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Show What is Contained In Vow of Poverty Meaning of "Nun" and Explanation of Religious Orders of j Women Why the Vow of Poverty Contradicts the ! Materialistic Spirit of the Age. (Written for the Intermoiintain Catholic.) In your last issue, referring to "questions "ques-tions asked at non-Catholic missions," the first propoudnded is: "What is a nun?" In the wide acceptation of the term, nun is applied to any member of a religious re-ligious order, that is, when a number of females live in retirement and according accord-ing to certain rules. Derived from the Sanskrit nana, which is the equivalent of mother, it meant originally a term of respect. In its strict acceptation, it refers to a woman who consecrates her i life to God under three vows poverty, chastity and obedience, and lives in a convent, subject to certain rules. Religious orders, which mean an association as-sociation of convents that acknowledged: acknowl-edged: First, a mother-house, and, sec-j sec-j ondly, a general superior, date from the tenth century, and are divided into I active and contemplative. The former ! devote their lives to teaching, preach-j preach-j ing, nursing the sick and looking after j the wants of the aged and feeble, who. because of their poverty, are unable to provide for their own wants. All alike, regardless of their special avocations, to be entitled to the name nun. must, in the Catholic sense, have made the three vows already mentioned. The vow of poverty means love and respect for the poor, and is directly antagonistic an-tagonistic to the prevalent spirit of the age. Poverty, in the abstract, has no real existence, and can be seen only in individuals or families who try to eke j out a miserable existence on a mere I pittance. The world hates poverty, and considers it an evil, rather than a blessing. A kindly, generous feeling often displayed does not diminish the hatred of poverty, or disrespect entertained enter-tained for the poor. Hence a vow of poverty, which literally means that poverty is preferable to riches, and that the poor are more enviable than the rich, is a lost virtue. Not only is poverty a lost virtue, but it is unintelligible to our age and country. coun-try. Born in a Christian land, surrounded sur-rounded by Christian influence, how few imbibe the Christian spirit of the Good Master, whose counsel to the young man was, first "to sell what he possessed," and, secondly,, "distribute the proceeds to the poor." Voluntary distribution of accumulated wealth, apart from the counsel of Christ, seldom sel-dom reach the poor. The colossal fortune for-tune of Cecil Rhodes will not lessen pauperism In England, or alleviate the squalid wretchedness that infests the garrets of London. Andrew Carnegie disposed of his possessions and distributed distrib-uted millions, not to the poor who created his wealth, but for the artificial wants of those who were not in need, and could supply their own immediate wants. England, with its rich aristocracy, aristoc-racy, has more than a million poor persons per-sons who go to bed at night without knowing how or where they may secure se-cure the necessaries of life on the morrow. mor-row. Not one in the million will be benefited by the munificent gifts of Rhodes or Carnegie. Christian socialism, which not only makes voluntary provisions, but binds itself by a vow to love and respect the poor. Is the only real, true, practical and effective sympathy. What is Cecil Rhodes or Andrew Carnegie a com- ' tared with Vincent de Paul, who founded found-ed the "Sisters of Charity" for the sole purpose of consecrating their lives to the sick and needy? Their vow of pov- . J erty transcends all that human tnge- ! nutty could Invent or the laws that ' statesmen would enact to preserve the j equilibrium that should exist in a i Christian nation. It. is an antidnto ' against greed, and to it the nun. divorced di-vorced from the world, becomes wedded and as a spouse of Christ must prefer 1 poverty to riches, and love the poor, who are the representatives of Christ. ! But the world, ever ready to justify its greed and its efforts to become rich ; f by fair or foul means, will object to a , i vow that is contrary to all human In- ; I clinations, and will add that it is rarely j ! carried out. Hence the conclusion that i I being unnatural, it is a superstition. .'it One of the strong impulses of human ! nature doubtless is greed or avarice. That cannot be suppressed by natural 1 means. Over and above the natural I comes the supernatural, whose aim and end are to gain a victory over the pas- sions, and subject them to reason. The will stands between reason and the ; I senses which act UDon It in opposite j directions. The reason, as a dry mon- ' f itor, points out the right course to pur- I f sue. This is opposed by all the senses : ; which incline the will ,and that being ' the natural bent of the will, it will nat- f urally follow the dictates of the senses. f and reason, without supernatural aid. cannot change its course. The senses ! crave jjelasures. To satisfy these crav- I ings money is needed. Hence cupid- 1 i ity, in a secondary surise, becomes nat- i ural, and if it cannot be obtained le- gitimately, the temptation is to obtain l it unjuatly. The intellect discerns the '. J." unjust method, advises the will, already ; t won over by the senses. Then come ' i the supernatural aid which strengthens ; the will to resist those temptations sug- it gested by the senses. A vow to attain i 1 that end and more, though opposed to (I human inclinations, is, under the light ' I of reason and by supernatural aid. not f only possible, but easy, and by its f very nature elevates those who make it to a higher plane and enriches them with a priceless treasure, compared i ? with which all the goods of this earth ' j are but mere dross. ' J Lazarus, a poor beggar, asked for the ' S crumbs which fell from th? rich man's j table. The world worshiped Dives and j I would today despise Lazarus, who en- j jj Joys infinite happiness. Dives, who re- i garded the world alone worth living : for, died and lost all happiness. A vow to resemble the former, i. e., a voltin- tary sacrifice of what the world holds f most dear, cannot, in the Christian " ; sense, be opposed to reason. To the senses, yes: but to the true Christian ? spirit, never. Whether rarely carried ' ? out or not, does not affect the princi- t pie. No one is perfect, no age-has been perfect. Christ, in directing the ' 1 young man what he should do to be ' perfect, told him to sell what he pos- : sessed and give it to the poor. A vow of poverty is in line with this evangel!- ' ; cal counsel, and the first distinctive i feature of a nun. : .'. FELIX CULPA. (To Be Continued.) |