{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_31311/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_31311","id":"gutenberg_31311","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31311","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Parenthood & Family Relations","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Vocation (in religious orders, congregations, etc.)","Vocation, Ecclesiastical"],"text":"Produced by Michael Gray\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVOCATIONS EXPLAINED\n\n\nMATRIMONY, VIRGINITY,\nTHE RELIGIOUS STATE, AND THE\nPRIESTHOOD.\n\n\nBY A\nVINCENTIAN FATHER.\n\nAN ABRIDGMENT OF\n\"QUESTIONS ON VOCATIONS\"\nAPPROVED BY\nCARDINAL GIBBONS AND CARDINAL SATOLLI.\n\n_Published with the permission of the Superior General of the\nCongregation of the Mission._\n\n\n\nNEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO:\nBENZINGER BROTHERS,\n_Printers to the Holy Apostolic See._\n\n\n\n\"Vocations Explained\"\n\nis a compendium of \"Questions on Vocations,\" a catechism approved by\nHis Eminence Cardinal Gibbons; His Eminence Cardinal Satolli; by five\nArchbishops and twenty-two Bishops; also by numerous priests and\nreligious Brothers and Sisters.\n\n\nNihil Obatat\n         THOS. L. KINKEAD,\n              _Censor Librorum._\n\nImprimatur\n         MICHAEL AUGUSTINE,\n              _Archbishop of New York._\n\nNEW YORK, March 2, 1897.\n\n\nCOPYRIGHT, 1897, BY BENZIGER BROTHERS.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n     I. DEFINITION.--EVERY PERSON HAS SOME SPECIAL VOCATION\n    II. NECESSITY OF FOLLOWING A VOCATION\n   III. MATRIMONY--IS IT A VOCATION?\n    IV. MIXED MARRIAGES\n     V. VIRGINITY\n    VI. THE THREE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS\n          1. Poverty\n          2. Perpetual Chastity\n          3. Obedience\n   VII. THE RELIGIOUS STATE\n  VIII. MARKS OF A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE\n    IX. DOUBTS ABOUT A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE\n     X. ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO ENTER THE RELIGIOUS STATE\n    XI. MEANS OF PRESERVING A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE.--SOME\n             OBSTACLES\n   XII. CHILDREN AND THE RELIGIOUS STATE\n  XIII. DUTY OF PARENTS REGARDING THE RELIGIOUS VOCATION OF THEIR\n             CHILDREN\n   XIV. VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD\n    XV. DO VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD COME DIRECTLY FROM GOD\n   XVI. FOSTERING VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD\n  XVII. PREVENTING VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD\n XVIII. MEANS OF KNOWING OUR VOCATION\n          1. Prayer\n          2. Freedom from Sin\n          3. Humility\n          4. Retreat\n          5. Counsel\n          Prayer of St. Bernard\n\n\n\nVOCATIONS EXPLAINED.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nDEFINITION.----EVERY PERSON HAS SOME SPECIAL VOCATION.\n\n\nQ. What is a vocation?\n\nA. A call from God to some state of life.\n\n\nQ. Which are the principal states of life?\n\nA. Matrimony, virginity, the religious state, and the priesthood.\n\n\nQ. Has every person a vocation?\n\nA. Yes; God gives a special vocation to each person.\n\n\nQ. How is this doctrine proved?\n\nA. St. Paul says: \"Every one hath his proper gift from God; one after\nthis manner, and another after that. . . . _As_ the Lord hath\ndistributed to _every one_, as _God hath called every one_, so let him\nwalk.\" [*]\n\n[*] The references are given in the larger catechism entitled\n\"Questions on Vocations.\"\n\n\nQ. Is it not beneath God's notice to give a particular vocation to\neach person?\n\n\nA. Not at all; for even the birds of the air are objects of the\nprovidence of God: \"Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.\nFear not, therefore; you are of _more value_ than _many sparrows._\"\n\n\nQ. What do Father Faber and St. Alphonsus say on this subject?\n\n\nA. Father Faber says: \"Every man has a distinct vocation.\" St.\nAlphonsus says: \"We must embrace that state to which _God calls us_.\"\n\n\nQ. What does St. Augustine teach concerning special vocations?\n\nA. St. Augustine says: \"He who does little, but in a state to which\n_God calls him,_ does more than he who labors much, but in a state\nwhich he has thoughtlessly chosen: a cripple limping in the right way\nis better than a racer out of it.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nNECESSITY OF FOLLOWING A VOCATION.\n\n\nQ. Are we obliged to follow the vocation which God gives us?\n\nA. Yes; if we should wilfully neglect to follow our vocation we would\nbe in danger of losing our souls.\n\n\nQ. Why so?\n\nA. Because God attaches to our vocation special graces to help us to\nresist temptations and to discharge our duties properly. Hence, if we\nneglect God's call, we lose also His special graces; we then easily\nfall into temptation, and thus we are more liable to lose our souls.\n\n\nQ. Can you quote reliable authority for this doctrine?\n\nA. St. Alphonsus Liguori says: \"In the choice of a state of life, if\n_we wish to secure our eternal salvation, we must embrace_ that state\nto which God calls us, in which _only_ God prepares for us the\nefficacious means necessary to salvation.\"\n\nSt. Cyprian says: \"The grace of the Holy Ghost is given according to\n_the order of God,_ and not according to _our own will.\"_\n\n\nQ. What does St. Vincent de Paul say on this point?\n\nA. St. Vincent de Paul says: \"It is very difficult, not to say\nimpossible, to save one's self in a state of life in which God does\nnot wish one to be.\"\n\n\nQ. Has any one of the Popes given his views on this subject?\n\nA. Yes; Pope St. Gregory the Great teaches that our salvation is\nclosely connected with our vocation.\n\nThe Emperor Maurice having published an edict forbidding soldiers to\nenter the religious state, Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote to him\nthese remarkable words: \"This law, forbidding soldiers to enter the\nreligious state, is unjust, because it _shuts heaven to many;_ for\nthere are _very many who cannot_ enter heaven unless they abandon all\nthings.\"\n\n\nQ. Can this doctrine be explained by a comparison?\n\nA. Yes; a master feels a just indignation against those servants that\ndo as they please and neglect the particular duty assigned them. The\nwork done by such servants may be very good in itself, yet it is not\npleasing to the master, nor will it be rewarded by him, because it is\nnot in accordance with his designs.\n\nThe same principle holds with regard to God: \"Not every one that Saith\nto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth\nthe will of My Father Who is in heaven, he shall enter into the\nkingdom of heaven.\"\n\n\nQ. What is to be said of those that know nothing about vocations?\n\nA. If they are ignorant of the matter without any fault on their part,\nGod will not hold them responsible for such ignorance. By providential\ncircumstances many are, without adverting to it, in the state of life\nin which God wants them to be.\n\n\nQ. What is to be said of those who, having opportunities, give this\nsubject little or no thought?\n\nA. We answer with St. Alphonsus: \"In the world this doctrine of\nvocation is not much considered by some persons. They think that it is\nall the same whether they live in the state to which God calls them,\nor in that which they choose of their own inclinations; and therefore\nso many live bad lives and damn themselves. But it is _certain_ that\nthis is the principal point with regard to the acquisition of eternal\nlife. He who disturbs this order, and breaks this chain of salvation,\nshall not be saved.\"\n\n\nQ. What is the remarkable saying of St. Gregory Nazianzen on this\nsubject?\n\nA. St. Gregory Nazianzen says: \"I hold that the choice of a state of\nlife is so important that it decides, for the remainder of our lives,\nwhether our conduct shall be good or bad.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nMATRIMONY--IS IT A VOCATION?\n\n\nQ. How do you prove that matrimony is a vocation?\n\nA. Matrimony is a fixed manner of living, established by Almighty God:\n\"What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.\" St. Paul,\nspeaking of matrimony, says: \"This is a great sacrament; but I speak\nin Christ and in the Church.\"\n\n\nQ. If matrimony is a vocation from God, why are many married people\nunhappy?\n\nA. Because many of these people do not correspond with the graces of\nthis state; some enter it without the proper motives, others embrace\nit without being called to it by Almighty God.