#24: The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena, Book 4: A Treatise on Obedience

With this book, the main meat of the Dialogue is concluded. Obedience isn't a popular virtue these days, and it wasn't popular in Catalina Benincasa's day, either. But in this short treatise, I found the advantages of this virtue were argued pretty persuasively. Most of all, it's hard to argue that if Adam sinned through disobedience and Christ saved us through obedience unto death -- death on a cross -- that this is clearly something Christians need to do.

I should note, though, that obedience doesn't mean going against conscience or morals. (Informed conscience, that is, not "I am now going to mistake me being stubborn for my conscience" or "everybody else is doing it, and peer pressure sounds like conscience".) Catholics aren't supposed to get hung up on dishonorable or immoral commands like samurai did. God is always the Big Boss, and obedience to His commands overrides all others. (As long as they're really His commands. You can't say, "Oh, yeah, and I'm reading the Bible here as allowing me to act like a jerk." Or rather, you can, but the Big Boss won't be amused if you do.)

Update!
MANUAL DOWNLOAD HERE:
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
1 hr. 40 min.

PREVIOUS PARTS HERE:
Book 1: "A Treatise of Divine Providence"
Book 2: "A Treatise of Discretion"
Book 3: "A Treatise of Prayer"