of  hell,  and  peoples  its awful realms. Hence St.  Bernard  says: "Take away  self-will,  and  hell  would  cease to  exist."

4. Therefore,  continue  constantly  to  practise obedience,  in  imitation  of  the  glorious example set  you  by  the  incarnate  Son  of  God during His  sojourn  in  the  holy  house  of  Naza-