La Vida Religiosa

Description

from traditio-op.org

TXT and EPUB are DeepL Pro NMT English translation.

good description by Sebastián Aguilar, C.M.F., on virginity's superiority to matrimony PDF (circa?) pp. 298-9 and 301-4

Fr. Royo Marín, O.P., says this is a sequel to his Teología de la Perfección Cristiana, which even pious seculars can benefit from.

p. 507 (PDF p. 515) quotes Rodríguez Villar on the prudence of the Blessed Virgin being the first to vow her virginity:

Analiza un poco alguna de las obras de la Santísima Virgen y verás qué prudencia descubres en todas ellas. Mírala en el caso concreto de su voto de virginidad. Humanamente hablando, eso era una imprudencia, era romper con una tradición secular en aquel pueblo, era salirse del camino común y ordinario que todas las mujeres hebreas seguían. Nadie lo había hecho todavía, era una cosa completamente desconocida en la tierra. Sin embargo, ella no obra inconsideradamente; con la luz espedalísima que Dios la ha comunicado mide la excelencia y los frutos de la virginidad, penetra el amor que Dios tiene a esta virtud tanto que ya había anunciado que para su Hijo elegiría una madre virgen, y después de verlo y examinarlo todo delante de Dios, despacio y con calma, confiando con seguridad en las gracias que Dios para ello le había de dar, no duda, ni vacila, ni teme; con una firmeza y decisión admirable se sale de la regla común y general y hace su voto, muy niña aún, al Señor.

Analyze a little some of the works of the Blessed Virgin and you will see what prudence you discover in all of them. Look at her in the concrete case of her vow of virginity. Humanly speaking, that was an imprudence, it was breaking with a secular tradition in that town, it was going out of the common and ordinary way that all the Hebrew women followed. No one had done it yet, it was a completely unknown thing in the land. However, she did not act inconsiderately; with the very special light that God had communicated to her, she measured the excellence and the fruits of virginity, she penetrated the love that God has for this virtue so much that he had already announced that for his Son he would choose a virgin mother, and after seeing and examining everything before God, slowly and calmly, trusting with certainty in the graces that God would give her for it, she did not doubt, nor hesitated, nor feared; With admirable firmness and decision she departed from the common and general rule and made her vow, still a child, to the Lord.

pp. 551-4 (PDF pp. 559-62) are on the "Apostolado del ejemplo"

from a 1960s book by Solesmes monks which ranked the secondary causes of religious vocations (pp. 615-6, PDF pp. 623-4):

1. Christian family
2. Christian schools & pious associations
3. Counselors and directors

I found it interesting that pious associations, not parishes, are mentioned, and that they rank higher than counselors and directors.

PDF_OCR pp. 539-41 are Cistertian oblate Fray María Rafael Arnáiz Barón's beautiful description of his peeling potatoes for the greater glory of God!

BAC's page