Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae

Objection 1: It would seem that every religious is bound to keep all the counsels. For whoever professes a certain state of life is bound to observe whatever belongs to that state. Now each religious professes the state of perfection. Therefore every religious is bound to keep all the counsels that pertain to the state of perfection.

Objection 2: Further, Gregory says (Hom. xx in Ezech.) that "he who renounces this world, and does all the good he can, is like one who has gone out of Egypt and offers sacrifice in the wilderness." Now it belongs specially to religious to renounce the world. Therefore it belongs to them also to do all the good they can. and so it would seem that each of them is bound to fulfil all the counsels.

Objection 3: Further, if it is not requisite for the state of perfection to fulfil all the counsels, it would seem enough to fulfil some of them. But this is false, since some who lead a secular life fulfil some of the counsels, for instance those who observe continence. Therefore it would seem that every religious who is in the state of perfection is bound to fulfil whatever pertains to perfection: and such are the counsels.

On the contrary, one is not bound, unless one bind oneself, to do works of supererogation. But every religious does not bind himself to keep all the counsels, but to certain definite ones, some to some, others to others. Therefore all are not bound to keep all of them.

I answer that, A thing pertains to perfection in three ways. First, essentially, and thus, as stated above (Question 184, Article 3) the perfect observance of the precepts of charity belongs to perfection. Secondly, a thing belongs to perfection consequently: such are those things that result from the perfection of charity, for instance to bless them that curse you (Lk. 6:27), and to keep counsels of a like kind, which though they be binding as regards the preparedness of the mind, so that one has to fulfil them when necessity requires; yet are sometimes fulfilled, without there being any necessity, through superabundance of charity. Thirdly, a thing belongs to perfection instrumentally and dispositively, as poverty, continence, abstinence, and the like.

Now it has been stated (Article 1) that the perfection of charity is the end of the religious state. And the religious state is a school or exercise for the attainment of perfection, which men strive to reach by various practices, just as a physician may use various remedies in order to heal. But it is evident that for him who works for an end it is not necessary that he should already have attained the end, but it is requisite that he should by some means tend thereto. Hence he who enters the religious state is not bound to have perfect charity, but he is bound to tend to this, and use his endeavors to have perfect charity.

For the same reason he is not bound to fulfil those things that result from the perfection of charity, although he is bound to intend to fulfil them: against which intention he acts if he contemns them, wherefore he sins not by omitting them but by contempt of them.

In like manner he is not bound to observe all the practices whereby perfection may be attained, but only those which are definitely prescribed to him by the rule which he has professed.

Reply to Objection 1: He who enters religion does not make profession to be perfect, but he professes to endeavor to attain perfection; even as he who enters the schools does not profess to have knowledge, but to study in order to acquire knowledge. Wherefore as Augustine says (De Civ. Dei viii, 2), Pythagoras was unwilling to profess to be a wise man, but acknowledged himself, "a lover of wisdom." Hence a religious does not violate his profession if he be not perfect, but only if he despises to tend to perfection.

Reply to Objection 2: Just as, though all are bound to love God with their whole heart, yet there is a certain wholeness of perfection which cannot be omitted without sin, and another wholeness which can be omitted without sin (Question 184, Article 2, ad 3), provided there be no contempt, as stated above (ad 1), so too, all, both religious and seculars, are bound, in a certain measure, to do whatever good they can, for to all without exception it is said (Eccles. 9:10): "Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly." Yet there is a way of fulfilling this precept, so as to avoid sin, namely if one do what one can as required by the conditions of one's state of life: provided there be no contempt of doing better things, which contempt sets the mind against spiritual progress.

Reply to Objection 3: There are some counsels such that if they be omitted, man's whole life would be taken up with secular business; for instance if he have property of his own, or enter the married state, or do something of the kind that regards the essential vows of religion themselves; wherefore religious are bound to keep all such like counsels. Other counsels there are, however, about certain particular better actions, which can be omitted without one's life being taken up with secular actions; wherefore there is no need for religious to be bound to fulfil all of them.

Articulus 2

Argumentum 1

Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod quilibet religiosus teneatur ad omnia consilia. Quicumque enim profitetur statum aliquem, tenetur ad ea quae illi statui conveniunt. Sed quilibet religiosus profitetur statum perfectionis. Ergo quilibet religiosus tenetur ad omnia consilia, quae ad perfectionis statum pertinent.

Argumentum 2

Praeterea, Gregorius dicit, super Ezech., quod ille qui praesens saeculum deserit et agit bona quae valet, quasi iam Aegypto derelicto, sacrificium praebet in eremo.

