The Advantages Of The Religious State.

By Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

The Religious State is like the Promised Land; it is Paradise on Earth; it is a Great Grace.

Well may the words of the Canticle of Moses and of the children of Israel, after their delivery from the tyranny of Pharaoh and the bondage of Egypt, be applied to religious: In thy mercy thou hast been a leader to the people which thou hast redeemed, and in thy strength thou hast carried them to thy holy habitation. As the Hebrews compared with the Egyptians were, in the Old Law, the beloved people of God; so religious, contrasted with seculars, are, in the New Law, the chosen spouses of the Saviour. As the Hebrews went forth from Egypt, a land of labour and of slavery, where God was not known, so religious retire from the world, which gives to its servants no other recompense than pains and bitterness, and in which God is but little known. Finally, as the Hebrews in the desert were guided by a pillar of fire to the land of promise, so the spouses of Jesus Christ are conducted, by the light of the Holy Ghost, into the sanctuary of religion the bright image of the promised land of heaven.

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Considerations for those who are called to the religious state.

By Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

To know how important is the eternal salvation of our soul, it suffices to have faith, and to consider that we have but one soul, and when that is lost, all is lost. "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" This great maxim of the Gospel has induced many youths either to shut themselves up in cloisters, or to live in deserts, or by martyrdom to give up their lives for Jesus Christ. For, said they, what does it profit us to possess the whole world and all the goods of this world in this present life, which must soon finish, and then be damned and be miserable in that life to come, which will never end? All those rich men, all those princes and emperors who are now in hell, what have they now of all they enjoyed in this life, but a greater torment and a greater despair? Miserable beings, they lament now and say, "All those things are passed like shadows." For them all is passed like a shadow, like a dream, and that lamentation which is their lot has lasted already many years, and shall last throughout all eternity. "The fashion of this world passeth away."

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The Two Marks of a Religious Vocation

Introduction

When a King levies soldiers to make war, his foresight and prudence require, that he should prepare weapons to arm them; for what sense would there be in sending them to fight without arms. If he did so, he would be taxed with great imprudence. Now God acts in the same way. “He does not call,” says St Bernadine of Sienna, “without giving, at the same time, to those whom He calls, all that is required to accomplish the end for which He calls.”

So that when God calls a person to religion, He furnishes him with the physical, intellectual, and moral qualities necessary for the religious life. In other words, God not only gives him the inclination but He also endows him with the ability for the performance of the duties of that state of life.

As regards ability, the physical constitution of the postulant should be such as to aid, rather than prevent, the development of his intellectual and moral faculties; it should be sufficiently strong to endure the hardships of the religious life; and it should, moreover, be free from any hereditary disease.

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Stages in a Vocation

After your application, you will be accepted for a vocational retreat visit to Papa Stronsay. You will spend the first fourteen days in retreat. This means that you will be able to talk to the superior and the guest masters, but would otherwise preserve silence. Your meals will be brought to you in your cell.

After this 14 day retreat, it will be determined whether or not you have the signs of a vocation with the Transalpine Redemptorists.

As an aspirant, you will live much the same life as you had during your vocational retreat i.e. you will have your breakfast and supper with the community as well as some evening recreations, but your midday meal will be taken in your cell.

On becoming a postulant, you will start to live almost fulltime with the community. You will take all your meals in the refectory and will come to both recreations. You will have one day a week on retreat where you will spend the day in prayer and spiritual reading, taking all your meals in your cell and not attending either recreation.

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