ARTICLE II: ON THE OBLIGATION OF A VOW

384. Principles. - I. A vow obligates of itself, as a law or precept of the Church does, and therefore gravely in grave matter, and lightly in light matter; for a vow is as it were a certain private law which one imposes on himself.

II. A vow obligates according to the intention of the one vowing, if he determines the quantity of obligation in the act of vowing, so that he can bind himself only under light sin in matter however grave. The reason is that just as a legislator or Superior can obligate under light sin only in grave matter, so also he who vows a grave thing can impose only a light obligation upon himself. - Yet conversely he cannot obligate himself gravely in a light thing, because light matter is not capable of grave obligation. - Thus commonly.⁴

385. Questions. - Quaer. 1° What matter of itself is judged light or grave in a vow?

Resp. That matter is judged grave which, when prescribed by the Church, gravely obligates, as fasting, Mass, etc.; or which, compared with another precept, seems grave, or contributes notably to the end of the vow or to the worship of God.

Quaer. 2° Do several light matters coalesce to make grave matter?

Resp. Negatively, if the light matters are vowed separately, so that the obligation is attached precisely to the time or day, or to sanctifying that day. - But otherwise, if the light matters are vowed by way of one thing, so that the determination of the day accedes only to urge execution, as generally happens in real vows; except nevertheless unless something else is established from the intention of the one vowing, on which the whole obligation and reason of obligation depend.

386. • Quaer. 3° Can someone be bound by another's vow?

Resp. Negatively, at least by reason of the vow; the reason is that a vow is a personal burden voluntarily taken up, and therefore no one can promise another's thing or action. - Hence the vows of parents devoting children to some Religion, or imposing on them an obligation, for example of fasting on certain days, etc., cannot bind them. But although children are not bound by such vow of the parents, the vow nevertheless obligates the parents so that, as much as in them lies, preserving the liberty of the children, they move them to embracing that which they vowed for them, and much more that they not hinder children willing to embrace it.

I said: at least by reason of the vow; for from justice the heir is bound to fulfill the real vows of the deceased (n. 874), and a law or custom can obligate descendants to a fast or feast introduced by a public vow.

Quaer. 4° What delay is to be judged grave?

Resp. 1° Of itself any delay of a vow gravely obligating is grave, when it is affixed to a determined time, as is the vow of fasting on such a vigil, etc.; because when the time has passed, the obligation of the vow ceases, which cannot be compensated.

Resp. 2° But if a determined time was not present, or was fixed only for urging execution of the vow, a notable delay in a grave thing will be a grave sin, according to St. Alphonsus and others. But a delay without just cause beyond two or three years in a temporal vow, and beyond six months in a perpetual one, is judged notable, as for example in a vow of entering religion made by one who is no longer quite young.²

387. You will resolve. - 1° Real vows must be fulfilled from one's own goods; but he who cannot fulfill from his own is not bound to beg from another in order that he may be able to satisfy. Yet he satisfies if another, either asked or spontaneously, wishes to fulfill for him, although he himself can satisfy; because what another gives, with the consent or ratification of the one vowing acceding, becomes his own. Except if the matter of the real vow was determined by the one vowing for a peculiar reason; for then it must be expended in the individual thing.

2° Personal vows can be fulfilled only by the one vowing himself, nor do they pass to heirs. Hence he who vowed a pilgrimage does not satisfy by inducing another to it.

3° A vow indeterminate as to cessation of time, for example concerning a daily rosary, or a fast to be kept on each Saturday, obligates perpetually, unless something else is gathered from circumstances. In doubt whether the vow is temporary or perpetual, or for a month or a year, the minimum must be held.¹

4° He who vowed something without a certain quantity, for example alms, money, etc., satisfies by giving that which he wills, provided he does not contribute so little that he seems rather to mock God than to fulfill the vow.

5° He who vowed to hear Mass through a month or year more probably is not bound on feast days to hear two Masses, unless he explicitly vowed this; because the end of the vow is that on each single day he should gather the fruit of the Sacrifice. Likewise he is not bound to fast on Sunday who vowed to fast for a month, a year, or his whole life, unless he expressly obligated himself to this; because he is judged to vow fasting according to the custom of the Church.³

6° He who vowed fasting on the vigil of some Saint, if this falls on Sunday, can fulfill the vow on Saturday according to the custom of the Church.⁴

7° In a disjunctive vow (namely in a vow of furnishing one of two or several things, for example either fasting or giving alms on Saturday), the part which is chosen must be furnished, even if after the choice the other part becomes impossible. But if before the choice one part has become impossible without fault of the one vowing, the vow falls; otherwise the obligation remains for the surviving part.⁵

8° He who has emitted a conditioned vow, and impedes the verification of the condition by reasons or prayers, does not sin; otherwise if by force or fraud. But although in this case he sinned, nevertheless more probably he remains free from the vow, unless the contrary intention of the one vowing must be presumed, as it must be presumed for example in a son who vowed that he would enter Religion unless his father contradicted; for his intention seems to have been unless he contradicted from himself, spontaneously, with the son left to himself.¹

9° A vow of not striving either directly or indirectly for ecclesiastical dignities, which is emitted in certain Religious Institutes, according to Suarez: a) of itself is not violated by a merely internal desire of those dignities, although ambitious and therefore sinful from this heading; for to desire is not to strive;² b) neither is he to be said to strive indirectly who from this desire does something which is ordered only to this, that greater capacity for the dignity be obtained, for example to study more diligently;³ c) this vow is violated by him who through an external action, even indirect, for example a display of capacity, endeavors effectively to move another so that the dignity be conferred on him or procured for him by that other.⁴