Sed deserere saeculum specialiter pertinet ad religiosos. Ergo etiam eorum est agere omnia bona quae valent. Et ita videtur quod quilibet eorum teneatur ad omnia consilia implenda.

Argumentum 3

Praeterea, si non requiritur ad statum perfectionis quod aliquis omnia consilia impleat, sufficiens esse videtur si quaedam consilia impleat. Sed hoc falsum est, quia multi in saeculari vita existentes aliqua consilia implent, ut patet de his qui continentiam servant. Ergo videtur quod quilibet religiosus, qui est in statu perfectionis, teneatur ad omnia quae sunt perfectionis. Huiusmodi autem sunt omnia consilia.

Sed Contra

Sed contra, ad ea quae sunt supererogationis non tenetur aliquis nisi ex propria obligatione. Sed quilibet religiosus obligat se ad aliqua determinata, quidam ad haec, quidam ad illa.

Non ergo omnes tenentur ad omnia.

Corpus

Respondeo dicendum quod ad perfectionem aliquid pertinet tripliciter. Uno modo, essentialiter. Et sic, sicut supra dictum est, ad perfectionem pertinet perfecta observantia praeceptorum caritatis. Alio modo ad perfectionem pertinet aliquid consequenter sicut illa quae consequuntur ex perfectione caritatis, puta quod aliquis maledicenti benedicat et alia huiusmodi impleat, quae, etsi secundum praeparationem animi sint in praecepto, ut scilicet impleantur quando necessitas requirit, tamen ex superabundantia caritatis procedit quod etiam extra necessitatem quandoque talia impleantur. Tertio modo pertinet aliquid ad perfectionem instrumentaliter et dispositive, sicut paupertas, continentia, abstinentia et alia huiusmodi.

Dictum est autem quod ipsa perfectio caritatis est finis status religionis, status autem religionis est quaedam disciplina vel exercitium ad perfectionem perveniendi. Ad quam quidem aliqui pervenire nituntur exercitiis diversis, sicut etiam medicus ad sanandum uti potest diversis medicamentis. Manifestum est autem quod illi qui operatur ad finem, non ex necessitate convenit quod iam assecutus sit finem, sed requiritur quod per aliquam viam tendat in finem. Et ideo ille qui statum religionis assumit, non tenetur habere perfectam caritatem, sed tenetur ad hoc tendere et operam dare ut habeat caritatem perfectam. Et eadem ratione, non tenetur ad hoc quod illa impleat quae perfectionem caritatis consequuntur, tenetur autem ut ad ea implenda intendat. Contra quod facit contemnens. Unde non peccat si ea praetermittat, sed si ea contemnat. Similiter etiam non tenetur ad omnia exercitia quibus ad perfectionem pervenitur, sed ad illa determinate quae sunt ei taxata secundum regulam quam professus est.

Ad 1

Ad primum ergo dicendum quod ille qui transit ad religionem, non profitetur se esse perfectum, sed profitetur se adhibere studium ad perfectionem consequendam, sicut etiam ille qui intrat scholas, non profitetur se scientem, sed profitetur se studentem ad scientiam acquirendam.

Unde sicut Augustinus dicit, VIII de CIV. Dei, Pythagoras noluit profiteri se sapientem, sed sapientiae amatorem.

Et ideo religiosus non est transgressor professionis si non sit perfectus, sed solum si contemnat ad perfectionem tendere.

Ad 2

Ad secundum dicendum quod, sicut diligere deum ex toto corde tenentur omnes, est tamen aliqua perfectionis totalitas quae sine peccato praetermitti non potest, aliqua autem quae sine peccato praetermittitur, dum tamen desit contemptus, ut supra dictum est, ita etiam omnes, tam religiosi quam saeculares, tenentur aliqualiter facere quidquid boni possunt, omnibus enim communiter dicitur, Eccle. IX, quidquid potest manus tua, instanter operare; est tamen aliquis modus hoc praeceptum implendi quo peccatum vitatur, si scilicet homo faciat quod potest secundum quod requirit conditio sui status; dummodo contemptus non adsit agendi meliora, per quem animus obfirmatur contra spiritualem profectum.

Ad 3

Ad tertium dicendum quod quaedam consilia sunt quae si praetermitterentur, tota vita hominis implicaretur negotiis saecularibus, puta si aliquis haberet proprium, vel matrimonio uteretur, aut aliquid huiusmodi faceret quod pertinet ad essentialia religionis vota. Et ideo ad omnia talia consilia observanda religiosi tenentur. Sunt autem quaedam consilia de quibusdam particularibus melioribus actibus, quae praetermitti possunt absque hoc quod vita hominis saecularibus actibus implicetur. Unde non oportet quod ad omnia talia religiosi teneantur.