Case 1. A Vocation to Religion

Caius, a young man of excellent ability and good morals, educated in a certain Catholic College, as the time for leaving the College approached, went to his confessor and asked what he ought to do. For he fears that he may be called to the religious state, since for almost an entire year the thought of entering religion has very frequently come into his mind, and he is persuaded that he would easily attain salvation in that state, whereas this would be rather difficult in the world because of his lively disposition and inclination to pleasures; nevertheless, his spirit shrinks from the austerity of religious life. He therefore wishes to know whether he is bound to enter religion. Hence it is asked:

1. What is a divine vocation, and how is it known whether someone has a vocation?

2. Does one who is called sin if he does not follow the vocation, or one who is not called if he thrusts himself into the religious state?

3. What is to be said of the case?

1. This question is answered above, p. 23.

2. Does one who is called to religion sin if he does not follow his vocation, and does he sin who enters religion without a vocation?

The answer given above with regard to vocation to the priesthood may be applied to this question. With regard to religious life which does not involve the priesthood, many divines hold with St. Thomas that a general vocation is given by God to all who are free and suited to the religious state. So that any such persons who choose to enter religion for some supernatural motive are in fact called thereto by God. As a vocation to a religious life is a call to perfection and to the practising of the counsels of the Gospel, which do not bind under sin, no sin is committed per se by one who does not follow such a vocation. If, however, he is conscious that by remaining in the world he would expose his salvation to serious danger he would of course commit sin by neglecting the necessary means to save his soul. 1

3. The case. Caius, a young man of excellent disposition and good morals, is afraid that he has a vocation to the religious life. The thought of it has often been in his mind during the past year; he is persuaded that he could easily save his soul in that state of life, while he is afraid that on account of his lively disposition and inclination for pleasure he would find it difficult to do so in the world. What deters him is the austerity of religion. Caius manifests some of the ordinary signs of a religious vocation. His fear of the austerity of the life does not militate against his having a genuine vocation, and should not be reckoned when trying to come to a decision. The confessor therefore should tell Caius that a religious vocation is a great grace which God gives to those whom He specially loves, 1 Manual of Moral Theology, vol. i, p. 642.

as He did to the young man in the Gospel. He might tell him that he has many of the signs of a religious vocation, but he should not attempt to settle the question himself; he should let Caius do that, recommending him to make a retreat for the purpose.