\n\n\nQ. Is a special vocation necessary in order to secure salvation in the\nmarriage state?\n\nA. Most certainly, because the state itself is from God, and a\nperson's consort should be the choice of God: \"Houses and riches are\nfrom parents: but a prudent wife is _properly from the Lord.\"_\n\nGod made special choice of Rebecca to be the wife of Isaac: \"Let the\nsame be the woman whom the _Lord hath prepared for_ my master's son.\"\n\nSara was God's choice as the wife of young Tobias: \"The God of\nAbraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be with you, and\nmay _He join you_ together, and fulfil His blessing in you.\"\n\n\nQ. Can you give a Scripture example illustrating this doctrine more\nforcibly?\n\nA. Yes; when the Angel Raphael advised young Tobias to take Sara for\nhis wife, Tobias answered: \"I hear that she hath been given to seven\nhusbands, and they all died; moreover, I have heard that a devil\nkilled them. Now I am afraid, lest the same thing happen to me also.\"\n\nThe angel then showed Tobias that those seven husbands had been given\nover to the power of the devil because in their marriage they lost\nsight of the designs of God, and were guided by unworthy motives. \"The\nangel said to him: Hear me, and I will show thee who they are, over\nwhom the devil can prevail: _They who in such manner receive\nmatrimony,_ as to _shut out God_ from themselves, and from _their\nmind,_ and give themselves to their lust; . . . over them the _devil\nhath power.\"_\n\n\nQ. What is the doctrine of St Basil on this subject?\n\nA. St. Basil says: \"What means 'to marry in the Lord' except to\nembrace that holy state _only in accordance with the will of God,_\nconsulting only reason and faith, to learn whether you follow the\ncourse to which _God calls you?\"_\n\n\nQ. What is the proverb, or \"saying,\" among the old folks about\nmarriage?\n\nA. There is a \"saying\" among the old folks that \"happy marriages are\nmade in heaven\" (made by Almighty God). This \"saying\" is in fact the\nsumming up of experience, of the teaching of the Fathers, of the\nSacred Scriptures, and of the Church on this subject.\n\nIf Jesus and Mary do not preside at marriages, the devil will surely\nusurp their place. \"He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that\ngathereth not with Me, scattereth.\"\n\n\nQ. What does the venerable Louis de Ponte teach on the subject of\nmatrimony?\n\nA. The venerable Louis de Ponte says: \"God is not only the author of\nmatrimony, but He brings to that state, by a _special providence,_\nthose whom _He wishes_ to be in it. He acts thus both for the good of\nsociety and for the happiness of individuals; and, although according\nto the teaching of the Church, 'it is better and more perfect to\nobserve virginity than to engage in matrimony,' yet Divine Providence\nis not less admirable in the matter of vocations to the marriage state\nthan in vocations to perpetual continence.\n\n\"It is, then, very important to weigh these matters carefully, and to\nexamine well whether a person is called to a more perfect state before\ndeciding to enter the marriage state.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nMIXED MARRIAGES.\n\n\nQ. Are mixed marriages vocations?\n\nA. Not from God. Mixed marriages are suggested by \"the world, the\nflesh, and the devil,\" the three great enemies of man's salvation.\n\nWho ever heard of a person entering mixed marriage because his\nconscience told him that God gave him a vocation to that state, or\nbecause he was convinced that God chose for him that state in order\nthat he might sanctify himself therein and avoid damnation?\n\nRead again the story of Tobias, and the seven husbands of Sara, who\nwere strangled to death by the devil because of the unworthiness of\ntheir motives. Those who enter mixed marriages evidently \"shut out God\nfrom themselves and from their mind;\" they do not follow a vocation\nfrom God; they exclude the will of God. How, then, can they be\nexcepted from the class of persons of whom the Holy Ghost says: \"Over\nthem the devil hath power\"?\n\nThe Church speaks very plainly on this subject, and teaches that mixed\nmarriages are forbidden; and Christ said of the Church: \"He that\nheareth you heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.\"\n\n\nQ. Why, then, does the Church grant dispensations in this matter?\n\nA. For the same reason that a prudent mother would prefer to see a\nwayward daughter do a bad thing than a worse thing. What parent would\nnot prefer to see a child sick than dead? There is some hope for the\nlife of a man hanging over a precipice and clinging even to a handful\nof grass, but there is no hope when his brains are dashed out on the\nrocks beneath.\n\nWhen persons have fully made up their minds to enter mixed marriage,\nthey are so blinded by their passions and preferences that, if the\nChurch should not tolerate their step, many of them would marry out of\nthe Church, and thus commit mortal sin, and in most cases incur\nexcommunication.\n\nThe only difference, then, is this: There is at least a possible hope\nof salvation when mixed marriages are tolerated by the Church;\nwhereas, if these persons should die in their rebellion against the\nChurch, their damnation would be certain.\n\nThe Church, like a prudent mother, would prefer the less of these two\nevils.\n\n\nQ. Are not conversions often brought about by mixed marriages?\n\nA. Misplaced affections often make candidates for marriage think so,\nbut this is not their chief reason for insisting on such marriages.\nTemptation, passion, and personal preference have more to do with them\nthan the will of God. Conversions _from_ the faith are more frequent\nin mixed marriages than conversions _to_ the faith. God's will is not\ntheir foundation, and yet, \"unless the Lord build the house, they\nlabor in vain that build it.\" God and the Church _desire_ and _teach_\nCatholics to take no such risks.\n\n\nQ. What do the Sacred Scriptures say of mixed marriages?\n\nA. \"Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath light\nwith darkness, or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?\"\n\"Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give thy\ndaughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son; for she will\nturn away thy son from following Me; and the wrath of the Lord will be\nkindled, and will quickly destroy thee.\"\n\nMixed marriages are the fruitful source of numberless evils: the loss\nof faith to countless generations, immorality, attachment to the\nthings of earth, and godless lives; and \"as a man lives, so shall he\ndie.\"\n\n\nQ. What is the best remedy for these evils?\n\nA. To remove their cause. Parents, young folks, and even advanced\nschool-children should be taught the evil of mixed marriages before\ntheir minds become warped by company-keeping, passion, and bad\nexample.\n\nMany pastors obtain excellent results by frequently instructing the\nchildren concerning mixed marriages, and by teaching them the doctrine\nof the Church on this subject. [*]\n\n[*] See \"Mollie's Mistake, or Mixed Marriages,\" by Rev. J. W. Book,\nCannelton. Ind. We highly recommend it as a very readable and\ninstructive book.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nVIRGINITY.\n\n\nQ. How is it proved that the state of virginity is a vocation?\n\nA. St. Paul mentions virginity as a special state of life, and\nrecommends it in preference to matrimony.\n\nIn the heading of the seventh chapter of the First Epistle of St. Paul\nto the Corinthians we find these words: \"Virginity is preferable to\nthe married state.\" In this whole chapter St. Paul speaks strongly in\nfavor of the state of virginity: \"I would that all men were even as\nmyself;\" that is, as the Fathers of Trent explain, \"that all embraced\nthe virtue of continence.\"\n\n\nQ. Why is virginity to be preferred to the marriage state?\n\nA. Because virginity is more pleasing to God, and more conducive to\nsalvation.\n\n\nQ. How do you prove that virginity is more pleasing to God?\n\nA. St. John says: \"These are they who are not defiled with women: for\nthey are virgins. These follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth. These\nwere purchased from among men, the first fruits to God and to the\nLamb.\"\n\nSt. Jerome says: \"As soon as the Son of God came down upon the earth\nHe created a new family. He chose a virgin Mother, Mary, and a virgin\nfoster-father, Joseph; also a virgin disciple, John, and a virgin\napostle of the nations, Paul; so that He who was adored by angels in\nheaven might also have angels to serve Him on earth.\"\n\n\nQ. Do the Fathers of the Church recommend virginity?