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RELIGIOUS POVERTY
A. MATTER AND EXTENT OF THIS VOW
The Vow of Poverty has more or less extent
and imposes obligations more or less strict according to the Institute to which the Religious
belongs. PROPERTY
If anything comes to a Sister after her first
Vows, either as fruit of her own industry or on account of the
Institute, this is not her personal
property, but belongs to the Community. But the Religious, even after her perpetual
Vows, keeps the ownership of her own property.
The dowry of the Religious belongs to the Community as long as she remains a Religious; if she
leaves, it is given back to her in full, but without
any interest. Besides, whatever comes to the Religious even
after her Perpetual Vows, by lawful succession,
legacy or will, as well as by donation made to her
personally and not as a Religious, is her personal
property, and does not belong to the Community.
In her will, each Sister is perfectly free to make
any disposition she likes of her property.
It would be well, however to remember that
Our Lord advised the giving of one's property
to the poor, among whom are especially Religious. St. Ignatius further recommends particular caution against selflove if one is moved to give her
property to her relatives. As worldly goods can
be made so available for God's glory, better take
advice of a spiritual minded person or persons
when making your disposition. Many very laudably, when they have no obligations of justice of
of charity, simply, with themselves, give all they
have or can give to the Institute, or to some of
its works or Houses.
If a Sister leaves the Institute and is dispensed
from her Vow of Poverty, she again has all
rights over the use, income and administration of
her property, just as if she had never bound herself by the Vow.
If a Sister leaves the Institute and is dispensed
from her Vow of Poverty, she can do as she
likes about her will, without being bound by it
in any way.
USE, INCOME AND ADMINISTRATION
While retaining the ownership of her property,
the Religious is not allowed to keep the administration of it after her first Vows. Before taking
her first Vows, she is obliged to dispose of the
use and of the income of her property, and also
to put the administration of her property in other
hands. In this way she retains for herself the
ownership, but nothing else.
The use and income of a Sister's property do
not belong to the Community, neither is it necessary to transfer the administration to Superiors.
The Sister is perfectly free to make whatever disposition of use, income and administration she
likes; only she cannot retain them for herself.
Naturally, if there is no obligation to the contrary, Sisters usually give over these three things
to Superiors for the good of the Community. But
they are quite free and need no permission of
Superiors to make any disposition they like. They
may, of course, ask advice of competent persons
in the matter. See what was said above about
Religious disposing of their property.
The Vow of Poverty consists essentially in
forbidding one's self, for the love of God, the
act of a proprietor.
By the act of a proprietor is meant the independent and free disposal of a temporal thing or any
object that can be estimated at a price.
B. THE VIOLATION OF THE VOW OF POVERTY
SUBJECTS
In general, a Religious fails against her Vow
of Poverty when she takes possession of any object that comes under the matter, of this Vow or
disposes of it, as if she were the proprietor; that
is to say, independently of the Superior's will.
In other words, the cases in which a sin is
committed against the Vow of Poverty can be reduced to eight principal ones: 1. To appropriate what belongs to another;
2. To retain possession of any object whatever;
3. To give or receive anything;
4. To sell, or purchase, or exchange;
S. To lend or borrow;
6. To use anything for a purpose different
from the one prescribed;
7. To destroy or lose it;
8. To carry it away to another House.
But we must always observe that these cases
regard only the goods and objects whose property, acquisition and use the Vow forbids.
1. It is to violate the Vow of Poverty to appropriate anything whatsoever that belongs to
another, by sinning against the seventh commandment of God.
It is the same if we take for ourselves or
others, without permission, anything of the
House, and the sin is usually more grave when the
object taken is destroyed by use. We should
notice, moreover, that the theft committed in a
Religious house takes the character of a sacrilege.
2. It is to violate the Vow of Poverty to retain possession of anything with yourself or
another, without permission; especially to keep
it with a proprietary spirit, and as if you were
the mistress of it; for example, when you conceal
it from Superiors, that they may not take it away.
