Whether Those Who Are Not Practiced in Keeping the Commandments
Should Enter Religion?
Objection 1: It would seem that none should enter religion but those
who are practiced in the observance of the commandments. For our Lord
gave the counsel of perfection to the young man who said that he had
kept the commandments "from his youth." Now all religious orders
originate from Christ. Therefore it would seem that none should be
allowed to enter religion but those who are practiced in the
observance of the commandments.
Obj. 2: Further, Gregory says (Hom. xv in Ezech., and Moral. xxii):
"No one comes suddenly to the summit; but he must make a beginning of
a good life in the smallest matters, so as to accomplish great
things." Now the great things are the counsels which pertain to the
perfection of life, while the lesser things are the commandments
which belong to common righteousness. Therefore it would seem that
one ought not to enter religion for the purpose of keeping the
counsels, unless one be already practiced in the observance of the
precepts.
Obj. 3: Further, the religious state, like the holy orders, has a
place of eminence in the Church. Now, as Gregory writes to the bishop
Siagrius [*Regist. ix, Ep. 106], "order should be observed in
ascending to orders. For he seeks a fall who aspires to mount to the
summit by overpassing the steps." [*The rest of the quotation is from
Regist. v, Ep. 53, ad Virgil. Episc.]. "For we are well aware that
walls when built receive not the weight of the beams until the new
fabric is rid of its moisture, lest if they should be burdened with
weight before they are seasoned they bring down the whole building"
(Dist. xlviii, can. Sicut neophytus). Therefore it would seem that
one should not enter religion unless one be practiced in the
observance of the precepts.
Obj. 4: Further, a gloss on Ps. 130:2, "As a child that is weaned is
towards his mother," says: "First we are conceived in the womb of
Mother Church, by being taught the rudiments of faith. Then we are
nourished as it were in her womb, by progressing in those same
elements. Afterwards we are brought forth to the light by being
regenerated in baptism. Then the Church bears us as it were in her
hands and feeds us with milk, when after baptism we are instructed in
good works and are nourished with the milk of simple doctrine while
we progress; until having grown out of infancy we leave our mother's
milk for a father's control, that is to say, we pass from simple
doctrine, by which we are taught the Word made flesh, to the Word
that was in the beginning with God." Afterwards it goes on to say:
"For those who are just baptized on Holy Saturday are borne in the
hands of the Church as it were and fed with milk until Pentecost,
during which time nothing arduous is prescribed, no fasts, no rising
at midnight. Afterwards they are confirmed by the Paraclete Spirit,
and being weaned so to speak, begin to fast and keep other difficult
observances. Many, like the heretics and schismatics, have perverted
this order by being weaned before the time. Hence they have come to
naught." Now this order is apparently perverted by those who enter
religion, or induce others to enter religion, before they are
practiced in the easier observance of the commandments. Therefore
they would seem to be heretics or schismatics.
Obj. 5: Further, one should proceed from that which precedes to that
which follows after. Now the commandments precede the counsels,
because they are more universal, for "the implication of the one by
the other is not convertible" [*Categor. ix], since whoever keeps the
counsels keeps the commandments, but the converse does not hold.
Seeing then that the right order requires one to pass from that which
comes first to that which comes after, it follows that one ought not
to pass to the observance of the counsels in religion, without being
first of all practiced in the observance of the commandments.
_On the contrary,_ Matthew the publican who was not practiced in the
observance of the commandments was called by our Lord to the
observance of the counsels. For it is stated (Luke 5:28) that
"leaving all things he . . . followed Him." Therefore it is not
necessary for a person to be practiced in the observance of the
commandments before passing to the perfection of the counsels.
_I answer that,_ As shown above (Q. 188, A. 1), the religious state
is a spiritual schooling for the attainment of the perfection of
charity. This is accomplished through the removal of the obstacles to
perfect charity by religious observances; and these obstacles are
those things which attach man's affections to earthly things. Now the
attachment of man's affections to earthly things is not only an
obstacle to the perfection of charity, but sometimes leads to the
loss of charity, when through turning inordinately to temporal goods
man turns away from the immutable good by sinning mortally. Hence it
is evident that the observances of the religious state, while
removing the obstacles to perfect charity, remove also the occasions
of sin: for instance, it is clear that fasting, watching, obedience,
and the like withdraw man from sins of gluttony and lust and all
other manner of sins.
Consequently it is right that not only those who are practiced in the
observance of the commandments should enter religion in order to
attain to yet greater perfection, but also those who are not
practiced, in order the more easily to avoid sin and attain to
perfection.