\n\nA. Yes, in the highest possible terms. St. Augustine says: \"The joys\nof the virgins are not given to the other saints of God.\"\n\nSt. Cyprian says: \"Virginity is the queen of all other virtues and the\npossession of every good.\"\n\nSpeaking of virginity, St. Ephrem says: \"If you have loved it, you\nwill be favored by the Lord in all things.\"\n\nSt. Bernardine, of Sienna, teaches that \"virginity prepares the soul\nto see her spouse, Jesus, by faith in this life and by glory in the\nnext.\"\n\n\nQ. What is the exact teaching of the Church on the comparative merits\nof matrimony and virginity?\n\nA. The Church teaches that it is _of faith_ that virginity is\npreferable to matrimony.\n\nIn the 10th canon of the 24th session of the Council of Trent we find\nthis doctrine: \"If any one saith that the marriage state is to be\npreferred before the state of virginity, or celibacy, and that it is\nnot better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy,\nthan to be united in matrimony, let him be anathema\" (that is,\naccursed).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE THREE EVANGELICAL COUNSELS.\n\n\nFOR the better understanding of vocations we shall give a brief\nexplanation of the evangelical counsels.\n\n\nQ. What are the evangelical counsels?\n\nA. They are Gospel advices or recommendations.\n\n\nQ. Why are they called counsels?\n\nA. Because they are not commanded but _counselled_ by Our Lord, and\nrecommended as means of greater perfection.\n\n\nQ. Why are they called \"evangelical\" counsels?\n\nA. Because they are recommended in the Gospel. _Evangelism_ is the\nLatin word for gospel.\n\n_1. Poverty._\n\n\nQ. Which is the first of the evangelical counsels?\n\nA. Voluntary poverty. That means renouncing the use of money and\npossessions by our own free will to follow Christ.\n\n\nQ. What is the advantage of this counsel?\n\nA. The practice of this counsel uproots a most dangerous passion: \"For\nthey that will become rich fall into temptation, and into the snare of\nthe devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown\nmen into destruction and perdition.\"\n\n\nQ. Is there any special blessing promised to those who follow this\ncounsel?\n\nA. Yes: \"Every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or\nfather, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake,\nshall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting.\"\n\n\nQ. Is this counsel given to all?\n\nA. The Fathers of the Church teach that this counsel is recommended to\nall. The above words of Our Lord are unrestricted: \"And _every one_\nthat hath left house, or brethren,\" etc.\n\n_2. Perpetual Chastity._\n\n\nQ. Which is the second evangelical counsel?\n\nA. Perpetual chastity; that is, a voluntary abstaining from marriage\nin order to dedicate one's self in a more special manner to the love\nand service of God and to the great work of salvation.\n\n\nQ. Is this counsel recommended in the Sacred Scriptures and in the\nFathers?\n\nA. It certainly is, as we have seen in the chapter on \"Virginity.\"\n\n\nQ. Is this counsel of chastity recommended to all?\n\nA. This counsel, as well as the other two evangelical counsels, is\nrecommended to all. The Fathers say that these words, \"He that can\ntake, let him take it,\" mean, He that _is willing_ to take this\ncounsel let him take it. And St. Paul says: \"I would that _all men_\nwere even as myself.\"\n\n\nQ. What if one should exhort people in general to choose matrimony as\na state preferable to perpetual chastity?\n\nA. Such a one would be speaking against faith, as we have seen in the\nchapter on \"Virginity.\" The \"Catechism of the Council of Trent\" says:\n\"As it is the duty of the pastor to propose to himself the holiness\nand perfection of the faithful, his earnest desires _must be in full\naccordance_ with those of the Apostle when, writing to the\nCorinthians, he says: 'I would that all men were even as myself;' that\nis,\" continue the Fathers of Trent, \"that all embraced the virtue of\ncontinence.\" The marginal _resume_ of this paragraph in the \"Catechism\nof the Council of Trent\" is: \"A life of continence _to be desired by\nall_.\"\n\n_3. Obedience._\n\n\nQ. Which is the third evangelical counsel?\n\nA. Entire obedience; that is, a total subjection of one's will to that\nof lawful superiors in all that is not sin.\n\n\nQ. What Scripture warrant have we for this counsel?\n\nA. The life of Christ was a continual model of perfect obedience. From\ntwelve to thirty years of age all that we are told of Him in the\nSacred Scriptures is that \"He went down with them, and came to\nNazareth, and was subject to them.\" Obedience is a most effectual\nmeans of subduing self-will and self-love, which are our most fatal\nenemies. \"An obedient man shall speak of victory,\" because obedience\ndraws down a most special and abundant grace; for so pleasing is it to\nGod that He says of it: \"Obedience is better than sacrifices.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE RELIGIOUS STATE.\n\n\nQ. What is the fundamental principle or essence of the religious\nstate?\n\nA. The three evangelical counsels, which we have just explained. Those\nwho enter the religious state take vows to observe the counsels of\npoverty, chastity, and obedience.\n\n\nQ. Why do so many people enter the religious state?\n\nA. First, to promote the honor and glory of God; second, to escape the\ndangers of the world, and the more securely to work out their\nsalvation; for, \"What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole\nworld, and suffer the loss of his own soul?\" Our blessed Lord Himself\nassures us that \"many are called, but few are chosen.\" \"Strive to\nenter at the narrow gate.\"\n\n\nQ. Why are religious happier and more cheerful than others?\n\nA. On account of their peace of mind, and their greater hope of the\neternal rewards promised to those especially who leave all to follow\nJesus Christ.\n\n\nQ. In what other way do you explain the happiness enjoyed by\nreligious?\n\nA. There is a marvellous happiness to be found in holiness of life,\nbecause the various degrees of holiness are so many steps towards God,\nthe centre and source of all happiness. Therefore the happiness of the\nreligious state is like that \"treasure hidden in a field, which a man\nhaving found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that\nlie hath, and buyeth that field.\"\n\n\nQ. Are religious useful to others as well as to themselves?\n\nA. Religious bring many blessings to mankind by exercising the\ncorporal and spiritual works of mercy, and by \"instructing many unto\njustice.\"\n\nReligious follow in a special manner the admonition of the Apostle:\n\"Labor the more, that by good works you may make sure your calling and\nelection.\"\n\nBesides making their own salvation more secure, religious undoubtedly\ncontribute to the salvation of thousands of souls.\n\n\nQ. This thought is certainly very startling, but how can the matter be\nexplained?\n\nA. Next after the priests of God, religious contribute much to keep up\nthe faith and the spiritual life of the Church.\n\nThe principal cause of the loss of innumerable souls is the want of\nearly religious teaching and religious training. By the various\nteaching communities of religious priests, brothers, and sisters,\nthousands are saved; for in youth their pupils acquire a love and a\npractical knowledge of faith; they are nurtured in purity and piety,\nand they are enlightened and encouraged in habits of industry and\nsobriety.\n\nThe good that religious teachers accomplish is not confined to one\nclass or to a life's work; for, through the pupils, the result of\nreligious training will extend to generations yet unborn.\n\n\nQ. Can you illustrate this principle by particular instances?\n\nA. Yes; a certain religious sister has been instrumental in the hands\nof God in fostering vocations in numerous young men, eight of whom\nhave already become priests; and out of a number of girls taught and\ntrained by her during thirty years, sixty-four have become religious\nsisters. These latter have been for years teaching, and moulding the\ncharacters of children, and thus protecting them against the deceitful\nsnares of the world; and, besides the countless hosts of good\nChristians prepared by them for the Church and for society, these\nsixty-four sisters have, in their turn, fostered many vocations to the\npriesthood and to the religious state.\n\nIn Father Abbelen's beautiful biography of Mother Caroline we read\nmany such elevating sentiments as the following: \"It was, above all,\nher ardent, faith-inspired love of children that gained their hearts\nand exercised an irresistible influence over their affections. Thus\ndid Mother Caroline unconsciously attract young girls and inspire them\nwith a wish to become sisters.