Worship Without Obedience

Usually we associate worship with Mass on Sunday, or a para-liturgical service, or the recitation of the rosary, but we do not associate it with obedience.  When we look deeper into worship, it comes down to acknowledging that God is God, the only God, and we are dependent on him.  As such we see that acting selfishly or out of vainglory keeps us from God and our neighbor, and blocks our walk with both.  St. Paul admonishes us, rather, to have the same attitude that Jesus, the model of true worship of the Father:  "though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likenesss; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross." (Phil. 2: 6-9).  St. Paul of the Cross, whose memorial we observe today, had a special devotion to the cross, and saw the connection between worship and obedience.  "Worship without obedience is merely hollow flattery.  Yet both worship and obedience are less than Christian if they do not spring from the one root, love of God." (Magnificat p. 282-283). It would be helpful to take a few moments today to look at the cross to see if we connect it with obedience, with emptying of ourselves, with humbly doing what God asks of us...as did St. Paul of the Cross, and our own models, Mary and St. Marcellin. 
Bro. Rene