Question X: Whence the greater perfection of a religious order is to be judged

According to the commonly received doctrine of St. Dionysius, cap. 7. de div. nom. which he reports and follows, St. Thomas, Paludanus 4. dist. 38. quaest. 3. art. 1. St. Antoninus 3. part. tit. 16. cap. 4. §. 4. and many others cited at length, Manuel qq. regul. tom. 3. quaest. 48. art. 1. Tanner disp. 6. quaest. 3. dub. 2. num. 34. Valentia disp. 16. quaest. 6. puncto 2. who accordingly teach that the greater excellence of a Religious Order over others lies in that which pursues either a better end, or more ends of those that are better; as to the means, it is praised not for austerities, or the quantity of works, but for the proportion of the means to the end.

I SUPPOSE first, with St. Bonaventure in Apol. cap. 3. resp. primae, and quaest. 18. ad Regulam S. Francisci, that religious orders agree in many things. First, they agree in the end of CHARITY, which they set before themselves not only by keeping the commandments, by which sins against Charity are removed, but also by warding off the occasions of evil and the impediments to good. Such are the vows; for by the observance of the law there is warded off whatever is in the world, whether the concupiscence of the flesh, or the concupiscence of the eyes, or the pride of life, which are the three chief heads of sins, from which the others are derived. But by the vows we are separated even from those things which furnish an occasion for sins. Thus by the vow of Chastity whatever fosters the concupiscence of the flesh is removed; by the vow of poverty, whatever fosters the concupiscence of the eyes; and by the vow of obedience, that which fosters the pride of life.

THEN they agree because all Religious Orders establish for themselves some particular work of CHARITY, or even some things as it were an immediate end, by which they finally arrive at the end of Charity, and they add besides particular exercises and observances, whereby they may more easily keep the vows and attain the immediate and the ultimate end; such are vigils, penances, etc.

ALL must also be approved by the Apostolic See. This Valentia also has, puncto 1. and others.

The Saintly Doctor observes further, serm. 22. Hexaemeron, and in the places cited, that the variety of religions makes for the ornament of the Church, with which the Church is clothed and shines, in vestitu deaurato circumdata varietate. Psalm. 44. For some devote themselves to contemplation alone, whom the Saintly Doctor compares to the Thrones. Such, he says, are the Monks. Others apply themselves to contemplation and also to instructing the people, teaching them by sermons, and leading peoples to salvation; and such, he says, are the Preachers, whom he compares to the Cherubim. Others insist above all on Divine love, with every manner of separation from worldly things, withdrawn from the world, with the most perfect poverty excluding even common possession, and renouncing other comforts; with the most perfect chastity guarding even against companionships and other incentives removed; by the most sublime obedience, obeying in all things where there is no offense of God; and this he calls the Seraphic religion, which contains the Seraphim; since it is destined also for the purifying, illuminating, and perfecting of others, as he pursues at length in the book on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy.

THEREFORE, establishing the assumption, I say that that religion is better which more fully attains the end, and those means are better which are more ordered in a direct line; for the nobility and preeminence of religions must be taken with respect to the end of CHARITY, and their austerities insofar as they are ordered to a greater separation from the world and approach to God; for the more one recedes from one extreme, the more one approaches the other opposite.

In this, however, some Recent writers assume something false, saying that no greater perfection of a religion is to be taken from the frequentation of the choir, because it can happen that it does not conduce to the intended end of CHARITY, and indeed impedes greater goods, namely the exercises of teaching and preaching; and that if ever a Choir has been introduced into an order of this kind, it was destined only for those unfit for spiritual exercises of the salvation of souls. Whence they conclude that there can be most perfect religions making no use at all of the Choir, all the more since they are held to exclude from it those unfit for their institute of preaching and teaching.

Truly, however, the Choir is acclaimed by the Holy Fathers as most useful for the end of elevation in God, and for the contemplative life, which surpasses the active. Nor does anyone rightly pursue the active life alone, but he must with Christ ascend from the crowds to the mountain of contemplation, and thus they will enter upon the most perfect mixed life. On the most holy institution of the Choir see our Bouerius in the first Tome of the Annals.

The Saintly Doctor hands down many signs, quaest. 18. concerning the rule of St. Francis, from which a greater perfection of a religion is gathered.

The FIRST is a more fervent study of the virtues, especially of separation from worldly things and of union with God through CHARITY.

The SECOND is, if they strive to uproot all vices and to sow virtues, to cut off the occasions of evils, and to show zeal for greater purity.

The THIRD, if they love the just, hate the wicked, that only the upright be taken up for the governance of souls, and by them the order be governed, and even small corruptions be eliminated: For he that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little, Ecclus. 19.

The FOURTH, if they withdraw themselves from the company of seculars, flee honors, do not covet riches, and are ashamed to be conformed to this world.

The FIFTH, if they willingly endure injuries and persecutions: For patience hath a perfect work, as he also pursues at length in the Apology in the place cited.

From what has been said the Saintly Doctor gathers, quaest. 12. super regulam S. Francisci, that a transition can be made from any religion to the Order of Minors, as to a more perfect one, unless on account of scandals to be avoided and disturbances it has been otherwise disposed by the holy See.

The REASON of St. Bonaventure is, because in that religion the regular vows are more eminent, as I showed above, even though some religions are more eminent in abstinence from flesh, silence, and the Ecclesiastical Office: for these are compensated by the spiritual observance of the vows, in which the essence of religion is placed, just as a great weight of silver by a little gold.