\"\n\n\nQ. In what other way do religious contribute to the salvation of\nsouls?\n\nA. From thousands of hospitals and other asylums of mercy and charity\nnumberless souls go up daily to heaven after having reformed their\nlives under the nursing hands, the hopeful words, and the prayerful\nhearts of religious men and women.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nMARKS OF A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE.\n\n\nQ. Which are the marks of a vocation to the religious state?\n\nA. No mark, or set of marks, is equally applicable to all, because God\ncalls persons to the higher states in various ways; yet a firm will to\nenter religion is a safe mark of a vocation to the religious state,\nprovided that the motives are good and no serious obstacle exists.\nThis firm will itself is a special grace of God, \"for it is God who\nworketh in you both _to will_ and to accomplish, according to His good\nwill.\" In the invitation to the counsels the will is the only\ncondition mentioned by Our Lord: \"If thou _wilt_ be perfect, go sell\nwhat thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in\nheaven; and come, follow Me.\"\n\nCommon sense proves the same; for no one questions the vocation of a\nperson who is determined, who sincerely wishes, to become a religious,\nif there is no impediment.\n\n\nQ. Is a firm will the only mark of a vocation to the religious state?\n\nA. No; for the grace of a vocation to a higher state may be offered to\npersons of weak will, as was the case of the young man of the Gospel\nwho was evidently called to be a disciple of Our Lord, but \"he went\naway sad, for he had great possessions.\" His will was not firm enough\nto reject the temptations caused by the riches and pleasures of the\nworld. Instead of corresponding to his vocation he tried to hush the\nvoice of conscience speaking to his heart.\n\n\nQ. By what other mark may a person recognize a vocation to the\nreligious state?\n\nA. The interior voice of conscience, soliciting the will through the\nintellect, and suggesting the religious state, is a mark of a\nvocation.\n\n\nQ. But how are we to recognize this voice of conscience?\n\nA. This voice of conscience, which is nothing else but the grace of\nGod speaking to the heart, is heard and recognized in various ways:\nwith some it has been lingering in the heart since childhood; to\nothers it comes later and more suddenly. This prompting of grace may\nresult from reading, from a sermon, a mission, a conversation, an\nexample, the death of a friend or an acquaintance, or even from\nmisfortune and disappointment. In a word, this interior voice may be\noccasioned by the thoughts and reflections of our mind, no matter what\ncaused these reflections.\n\n\nQ. Can you give some examples showing the effects of this interior\nvoice?\n\nA. Yes; St. Anthony, hearing at Mass the words, \"If thou wilt be\nperfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt\nhave treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me,\" became so inflamed with\nthe desire of securing his salvation that he gave away all his vast\npossessions and led a long life of penance and prayer in the desert.\n\nBy meditating on the life, passion, and death of Jesus Christ St.\nFrancis of Assisi was filled with such a burning zeal for God and his\nneighbor that he renounced his great wealth, and his right to an\nhonorable inheritance, and spent his life in inflaming others with\nzeal for the salvation of souls.\n\nThe foul sight and the stench of the corpse of the Empress Isabella\nopened the eyes of Francis Borgia to the folly of a worldly life. He\nrenounced the world and entered the Society of Jesus, where he\nsanctified himself, thinking often of the eternal torments of hell.\n\n\nQ. What, then, is the principal difference in the feelings or emotions\nof those called to the religious state?\n\nA. Some people, having their _will_ inflamed with a love for the\nreligious state, enter it with great pleasure, and without any\nquestions about the matter; others enter it only when their\n_understanding_ has become so enlightened as to discover the vanity\nand dangers of the world, and when they see clearly the greater\nsecurity of salvation in the religious state. These latter persons may\neven be somewhat dull in their affection for this state, and not so\ninclined, humanly, to follow that which reason and faith point out to\nthem; in their lower, animal feelings they may even experience a kind\nof repugnance to do what their higher reasoning powers dictate to\nthem. This second kind of vocation is better than the first, and more\ngenerally approved by those who are experienced in such matters; for,\nbeing grounded on reason and faith, it is less subject to error, and\nmore likely to attain the crown of perseverance.\n\n\nQ. Which are the proper motives for entering the religious state?\n\nA. The first motive should be the greater security of our own\nsalvation; the second, to promote the glory of God by a good life and\nby contributing to the salvation of others.\n\n\nQ. Which are the impediments to entrance into religion?\n\nA. The ordinary impediments are ill health, unsuitable age, and the\nobligation of supporting poor and helpless parents.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nDOUBTS ABOUT A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE.\n\n_Views of St. Ignatius and St. Francis de Sales._\n\n\nQ. What should be done by a person who thinks of entering the\nreligious state, but fears that he may not be called to it by Almighty\nGod?\n\nA. St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuit Order, gives an excellent\nanswer to this question. He says: \"If a person thinks of embracing a\nsecular life, he should ask and desire more evident signs that God\ncalls him to a secular life than if there were question of embracing\nthe evangelical counsels; for Our Lord Himself has evidently exhorted\nus to embrace His counsels, and, on the other hand, He has evidently\nlaid before us the great dangers and difficulties of a secular life;\nso that, if we rightly conclude, revelations and extraordinary tokens\nof His will are more necessary for a man entering upon a life in the\nworld than for one entering the religious state.\"\n\n\nQ. Is this doctrine of St. Ignatius supported by Sacred Scripture?\n\nA. This doctrine is in perfect harmony with the teaching of the\nScriptures. Our blessed Lord says: \"Woe to the world because of\nscandals;\" and St. John, the beloved disciple, says: \"If any man love\nthe world, the charity of the Father _is not in him;_ for all that is\nin the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence\nof the eyes, and the pride of life.\"\n\n\nQ. Can you quote other reliable authority on this matter of uncertain\nvocations?\n\nA. Yes; Lehmkuhl, a standard theologian, says: \"In order that a person\nmay safely embrace the religious state probable signs of a vocation\nare sufficient, together with a firm will of fulfilling the\nobligations to be assumed.\"\n\n\nQ. What does St. Francis de Sales teach on this point?\n\nA. On this subject St. Francis de Sales says: \"To have a sign of a\ntrue vocation it is not necessary that our constancy be _sensible;_ it\nsuffices if our good intention remains in the _superior_ part of our\nsoul. And therefore we must not judge that a vocation is not a true\none if a person does not feel sensible movements.\"\n\n\nQ. What if this divine call should change to coldness and repugnance?\n\nA. St. Francis de Sales answers: \"It is enough that the will remains\nfirm in not abandoning the divine call, and also that some affection\nremains for this call, even though a person should feel a coldness and\nrepugnance which sometimes cause him to waver and to fear that all is\nlost.\"\n\n\nQ. What does St. Francis de Sales say about expecting direct proofs\nfrom God?\n\nA. St. Francis says: \"To know whether God will have a person become a\nreligious it is not to be expected that God _Himself_ should speak, or\nsend an angel from heaven to signify His will. It is not necessary\nthat ten or twelve confessors should examine whether the vocation is\nto be followed. But it is necessary to correspond with the first\nmovement of the inspiration, and to cultivate it, and then not to grow\nweary if disgust or coldness should come on. If a person acts thus,\nGod will not fail to make all succeed to His glory. Nor ought we to\ncare much from what quarter the first movement comes. The Lord has\nmany ways of calling servants.