8. The hope of gaining heaven, of being assured of a death precious in the sight of God, and of preparing for oneself a favourable judgment.

9. The thought of the spiritual helps which the Religious Life furnishes so abundantly in the exercises of piety, the rules, the vigilance of Superiors, the example of the brethren, enlightened direction, etc.

10. The happiness of living in community with the brethren, sheltered from most of the dangers of the world, far from occasion of sin.

II. The thought of the numberless merits to be acquired in that state, the graces which are its lot, the glory which is to be its reward.

12. The peace, the security, the joy, the happiness of a soul that belongs entirely to God.

13. The examples of the Saints who have gone before us in this noble course, and have left us such wonderful examples of devotion to God and contempt for the world.

14. The desire of giving oneself freely to prayer and contemplation, and of living alone with God in solitude.

15. The assurance of doing the will of God in everything by obedience, and thus avoiding a multitude of sins and assuring real merit to all one's actions, even the least.

16. The consolation of doing something for God, of sacrificing to Him the little one possesses, and of purchasing heaven by renouncing all to follow Jesus Christ our Lord.

17. The desire of being more closely united to God, and of acquiring greater perfection.

18. The desire of becoming more like Jesus Christ, poor, humble, suffering, obedient for our sake.

19. The desire of labouring for the salvation of souls, and of suffering greatly for that purpose.

20. The desire of labouring for the greater glory of God in a manner that is more sure, more excellent, more efficacious, more perfect.

"All these motives are good," says Père Gautrelet, "and rest on principles of faith, as it is easy to convince oneself. They may, therefore, serve as the foundation of a vocation to the Religious State. It is not necessary to have thought of all; one of them well understood is enough to decide the soul and lead it to make its resolution. Some are more perfect than others, and we have sought to show a sort of progression in those which have been indicated."1

III. Of Responding to Religious Vocation

One who believes he is called to the Religious Life is not bound under pain of sin to respond. The Religious Life is a life of counsel, not of precept, and for this reason no sin per se can attach to the act of rejecting a vocation, even though one is convinced beyond doubt that it is the will of God for him. Should one feel convinced, however, that the question of entering Religion involved the saving of his soul, he could not be acquitted of grave sin should he turn his back upon his vocation. This would not be so, however, because of his rejection of vocation in itself, but because he had rejected something which

1 Gautrelet, op. cit., Vol. i, p. 30.

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he believed in conscience to be necessary for his salvation.

But while there is no sin per se in rejecting a call of God that is not of precept, it is nevertheless a perilous act in view of what its effect may be. If God ordains that a soul shall work out its perfection in a certain state of life, it is a rash thing for this soul deliberately to choose another state in which to seek this perfection.

St. Alphonsus says, "He who chooses the state to which God calls him will save himself with facility." The reason is simple: because he puts himself directly in the way of reaping the innumerable graces and spiritual perfection which God has specially prepared for him.

"For him who does not obey the divine call," continues this great saint and doctor of the Church, "it will be difficult . . . for him to save himself . because those helps will be denied him which God has prepared for him in Religion."

1

In short, God gives us no guarantee of grace for a self-chosen work, and while His extraordinary mercy may, in such an event, still provide us with means of salvation, yet the soul that wilfully and knowingly rejects the plan that God has prepared for it in this world will find it difficult to reach the place He has prepared for it in the world to come. This is far from saying that it will not have a place in the Kingdom, but it is a rash thing to choose a lower place than that which the love of God has prepared for us from the foundation of the world.

1 St. Alphonsus, The Great Means of Salvation, pp. 461-2 (N.Y. 1886).

Under no possible circumstances, however, is a soul to be regarded as reprobate because a known vocation has been refused. Were this true, the chief glory of the Religious vocation would be lost, which is that it is a life of counsel, not of precept, and those who accept it do so not from moral compulsion, but of their own free will for love of God and His service.

Especially is this true when the soul is not aroused to the seriousness of that rejection until it is too late to repair the act; as after marriage, or when age or infirmity has made Religion impossible. Even when refusal of vocation involves sin, it is like any other act of sin, capable of being repented of. By penitence and zealous service of God, the soul can compensate for its spiritual losses.

It is the teaching of all authorities, following St. Thomas, that long deliberation and much taking of counsel concerning a possible vocation is not to be advised. When we consider our Lord's earnest and repeated exhortation to the Life of the Counsels,1 it would seem that greater signs are to be required to deter one from embracing the Religious State than to bring one to adopt it.2

Generous souls will give God the benefit of whatever doubt may exist, and hasten to embrace the condition of life to which our Lord Himself has attached so many extraordinary assurances of blessing and reward both in this world and in the world to come.

1 St. Matthew xix. 12, 21, 29; St. Mark x. 21, 29, 30; St. Luke xviii. 22, 29, 30.

2 St. Thomas, Summa. 2. 2, Q. 189, Art. 10.

IV. Of the Duty of Superiors Regarding Religious

Aspirants

So much for the obligations of one who believes himself to be called of God to the Religious Life. An obligation lies also, however, upon Religious communities acting through their proper authorities. If a soul offers himself to a community, it is the duty of the authorities to give him a trial unless definite cause for contrary action appear.

This obligation lies upon the Superior for three

reasons:

1. For the honour of God. God has instituted the Religious Life in His Church that He may gain glory and honour from the dedication of souls to His service in the Life of the Counsels. Those who, without reason, bar the way to earnest souls seeking thus to serve Him are holding back from Him the particular honour that He has prepared for Himself. The ordinary human agents He employs to this end are the Superiors of Religious communities, and if through whim or personal feeling they reject an aspirant, they are setting aside the divine honour in favour of their own inclinations. St. Basil says,

Since our Lord Jesus Christ has said, ' Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,' it is dangerous to reject those who desire, by means of us, to draw near unto the Lord, and to take upon themselves His easy yoke and the burden of His commandments which raises us to heaven."1

1 St. Basil, Regulae Fusius, 10.