Page:Thecompleteascet01grimuoft.djvu/88

 St. Augustine  teaches,  that  the  life  of  a  good  Christian is one  continued  longing  after  perfection. " The  whole life,"  says  the  saint,  "  of  a  good  Christian  is  a  holy  desire." He that  cherishes  not  in  his  heart  the  desire  of sanctity,  may  be  a  Christian;  but  he  will  not  be  a  good one. If this  be  true  of  all  the  servants  of  God,  how much more  so  must  it  be  of  religious,  who,  though  it  is not  imperative  on  them  to  be  actually  perfect,  are strictly obliged  to  aspire  after  perfection. "He that enters  the  religious  state,"  says  St.  Thomas,  "is  not commanded  to  have  perfect  charity;  but  he  is  bound  to tend  to  it.  It  is  not,"  continues  the  saint,  "obligatory on  him  to  adopt  all  the  means  by  which  perfection  may be  attained;  but  it  is  his  duty  to  perform  the  exercises prescribed  by  the  Rule,  which  at  his  profession  he  promised to  observe." Hence, a  religious  is  bound  not  only to fulfil  her  vows,  but  also  to  assist  at  public  prayer;  to make  the  Communions,  and  to  practise  the  mortifications ordained by  the  Rule;  to  observe  the  silence,  and  to  discharge all  the  other  duties  of  the  Community.

You will,  perhaps,  say  that  your  Rule  does  not  bind under pain  of  sin. That may  be;  but  theologians  generally maintain,  that  to  transgress  without  a  sufficient cause even  the  rules  which  of  themselves  do  not  impose a  moral  obligation,  is  almost  always  a  venial  fault. Because the  wilful  and  unnecessary  violation  of  rule generally proceeds  from  passion  or  from  sloth,  and  consequently must  be  at  least  a  venial  offence. Hence, St. Francis  de  Sales,  in  his  Entertainments,  teaches  that though the  Rule  of  the  Visitation  did  not  oblige  under