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nENCOURAGING OTHERS TO ENTER THE RELIGIOUS STATE.\n\n\nQ. Is it allowable to encourage those who give signs of a vocation to\nenter the religious state?\n\nA. St. Thomas, the angel of the schools, says: \"Those who lead others\ninto religion not only commit no sin, but even merit a great reward;\nfor it is written: 'He who causeth a sinner to be converted from the\nerror of his way shall save his soul from death, and shall cover a\nmultitude of sins'; and, 'They that instruct many to justice shall\nshine as stars for all eternity.'\"\n\nYet coercion or forcing in this matter, is forbidden by the Fathers of\nthe Council of Trent.\n\n\nQ. We know that St. John Chrysostom, as well as St. Thomas, eloquently\ndefended the religious state; what does this holy and learned doctor\nsay on this point?\n\nA. St. Chrysostom says: \"If we knew that a place was unhealthy and\nsubject to pestilence, would we not withdraw our children from it,\nwithout being stopped by the riches that they might heap up in it, or\nby the fact that their health had not as yet suffered? . . . Among\nseculars shipwrecks are more frequent and sudden, because the\ndifficulties of navigation are greater; but with anchorites storms are\nless violent, the calm is almost undisturbed. This is why we seek to\ndraw _as many as we can_ to the religious life.\"\n\n\nQ. St. Jerome read every known author of his time, and summed up in\nhimself the doctrine of all; what does he teach about exhorting others\nto embrace the religious state?\n\nA. St. Jerome writes thus to Heliodorus: \"I invite you: make haste.\nYou have made light of my entreaties; perhaps you will listen to my\nreproaches. Effeminate soldier! What are you doing under the paternal\nroof? Though your mother tear her hair and rend her garments, though\nyour father stand on the threshold and forbid your departure, you must\nbe deaf to the voice of nature, and hasten with unmoistened eye to\nenlist under the banner of Christ; love for God and fear of hell\neasily break all chains.\"\n\n\nQ. Does St. Augustine teach the same doctrine?\n\nA. Yes; St. Augustine says: \"I have been passionately fond of the\nperfection of the evangelical counsels; with God's grace I have\nembraced them. With all the power I have I exhort others to do the\nsame; and I have companions whom I have succeeded in persuading.\"\n\n\nQ. What does St. Bernard teach about this question?\n\nA. Enumerating the advantages of religious above persons living in the\nworld, St. Bernard says: \"They live more purely, they fall more\nrarely, they rise more speedily, they are aided more powerfully, they\nlive more peacefully, they die more securely, and they are rewarded\nmore abundantly.\"\n\nThe influence which St. Bernard exercised by his letters and burning\nwords was so effectual, so irresistible, that he was soon surrounded\nby a company of young men, who not only changed their way of life, but\nbound themselves to him to follow the holy path which God had traced\nout for him.\n\nHis biographers tell us that the doctrine and eloquence of St. Bernard\nconcerning the religious state were so powerful and convincing that,\nwhen he preached, mothers concealed their sons, and wives hid their\nhusbands, and companions kept one another out of Bernard's way,\nbecause he persuaded so many to renounce the world and to embrace the\nreligious state. [*]\n\n[*] See larger catechism with examples: \"Questions on Vocations.\"\n\n\nQ. Is entrance into the religious state more important for some than\nfor others?\n\nA. Yes; entrance into religion is a moral obligation for some, whilst\nit is a privilege for others.\n\nThe two following pages will make this point clear.\n\n[_This page explains the _Obligation.__]\n\nSome are so evidently called to the religious state that they are\n_morally obliged_ to obey the call.\n\nProofs of this doctrine:\n\n1. The principle itself of special vocations. \"Who separated me from\nmy mother's womb, and _called_ me by _His grace._\"--GAL. i. 15.\n\n\"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to _every man unto profit_ .\n. . dividing to _every one_ according as _He will._\"--1. COR. xii. 7,\n11.\n\n2. \"There are _very many_ who _cannot enter heaven_ unless they\nabandon all things.\"--ST. GREGORY THE GREAT.\n\n3. \"If we wish to _secure our eternal salvation,_ we _must embrace_\nthat state of life to which God _calls_ us.\"--ST. LIGUORI.\n\n4. \"The choice of a state of life decides whether our conduct shall be\ngood or bad.\"--ST. GREGORY NAZIANZEN.\n\n5. \"It is very difficult to save one's self in a state of life in\nwhich God does not wish one to be.\"--ST. VINCENT DE PAUL.\n\n6. \"You run well, but out of the way; he who does little, but in the\nstate to which _God calls him,_ does more than he who labors much, but\nin a state which he has _thoughtlessly chosen;_ a cripple limping in\nthe right way is better than a racer out of it.\"--ST. AUGUSTINE.\n\n7. \"O hard-hearted father; O cruel mother; you wish rather that we\nperish with you (by remaining in the world) than be saved without\nyou.\"--ST. BERNARD.\n\n[_This page explains the _Privilege.__]\n\nThere are yet many more persons who have the _privilege_ of entering\nthe religious state without a _moral obligation_ of doing so.\n\nEven though persons should have vocations to the marriage state in the\nsense that God would not _require_ anything higher of them, yet they\nare _privileged_ to enter the religious state if no impediment exists.\n\nProofs of this doctrine:\n\n1. The MIND of Church. The Church sacredly guards for all her children\nthe _privilege_ of entering the religious state, even after promise of\nmarriage: \"Be zealous for the better gifts. And I shew unto you yet a\nmore excellent way.\"\n\n2. It is _of faith_ that virginity is preferable to matrimony: \"If any\none saith that the marriage state is to be preferred before the state\nof virginity, let him be anathema.\"--COUNCIL OF TRENT.\n\nThe religious state is a more usual and a safer way of preserving\nvirginity than a life in the outer world.\n\n3. The invitation to the counsels is _general;_ it may be accepted by\nanyone who is not prevented by some particular impediment, as\nmarriage, sickness, or home obligations.\n\n\"The three counsels--of poverty, chastity, and obedience--constitute\nthe substance, of the religious state.\"--SUAREZ.\n\n4. \"I say to the unmarried, and to the widows: it is good for them if\nthey so continue, even as I. . . . The unmarried woman and the virgin\nthinketh on the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body\nand in spirit. But she that is married thinketh on the things of the\nworld, how she may please her husband.\"--ST. PAUL.\n\n5. \"As it is the duty of the pastor to propose to himself the holiness\nand perfection of the faithful, his _earnest_ desires _must be in full\naccordance_ with those of the Apostle when, writing to the\nCorinthians, he says: 'I would that all men were even as myself;' that\nis, that all embraced the virtue of continence.\"--CATECHISM OF COUN.\nTRENT.\n\n6. \"A life of continence to be desired by all.\"--Marginal resume of\nthe above paragraph, CATECHISM OF COUN. TRENT, page 225.\n\n7. \"In the world there is a vast number of women who damn their souls;\nthe number of those who lose their souls in convents is very small.\"--\nST. LIGUORI.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMEANS OF PRESERVING A VOCATION TO THE RELIGIOUS STATE.--SOME\nOBSTACLES.\n\n\nQ. What are the means of preserving a vocation whilst preparing to\nenter the religious state?\n\nA. Prayer, retirement, and promptness in entering religion.\n\n\nQ. Why is retirement, or seclusion from the world, necessary in order\nto preserve the grace of a religious vocation?\n\nA. Because an apparently trifling circumstance often causes the loss\nof such a vocation. A day of amusement, a discouraging word, even from\na friend, an unmortified passion, or a conversation, especially with a\nperson of the opposite sex, often suffices to bring to naught the best\nresolution of giving one's self entirely to God.\n\n\nQ. Why should a vocation to the religious state be followed promptly?\n\nA. St. John Chrysostom, as quoted by St. Thomas, says: \"When God gives\nsuch vocations, He wills that we should not defer even for a moment to\nfollow them; for when the devil cannot bring a person to give up his\nresolution of consecrating himself to God, he at least seeks to make\nhim defer the execution of it, and he esteems it a great gain if he\ncan obtain the delay of one day, or even of one hour.