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et us suppose that you are on a walking tour in a neighborhood as yet unknown to you. You come to a spot where one road leads straight before you, another to the right, and a third to the left. Is it not very important for you to know which of these three roads you ought to take in order to reach the desired goal?

You have really set out on a pilgrimage like this; for your whole life is nothing but a journey to heaven. You may possibly have already reached the crossroad, or will reach it before long; you must come to a decision, and enter upon one of these paths in life.

But which are you to choose? Life in the world, especially the marriage state, the priesthood, or the religious life? All these roads have one and the same goal - they all lead to heaven. But each has its own special and peculiar difficulties, so that not all who walk along these paths reach the goal with equal facility and with the same happiness.

Those who are really qualified to tread the path they have chosen, will reach their goal easily and happily with the help of God.