Virtues of the Household

THE THOMIST A SPECULATIVE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY EDITORS: THE DoMINICAN FATHERS OF THE PRoviNCE OF ST. JosEPH Publishers: The Thomist Press, Washington 17, D. C. VoL. IX JULY, 1946 No.3 VIRTUES OF THE HOUSEHOLD T HE Church today is faced with its perennial problem of clerical and religious vocations in a more than usually acute stage. The problem itself, with its consequent problems of fostering and promoting vocations, has theological roots, the study of which goes far towards concentrating effort on the heart of the problem; and, indeed, goes to the depths of much of modern disorder within the family, the nation, and society. It is the purpose of this study to expose those theological roots to plain view. Such an aim must not be interpreted as in any way a reflection on the highly intelligent attention the problem of ecclesiastical vocations has been receiving in this country. Under the auspices of The Missionary Union of The Clergy, conferences have been held in different parts of the country year by year, and studies have been made from almost every angle of the question of vocations.1 The acute needs of the Church for 1 Confer Vocation Conferences of September, 1944, for the conference held in New York City; September, 1945, for the conference held in New Orleans; and the forthcoming issue for the conference held in January, 1946, in Washington, D. C. 887 888 WALTER FARRELL vocations have been brought out in these conferences with no mincing of words; needs confirmed by fact and authority. There has been complete honesty in the facing of the shortage of vocations, and the possible causes of this shortage. Most of the effort in these conferences has, naturally, been concentrated on the promotion and fostering of vocations. The encouragement of vocations is not a matter of selling individuals on a career of service, at great benefit to the individual himself; nor has this mistake been made. It has been clearly seen, and explicitly stated, that a vocation to the religious state or to the priesthood is a supernatural gift; only God, then, can he its author. At the same time, there has been the entirely just conviction of a human part to be played in the development or decay of what God has given. It is along the line of this human part in vocations that most of the studies of the Vocation Conferences have proceeded. It has been seen that our human efforts must revolve mostly around the removal of impediments to the fulfillment of vocations, encouraging the necessary dispositions to their development, and nourishing their growth. A vocation to the priesthood or religious life is nothing less than an invitation to serve in the divine household. " Religion is a virtue whereby a man offers something to the service and worship of God. . . . Wherefore those are called religious who give themselves up entirely to the divine service...." 2 Taking into consideration the essential nature of vocation and the human efforts possible in its favor, we find a real point of comparison with the war-time problem of morale. The comparison, far from being tenuous, has real roots ·as we shall see in the course of this study. The attempts to build up morale, or to sustain it at a high level, were efforts to increase the willingness of men to serve their country and even to make great sacrifices in that service. On the basis of this much of a ll" Religio, autem, ... est quaedam virtus, per quam aliquis ad Dei servitium et cultum aliquid exhibet. Et ideo antonomastice religiosi dicuntur illi qui se !.otaliter mancipant divino servitio.... " Summa Theol., II-II, q. 86, a. 1 corp. VIRTUES OF THE HOUSEHOLD 889 comparison, it would seem that vocation, on its human side, could be seen as the fruit of high religious morale, as the superb efforts of men in the crises of combat were seen as the fruit of high patriotic morale. It is true that throughout the war, morale remained a throughly mysterious factor; certainly there was little official effort to give it a sharp definition. The efforts to foster it were worthy of the vagueness of their...