\"\n\n\"Because,\" continues St. Liguori, \"after that day, or that hour, other\noccasions presenting themselves, it will be less difficult for the\ndevil to obtain greater delay, until the person, finding himself more\nfeeble and less assisted by grace, gives way altogether, and loses his\nvocation.\"\n\nSt. Jerome gives this advice to those who are called to quit the\nworld: \"Make haste. I beseech you, and rather cut than loosen the rope\nby which your bark is bound fast to the land;\" that is, break at once\nall ties that bind you to the world.\n\n\nQ. What other reason may be given why a religious vocation should be\nfollowed promptly?\n\nA. Like other graces, the grace of a religious vocation is transient;\nit may be offered to-day, and if not accepted, it may be withdrawn\nto-morrow: \"To-day if you shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.\"\n\"Exhort one another every day, whilst it is called to-day, that none\nof you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nCHILDREN AND THE RELIGIOUS STATE.\n\n\nQ. At what age may children enter the religious state?\n\nA. The Council of Trent teaches that young persons are permitted to\ntake their vows in the religious state at the age of sixteen, after\nmaking at least one year's novitiate.\n\nThe mind and the spirit of the Church show that youth is the best time\nto make this agreeable sacrifice to God; and even the Holy Ghost\nHimself testifies to the same: \"It is good for a man when he hath\nborne the yoke from his youth.\"\n\n\nQ. Do not a larger percentage persevere when subjects enter the\nreligious state late in life?\n\nA. No; the superiors of several of the largest and best organized\ncommunities testify that a larger percentage persevere of those who\nenter young.\n\nThe young are more easily formed to religious discipline. When persons\nare twenty years of age, or older, their minds and characters are less\npliable; it is harder to unbend and remould them: \"A young man,\naccording to his way, even when he is old, lie will not depart from\nit.\"\n\n\nQ. Is it, then, a mistaken principle to try the vocations of young\npersons by permitting them to acquire experience in the ways of the\nworld before entering the religious state?\n\nA. Yes; because \"he that loveth danger shall perish in it.\" As\nreasonably might you place enticing liquors before a man struggling\nagainst intemperance.\n\nWhen these youth are left to the mercy of so many enticing and\ndangerous influences, with their passions growing within them, and an\nenchanting world smiling upon them; when others around them are\n\"marrying and giving in marriage;\" when all are speaking of the world\nand thinking of the world, they will naturally be influenced by the\nmoral atmosphere in which they live.\n\nFacts confirm this doctrine; for if, through their own fault, or\nthrough the fault of their parents, those having vocations to the\nreligious state remain in the outer world until the end of their\n\"teens\" a large percentage of them lose their vocations and stay in\nthe world.\n\nPersons having thus lost their vocations usually live worse lives than\nother Christians, on account of the abuse of grace.\n\n\nQ. What is to be done when subjects cannot enter religion at an early\nage?\n\nA. In given instances, when children are unable to pursue a religious\nvocation at an early age, the greatest precaution should be taken,\nboth by themselves and by their parents and confessors, to keep alive\nthose higher and holier inspirations which the Holy Ghost diffuses\nmore liberally at the age of First Communion, and for about two or\nthree years afterwards.\n\n\nQ. Does not the Holy Ghost diffuse such special graces with equal\nliberality later in life?\n\nA. If such special graces have not already been abused, the Holy Ghost\nmay offer them at any time; but later in life this divine seed does\nnot usually find such well-prepared soil in the heart. The early\nlessons of faith and piety, and of the fear and love of God, easily\nbecome effaced by contact with the world.\n\nReligious vocations often share the fate of the seed that fell by the\nwayside and the seed that fell among thorns: \"And the cares of the\nworld, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other\nthings entering in, choke the word, and it is made fruitless.\"\n\n\nQ. Does Our Lord manifest any special preference for the young?\n\nA. Yes; He makes the conduct of children the standard for all who\nwould be saved: \"Unless you be converted, and become as little\nchildren, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.\" Again Our\nLord says: \"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid\nthem not; for of such is the kingdom of God.\"\n\n\nQ. What practical conclusion may drawn from these words of Our Lord?\n\nA. Commenting on these words of the Gospel, St. John Chrysostom says:\n\"If children are driven from Christ, who will deserve to go near Him?\nNow it is evident that we get near Jesus Christ mainly by the practice\nof the counsels. Children, therefore, should not be kept from Christ\nby hindering them from practising these counsels.\"\n\n\nQ. What is the doctrine of St. Thomas with regard to religious\nvocations in the young?\n\nA. On this matter St. Thomas says: \"This teaching is clearly the\noutcome of what occurs every day among men. For do we not see children\nput early to those avocations, arts, or trades which they are to\nfollow in after life? Candidates for the sanctuary begin in youth to\nacquire the knowledge which will help them later; those destined for a\nmilitary career are trained to arms from their early years; and the\nfuture tradesman is apprenticed when only a boy. Why, then, should a\nrule so well observed in other spheres be neglected in the case of a\nreligious life? I say even more: when a state of life is attended with\nmany difficulties, the greater is the need to habituate one's self\nfrom youth to overcome them. Hence we read in Jeremias: 'It is good\nfor a man when he hath borne the yoke from his youth.'\"\n\n\nQ. Are children obliged to obey their parents in the choice of a state\nof life?\n\nA. St. Liguori says: \"It is certain that in the choice of a state of\nlife children are not bound to obey their parents; thus St. Thomas and\nthe other Doctors teach unanimously.\" Both parents and children should\nremember the reply of the apostles to the unjust rulers who had\nforbidden them to preach Christ crucified: \"We ought to obey God\nrather than men.\"\n\n_Example._\n\nWhen St. Bernard and his brothers were bidding a final adieu to their\nhome and their father, they saw their youngest brother at play with\nother children in the castle yard. The oldest brother embraced him,\nsaying: \"My little brother Nivard, do you see this castle and these\nlands? Well, all these will be yours--yours alone.\" \"What!\" replied\nthe child with more than a child's thoughtfulness, \"are you going to\ntake heaven for yourselves and leave earth for me? The division is\nunequal.\" From that moment little Nivard could not be restrained\neither by his father, his relatives, or any human influence. He joined\nSt. Bernard, who, with his brothers and companions to the number of\nthirty, set out for the monastery of Citeaux.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nDUTY OF PARENTS REGARDING THE RELIGIOUS VOCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN.\n\n\nQ. Are not some parents unjust towards children that wish to enter the\nreligious state?\n\nA. Yes; unfortunately some parents are both unjust and unreasonable\nwith their children in this matter.\n\n\nQ. How is this unjust and unreasonable conduct of parents more clearly\nshown?\n\nA. When there is question of marriage with a rich, or an influential\nperson, many parents not only make no objection, but even urge the\nmatter, whether such a marriage is the will of God or not; and yet\nwhen the children are evidently called by Almighty God to higher and\nholier states--to become spouses of Jesus Christ--these same parents\nobject, and place obstacles in the path of their children.\n\nMany parents, having allowed their own faith to become deadened by\ncontact with the world, lose sight of the snares and pitfalls before\nthe feet of their children.\n\n\nQ. What do the Fathers of the Church say of parents who oppose\nchildren that wish to enter the religious state?\n\nA. Speaking of religious vocations, St. Thomas says: \"Frequently our\nfriends according to the flesh are opposed to our spiritual good.\"\n\nSt. Liguori says: \"Parents often prefer to see their children damned\nwith themselves rather than to see them saved away from them.