Reply Obj. 1: Jerome (Super Matth. xix, 20) says: "The young man lies
when he says: 'All these have I kept from my youth.' For if he had
fulfilled this commandment, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself,' why did he go away sad when he heard: Go, sell all thou
hast and give to the poor?" But this means that he lied as to the
perfect observance of this commandment. Hence Origen says (Tract.
viii super Matth.) that "it is written in the Gospel according to the
Hebrews that when our Lord had said to him: 'Go, sell all thou hast,'
the rich man began to scratch his head; and that our Lord said to
him: How sayest thou: I have fulfilled the law and the prophets,
seeing that it is written in the law: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself? Behold many of thy brethren, children of Abraham, are
clothed in filth, and die of hunger, whilst thy house is full of all
manner of good things, and nothing whatever hath passed thence to
them. And thus our Lord reproves him saying: If thou wilt be perfect,
go, etc. For it is impossible to fulfil the commandment which says,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, and to be rich, especially
to have such great wealth." This also refers to the perfect
fulfilment of this precept. On the other hand, it is true that he
kept the commandments imperfectly and in a general way. For
perfection consists chiefly in the observance of the precepts of
charity, as stated above (Q. 184, A. 3). Wherefore in order to show
that the perfection of the counsels is useful both to the innocent
and to sinners, our Lord called not only the innocent youth but also
the sinner Matthew. Yet Matthew obeyed His call, and the youth obeyed
not, because sinners are converted to the religious life more easily
than those who presume on their innocency. It is to the former that
our Lord says (Matt. 21:31): "The publicans and the harlots shall go
into the kingdom of God before you."
Reply Obj. 2: The highest and the lowest place can be taken in three
ways. First, in reference to the same state and the same man; and
thus it is evident that no one comes to the summit suddenly, since
every man that lives aright, progresses during the whole course of
his life, so as to arrive at the summit. Secondly, in comparison with
various states; and thus he who desires to reach to a higher state
need not begin from a lower state: for instance, if a man wish to be
a cleric he need not first of all be practiced in the life of a
layman. Thirdly, in comparison with different persons; and in this
way it is clear that one man begins straightway not only from a
higher state, but even from a higher degree of holiness, than the
highest degree to which another man attains throughout his whole
life. Hence Gregory says (Dial. ii, 1): "All are agreed that the boy
Benedict began at a high degree of grace and perfection in his daily
life."
Reply Obj. 3: As stated above (Q. 184, A. 6) the holy orders
prerequire holiness, whereas the religious state is a school for the
attainment of holiness. Hence the burden of orders should be laid on
the walls when these are already seasoned with holiness, whereas the
burden of religion seasons the walls, i.e. men, by drawing out the
damp of vice.
Reply Obj. 4: It is manifest from the words of this gloss that it is
chiefly a question of the order of doctrine, in so far as one has to
pass from easy matter to that which is more difficult. Hence it is
clear from what follows that the statement that certain "heretics"
and "schismatics have perverted this order" refers to the order of
doctrine. For it continues thus: "But he says that he has kept these
things, namely the aforesaid order, binding himself by an oath
[*Referring to the last words of the verse, and taking _retributio,_
which Douay renders _reward,_ as meaning 'punishment']. Thus I was
humble not only in other things but also in knowledge, for 'I was
humbly minded'; because I was first of all fed with milk, which is
the Word made flesh, so that I grew up to partake of the bread of
angels, namely the Word that is in the beginning with God." The
example which is given in proof, of the newly baptized not being
commanded to fast until Pentecost, shows that no difficult things are
to be laid on them as an obligation before the Holy Ghost inspires
them inwardly to take upon themselves difficult things of their own
choice. Hence after Pentecost and the receiving of the Holy Ghost the
Church observes a fast. Now the Holy Ghost, according to Ambrose
(Super Luc. 1:15), "is not confined to any particular age; He ceases
not when men die, He is not excluded from the maternal womb." Gregory
also in a homily for Pentecost (xxx in Ev.) says: "He fills the boy
harpist and makes him a psalmist: He fills the boy abstainer and
makes him a wise judge [*Dan. 1:8-17]," and afterwards he adds: "No
time is needed to learn whatsoever He will, for He teaches the mind
by the merest touch." Again it is written (Eccles. 8:8), "It is not
in man's power to stop the Spirit," and the Apostle admonishes us (1
Thess. 5:19): "Extinguish not the Spirit," and (Acts 7:51) it is said
against certain persons: "You always resist the Holy Ghost."
Reply Obj. 5: There are certain chief precepts which are the ends, so
to say, of the commandments and counsels. These are the precepts of
charity, and the counsels are directed to them, not that these
precepts cannot be observed without keeping the counsels, but that
the keeping of the counsels conduces to the better observance of the
precepts. The other precepts are secondary and are directed to the
precepts of charity; in such a way that unless one observe them it is
altogether impossible to keep the precepts of charity. Accordingly in
the intention the perfect observance of the precepts of charity
precedes the counsels, and yet sometimes it follows them in point of
time. For such is the order of the end in relation to things directed
to the end. But the observance in a general way of the precepts of
charity together with the other precepts, is compared to the counsels
as the common to the proper, because one can observe the precepts
without observing the counsels, but not vice versa. Hence the common
observance of the precepts precedes the counsels in the order of
nature; but it does not follow that it precedes them in point of
time, for a thing is not in the genus before being in one of the
species. But the observance of the precepts apart from the counsels
is directed to the observance of the precepts together with the
counsels; as an imperfect to a perfect species, even as the
irrational to the rational animal. Now the perfect is naturally prior
to the imperfect, since "nature," as Boethius says (De Consol. iii,
10), "begins with perfect things." And yet it is not necessary for
the precepts first of all to be observed without the counsels, and
afterwards with the counsels, just as it is not necessary for one to
be an ass before being a man, or married before being a virgin. In
like manner it is not necessary for a person first of all to keep the
commandments in the world before entering religion; especially as the
worldly life does not dispose one to religious perfection, but is
more an obstacle thereto.
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