3. It is to offend against the Vow of Poverty
to give or receive, without permission, anything
whatsoever, no matter for what purpose or from
whom. In some exceptional circumstances, it
would not be forbidden to accept a thing conditionally, in virtue of a presumed permission and
with the intention of obtaining- authority afterwards; but to keep it, that authority would be
necessary. When there is question of receiving
for the Community, and in its name, we may ordinarily presume
permission, especially if the Superior be absent; and an arbitrary refusal of
a
Religious could even be a fault against Charity,
because she would, without motive, deprive the
Community of a benefit offered it. But gifts
presented to herself, except those things which
her Vow permits her to possess, should be placed
in the Superior's hands, who dispenses them to the
Community according to the wants of the Sisters.
4. It is to act against the Vow of Poverty to
sell, buy or exchange, on one's own authority,
anything of the Community, even under pretext
that we do so for the interest of the House; or
to sell or buy on any other condition than those
formally prescribed by the Superior.
5. It is to wound the Vow of Poverty to lend
or borrow anything without permission, whether
the loan or borrowing transfers the dominion, as
happens with money, or confers only the use
which is also an act of proprietorship. However,
the fault is much less grave if the loan or the
borrowing be only for the use; provided we are
sure the object will be restored. The fault is
lighter still when the loan takes place between
persons of the same Community.
In these little mutual loans you must avoid
both the carelessness of relaxation, and overminuteness or rudeness; for example, when a
Sister asks anything of you, charity should generally make you suppose that she has permission;
at least it would be to wound her wrongfully to
ask her without sufficient reason, if she has permission.
Here we should mention the prohibition of receiving a deposit and of going security, without
a formal permission. But the Vow does not forbid the receiving of money or of other objects to
be distributed according to the intention and express determination of the giver.
6. It is to act as proprietor and to fail in the
Vow of Poverty, to use things for any other purpose than the one prescribed by the Superior.
This should particularly awaken the attention of
Religious who have certain offices to fulfil, or
journeys to make in which money is entrusted to
them for their expenses. This money cannot be
applied to other uses without permission, and that
which remains must always be given back to the
Superior.
7. It is to infringe the Vow of Poverty to
voluntarily destroy, to lose, or through negligence
to lessen the value of any object. A Religious
who has care of the kitchen, dispensary, wardrobe,
etc., can grievously in these points, where diligence is for her a special obligation. But all have
the duty also of taking care of those things which
Religious sets apart for their use, and it would be
a crying disorder should they be less careful of
the property of God than they would have been
of their own in the world.
8. The Vow of Poverty is injured if, in changing residence, a Religious should carry away
from her former residence anything beyond what
is granted by Superiors, or lawful customs.
Superiors
The Vow of Poverty imposes on Superiors
duties which regard themselves and duties which
regard their subjects.
1. With regard to themselves, having made
the same vow as the others, they have the same
obligations for all that affects their own person.
Likewise in the administration and dispensation of the Community
goods, they cannot act as proprietors and mistresses, but only as instruments of
superior authority, and conformably to the Rule.
Their infractions have this specially, that besides
their personal sin against the vow, there will also
be a sin of scandal.
2. With regard to their subjects, Superiors
would themselves violate the Vow of Poverty if
they permitted or granted what they have not the
right to permit or grant, and their authorization would be null. It
would also be a culpable connivance on the part of Superiors to tolerate in
inferiors the infraction of a Vow which they can
prevent.
QUALITY OF THE SIN
Generally speaking, the same quantity as would
be required for a mortal sin against the seventh
commandment of God is required to make a
mortal sin against the Vow. In many cases, however, a more considerable matter is required.
In violating her Vow, a Religious can also sin
against justice and consequently be bound to restitution. All thefts
and all culpable damage inflicted by a Religious on her neighbor are at the
same time against her Vow and against justice,
and then she is obliged to restitution, even to the
Community. She must, then, make compensation for the unjust wrong she has done in the
House, either with her own personal goods or by
an extraordinary labor, if she is capable of it, or
she should obtain the remission from her
Superiors. |