\"\n\nOn this subject St. Bernard exclaims: \"O hard-hearted father! O cruel\nmother! Unfeeling souls! You are not parents, you are murderers; for\nyou grieve to see your son saved, and you rejoice at the sight of his\neternal perdition.\"\n\nThis is one of the ways in which, as Our Lord tells us: \"A man's\nenemies shall be they of his own household.\" Hence the touching\nadmonition of the Holy Ghost is particularly applicable to a person\ncalled to the religious state: \"Hearken, O daughter, and see, and\nincline thine ear; and forget thy people and thy father's house.\"\n\nAgain, our blessed Lord says: \"He that loveth father or mother more\nthan Me, is not worthy of Me.\"\n\n\nQ. Do parents commit sin in preventing their children from entering\nthe religious state?\n\nA. If children themselves incur imminent danger of losing their souls\nby neglecting a divine vocation, parents that prevent a vocation to\nthe religious state incur the danger of damning both themselves and\ntheir children. Such parents will have to answer also for the eternal\nloss of all those souls that their children would have saved in the\nreligious state.\n\n\nQ. What is the exact teaching of theology with regard to parents\npreventing their children from entering the religious state?\n\nA. St. Liguori gives the following, not only as his doctrine, but as\nthe teaching of theologians in general: \"Parents who, without a just\nand certain cause, prevent their children from entering the religious\nstate cannot be excused from _mortal sin;_ and not only parents, but\nany one who prevents another from following a religious vocation,\n_sins mortally._\"\n\n\nQ. What does the Council of Trent teach on this point?\n\nA. The Fathers of the Council of Trent place under anathema (as\naccursed) \"those who shall in any way, without a just cause, hinder\nthe holy wish of virgins or other women to take the veil or make their\nvows.\" (18th chapter, 25th session.)\n\n\nQ. Does God, even in this life, punish parents for having prevented\nthe higher vocations of their children?\n\nA. Yes; in punishment for thus thwarting His designs God often\npunishes parents by some misfortune, such as the premature death or\nthe reckless life of their children.\n\n\nQ. Is not long deliberation as well as the advice of many friends\nnecessary in order to avoid mistakes?\n\nA. St. Thomas says: \"Long deliberation and advice are required in\ndoubtful matters, but in those things which are certain and evident no\ncounsel is required.\"\n\nSt. Thomas concludes his article on the religious state with these\nbeautiful words: \"It is a sweet yoke, and those who bear it on their\nshoulders have the promise of being one day consoled by the delightful\nenjoyment of God and the eternal repose of the soul.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nVOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD.\n\n\nQ. Is it necessary to have a special vocation in order to enter the\npriesthood?\n\nA. Yes; for St. Paul says: \"Neither doth any man take the honor to\nhimself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was.\" Our Lord said to\nHis disciples: \"You have not chosen Me; but I have chosen you, and\nhave appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit,\nand your fruit should remain.\" [*]\n\n[*] For fuller information see larger catechism, \"Questions on\nVocations.\"\n\n\nQ. Which are the marks of a vocation to the priesthood?\n\nA. The principal marks are: 1, a virtuous life; 2, a pure intention;\n3, a desire of becoming a priest.\n\n\nQ. Are not great talents necessary in order to enter the priesthood?\n\nA. No; a person of ordinary talents may become a very useful and\nsuccessful priest.\n\n\nQ. Why is a virtuous life necessary in one who aspires to the\npriesthood?\n\nA. St. Thomas, the angelic doctor, gives the following reasons: \"We\nmust place the sublime burden of the priesthood only on walls already\ndried by sanctity; that is, freed from the malignant humor of sin.\" In\nanother place the holy doctor says: \"As he who takes orders is raised\nabove seculars in dignity, so should he be superior to them in\nsanctity.\"\n\n\nQ. What is meant by a pure intention?\n\nA. The intention of securing one's own salvation and of promoting the\nglory of God by contributing to the salvation of others.\n\n\nQ. What is meant by the desire to become a priest?\n\nA. It means an interior feeling or impulse of grace inclining a person\ntowards the priesthood.\n\n\nQ. How may this desire be obtained?\n\nA. By considering the goodness of our blessed Lord, His life of zeal,\nand labor, and His burning desire to save souls; the honor and the\nreward of continuing His work; by meditating on some passage of the\nSacred Scripture or the truths of eternity; by reflecting on the\nshortness of life and the dangers of secular pursuits.\n\n\nQ. May this desire be acquired by external means?\n\nA. Yes; this desire may be the result of a sermon, of the instructions\nof pastors and teachers, or of advice and example. It may come also\nfrom the prayers, the good example, and the encouragement of parents.\n\n\nQ. How may a person know that this desire comes from God, even\nindirectly?\n\nA. He can judge by the motives which prompt this desire; a person\nevidently has a divine vocation when his desire of becoming a priest\nis fairly continuous; when the motives are good, and no serious\nobstacle exists.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nDO VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD COME DIRECTLY FROM GOD?\n\n\nQ. Is it necessary that vocations to the priesthood should come\ndirectly from God? [*]\n\nA. No; generally speaking, God selects and prepares His ministers\nthrough those whom He has appointed to watch over the interests of His\nChurch. Even St. Paul did not receive his vocation directly from God.\nHe was converted directly, but to his question: \"Lord, what wilt Thou\nhave me to do?\" he received this answer: \"Arise, and go into the city,\nand there _it shall be told thee_ what them must do.\" God made use of\nAnanias to communicate to St. Paul his vocation.\n\n[*] \"Almighty God, who usually employs secondary agents in the choice\nof His ministers, often selects pious matrons for moulding the\ncharacter and directing the steps of their sons toward the sanctuary.\"\n(\"Ambassador of Christ,\" by Cardinal Gibbons.) We highly recommend\nthis most excellent work, especially to students, parents, and\naspirants to the priesthood.\n\n\nQ. Did all the other apostles receive their vocations directly from\nOur Lord?\n\nA. No; in their first call several of the apostles were brought to Our\nLord by indirect means: St. Andrew and St. John the Evangelist were\nsent to the Saviour by St. John the Baptist: \"Ecce Agnus Dei\" [\"Behold\nthe Lamb of God\"]. And the two disciples heard him [John the Baptist]\nspeak, and they followed Jesus.\"\n\n\"He [Andrew] findeth first his brother Simon, and said to him: We have\nfound the Messias; . . . and he _brought_ him to Jesus.\"\n\n\"On the following day he [Andrew] would go forth into Galilee, and he\n_findeth_ Philip, . . . Philip _findeth_ Nathanael, and said to him:\nWe have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did\nwrite, Jesus, the son of Joseph of Nazareth.\" At first there is a\ndisagreement of views and sentiments between Philip and Nathanael, so\nthat Philip had to use persuasion to bring Nathanael to his own way of\nthinking: \"And Nathanael said to him: Can anything of good come from\nNazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael\ncoming to Him and He saith of him: Behold an Israelite, indeed, in\nwhom there is no guile. Nathanael saith to Him: Whence knowest Thou\nme? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip _called_ thee,\nwhen thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee.\"\n\nMany excellent subjects, many a Nathanael \"in whom there is no guile,\"\nmay be found loitering under the fig-tree of the world, awaiting some\nzealous Philip \"to call\" them to Jesus.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nFOSTERING VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD.\n\n_The fathers of the Council of Baltimore on Fostering Vocations._\n\n\nQ. Is it allowable for priests, parents, teachers, and others to\nfoster and encourage vocations to the priesthood in the youth\ncommitted to their care?\n\nA. It is not only allowable, it is in some measure a duty.\n\n\nQ. How is this proved?\n\nA. The Fathers of the late Plenary Council of Baltimore, after the\nexample of the Fathers of the Council of Trent, give very clear and\npractical instructions on this matter. The Fathers say: \"We exhort in\nthe Lord, and earnestly entreat pastors and other priests, that they\nwould diligently turn their minds to searching after and finding out,\namong the boys committed to their care, such as are fit for the\necclesiastical state and seem called to it.\"\n\n\nQ. Are not some parents to be blamed for their indifference or their\nopposition with regard to higher vocations in their children?\n\nA. Yes; the Fathers of the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore gently\nrebuke certain worldly minded parents for not fostering vocations to\nthe priesthood in their sons. Deploring the lack of such vocations,\nthe Fathers say in their pastoral letter: \"We fear that the fault lies\nin great part with many parents, who, instead of fostering the desire\nso natural to the youthful heart of dedicating itself to the service\nof God's sanctuary, but too often impart to their children their own\nworldly-mindedness, and seek to influence their choice of a state of\nlife by unduly exaggerating the difficulties and dangers of the\npriestly calling, and painting in too glowing colors the advantages of\na secular life. To such parents we would most earnestly appeal,\nimploring them not to interfere with the designs of God on their\nchildren when they perceive in them a growing disposition to attach\nthemselves to the service of the altar.\n\n\"If God rewards the youthful piety of your sons by calling them to\nminister in His sanctuary, the highest privilege He confers on man, do\nnot endeavor to give their thoughts another direction. To those whom\nGod invites to co-operate with Him in the most divine of all works,\nthe salvation of souls, the words of Christ to His apostles are\napplicable: 'Amen I say to you: every one that hath left house, or\nbrothers or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or\nlands for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall\npossess life everlasting.'\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nPREVENTING VOCATIONS TO THE PRIESTHOOD.\n\n\nQ. Is it a sin to prevent a person from following a vocation to the\npriesthood?\n\nA. Yes; because, as we have seen, the salvation of one who does not\nfollow his vocation is greatly endangered; also because in such a case\nthe designs of God would be thwarted.\n\nThe late Archbishop Lynch, of Toronto, is authority for the statement\nthat the average priest secures the salvation of five thousand souls.\nThis means that on the average, for every young man that becomes a\npriest there will be five thousand souls less in hell, and five\nthousand more in heaven, for all eternity. Hence he who prevents a\nvocation to the priesthood shall be responsible for the loss of\nnumerous souls.\n\n\nQ. Is it right to pray for the grace of a vocation to the priesthood?\n\nA. Certainly; this grace, as well as other special graces, may very\nappropriately be made the object of prayer. Our Lord, pointing out the\ngreat number of souls to be saved, said to His disciples: \"The harvest\nindeed is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord\nof the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest.\"\n\nMany parents have by fervent, humble, and persevering prayer obtained\nfor their sons the grace of being called to the sublime dignity of the\npriesthood.\n\n\nQ. When a young man ascertains that he is called to the priesthood, is\nhis vocation fully decided?\n\nA. No; because the secular priesthood and the religious priesthood are\ndistinct states of life, each having its advantages and its\nresponsibilities, and therefore a special vocation and special graces\nare necessary for each of these states. Hence in deciding between\nthese two states a person should think earnestly, and ask the grace to\nknow whether he is called to the secular or to the religious\npriesthood\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII\n\nMEANS OF KNOWING OUR VOCATION.\n\n\n_1. Prayer._\n\nST. JAMES says: \"If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who\ngiveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be\ngiven to him.\"\n\nThis wisdom, according to Cornelius a Lapide, is the knowledge of our\nlast end and of the means of attaining it. Young people without\nexperience, and having yet to choose a state of life, have great need\nof this wisdom. \"All things whatsoever you shall in prayer, believing,\nyou shall receive.\"\n\nPrayer is the divinely appointed means of obtaining grace. \"Ask, and\nyou shall receive; that your joy may be full.\" \"Know ye that the Lord\nwill hear your prayers, if you continue with perseverance.\" \"Every one\nthat asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that\nknocketh, it shall be opened.\"\n\n\"Who is the man that can understand his own way?\" God alone knows both\nthe obstacles and the helps that you are to meet in your way. Cry out,\nthen, with the Royal prophet: \"Make the way known to me, wherein I\nshould walk; for I have lifted up my soul to Thee.\"\n\nSt. Liguori says: \"We should pray earnestly to God to make known to us\nHis will, whatever may be the state He has in store for us. Do not\nfail to recommend yourself in a special manner to our holy Mother, the\nBlessed Virgin Mary, beseeching her to obtain for you the grace\nperfectly to fulfil the will of her divine Son.\"\n\n\"In all your doubts and anxieties,\" says St. Bernard, \"think of Mary,\ncall upon her name.\"\n\n_2. Freedom from Sin._\n\nWhen mortal sin reigns in the soul, it acts like a dark cloud veiling\nfrom us the light of heaven: \"For wisdom will not enter into a\nmalicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins.\" \"Your iniquities\nhave divided between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face\nfrom you.\" \"The way of the wicked is darksome; they know not her into\nthe wilderness, and I will speak to where they fall.\"\n\nGod loves to communicate Himself to those whose hearts are free from\nthe defilements of sin. \"Blessed are the clean of heart; for they\nshall see God.\" \"The clean of heart\" shall see God, not only in\nheaven, but even in this life; they shall see Him in His works and\nrecognize His providence in all His designs: \"To them that love God,\nall things work together unto good.\"\n\nHence he who wishes to ascertain the state of life which he should\nembrace ought to keep himself constantly in the friendship of God:\n\"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.\"\n\n_3. Humility._\n\n\"Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord.\" \"God resisteth the\nproud, and giveth grace to the humble.\" \"The prayer of him that\nhumbleth himself shall pierce the clouds; and he will not depart till\nthe Most High behold.\"\n\n_4. Retreat._\n\nGod loves to communicate His choicest favors in the silence of\nretreat: \"I will lead her into the wilderness and I will speak to her\nheart.\"\n\nIf you cannot make a regular retreat, at least avoid all dissipation\nof mind; retire into the solitude of your heart, after the example of\nSt. Catharine of Siena and other saints, always remembering that God\nis near you and that He wishes to speak to your heart.\n\n_5. Counsel._\n\n\"My son, do thou nothing without counsel, and thou shalt not repent\nwhen thou hast done.\"\n\nYour best adviser is your confessor. Through his own vocation he\nreceives special helps from God.\n\nTo know and to do God's will in the choice of a state of life is a\ngrace which parents should earnestly invoke upon their children even\nfrom infancy; and it is important that the children themselves,\nespecially from the time of their First Communion, should daily ask of\nGod the grace to know their vocation.\n\nFor this purpose they would do well to say daily three Hail Marys, or\nthe following beautiful prayer of St. Bernard, which might be\nappropriately said in common; for \"where two or three are gathered\ntogether in My name, there am I in the midst of them.\"\n\n_Prayer of St. Bernard._\n\nRemember, O most pious and compassionate Virgin Mary, that from all\nages it is unheard of, that any one was forsaken who, placing himself\nunder thy maternal protection, implored thy assistance and begged the\nfavor of thy prayers. Animated with the confidence which this\ninspires, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins and Mother of my God, and\nin the bitterness of my sorrow I throw myself at thy feet. O Mother of\nthe Eternal Word, despise not my humble supplication, but listen\ngraciously, and mercifully grant me the request which from my heart I\nmake to thee. Amen.\n\nAn indulgence of three hundred days.\n\n\n\nPRINTED BY BENZIGER BROTHERS, NEW YORK.","title":"Vocations Explained: Matrimony, Virginity, the Religious State and the Priesthood","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":11496}