Introduction
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in calling men and women to follow Him more perfectly, gave not only the commandments, binding upon all, but also the counsels, offered as a way of striving toward greater perfection. These evangelical counsels – poverty, chastity, and obedience – are the foundation of the religious life and have, since the earliest centuries, been embraced by those desiring to imitate Christ more closely.
In an age when vows are often misunderstood or even disregarded, it is important to recover the historical context of these counsels and their abiding relevance for both Religious and the laity.
Scriptural Foundations
The evangelical counsels are drawn directly from Sacred Scripture:
- Poverty – “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come follow Me” (Matt. 19:21).
- Chastity – “There are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of Heaven. He that can take, let him take it” (Matt. 19:12).
- Obedience – “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:8).
Our Lord not only taught these counsels but lived them: born poor in Bethlehem, celibate throughout His earthly life, and perfectly obedient to His Father’s will.
Witness of the Fathers
The early Fathers praised those who embraced the evangelical counsels. St. Augustine taught: “The difference between a commandment and a counsel is this: The commandment is given to all, the counsel to only a few. But those who follow the counsel deserve greater glory in Heaven” (De Sancta Virginitate, c. 14).
St. John Chrysostom likewise exalted virginity and obedience as ways of imitating Christ more perfectly, calling consecrated Religious “the salt of the earth” preserving the world from corruption.
Scholastic Theology
The great Church Doctors of the Middle Ages gave systematic expression to the evangelical counsels. St. Thomas Aquinas explained that while the commandments remove what is contrary to charity, the counsels remove obstacles to the perfection of charity:
“The difference between the commandments and the counsels is that the commandments are ordained to remove whatever is incompatible with charity, whereas the counsels remove whatever hinders the act of charity” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 184, a. 3).
Thus, the counsels are not ‘optional extras’ but the supernatural means by which souls, especially in religious life, strive for holiness.
Pre-Vatican II Theological Manuals
The traditional theological manuals preserved this teaching with clarity. Fr. Adolphe Tanquerey, in his 1930 text The Spiritual Life, summarized:
“The evangelical counsels are not precepts binding all, but invitations to all Christians who would attain to greater perfection. Poverty frees us from the cares of riches, chastity frees the heart from the desires of the flesh, obedience frees the will itself to be conformed to God’s” (no. 1118).
Fr. Dominic Prümmer, in his 1962 Manuale Theologiae Moralis, added:
“These counsels are proposed by Christ Himself; they are not necessary for salvation but are most fitting means to perfection. Hence the religious state, in which these vows are professed, is rightly called the ‘state of perfection’” (vol. 2, no. 579).
Papal Teaching on the Counsels
The Popes consistently praised the counsels and the religious life. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Sacra Virginitas called virginity and celibacy “the most illustrious example of the counsels of the Gospel.” He taught:
“Christ our Lord proposed virginity as an evangelical counsel, saying: ‘He who can take it, let him take it’ (Matt. 19:12); by His example He confirmed it, and by His divine word recommended it.”
Pope Leo XIII, in Conditae a Christo, defended religious orders as essential to the life of the Church:
“The state of those who follow the evangelical counsels… is a more excellent way, established by Christ the Lord and approved [promoted] by the Apostles, and has always flourished in the Church to the great advantage of Christian society.”
Historical Context of Religious Life
From the Desert Fathers of Egypt in the third century to the great monastic and mendicant orders of the Middle Ages, the Church’s vitality has always been tied to those who embraced the counsels.
- Benedictines practiced ora et labora under poverty, chastity, and obedience, preserving Christian culture amid barbarian invasions.
- Franciscans and Dominicans revitalized the Church in the 13th century, living radical poverty and preaching zeal.
- Carmelites embraced contemplative solitude, living chastity and obedience in imitation of Elijah and Our Lady.
The great saints who reformed society – St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Teresa of Avila – did so by first reforming themselves according to the counsels.
Our Lady: The Perfect Model of the Evangelical Counsels
The Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the Queen of all saints but also the living embodiment of the evangelical counsels. She is the mirror in which Religious and laity alike may see the perfection of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
- Poverty: Though of Davidic lineage, Mary lived in simplicity and humility. At the Annunciation, She called Herself the “handmaid of the Lord” (Luke 1:38). She accepted the obscurity of Nazareth, the poverty of Bethlehem, and the flight into Egypt without complaint. St. Alphonsus de Liguori observed: “She never complained of poverty, but embraced it with joy, seeing it more conformable to the life of Her Son” (The Glories of Mary, Part II, Discourse VII).
- Chastity: The Blessed Virgin Mary consecrated Her virginity to God even before the angelic message, a promise She reaffirmed in Her Fiat. St. Augustine praised Her as “a virgin conceiving, a virgin bearing, a virgin pregnant, a virgin bringing forth, a virgin perpetual” (Sermon 186). Her perfect chastity reveals the supreme fruitfulness of total consecration to God.
- Obedience: In Her Fiat, “Be it done to Me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38), Our Lady gave the supreme act of obedience in salvation history. She submitted not only to God’s will at the Annunciation but throughout Her life – following Joseph to Bethlehem, enduring exile in Egypt, and standing faithfully at the foot of the Cross. Her advice to all of us is likewise obedience, “Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye” (John 2:5).
Mary thus shows that the counsels are not burdens but paths of love. In Her, they shine as maternal virtues: Her poverty makes Her rich in grace, Her chastity makes Her the Mother of God, and Her obedience makes Her the New Eve, co-operating in redemption. For this reason, the Popes have continually proposed Our Lady as the guide for Religious and lay alike. Pope Pius XII, in Sacra Virginitas, declared: “Let holy virginity, so highly praised by the Fathers of the Church and by the Sacred Council of Trent, be held in singular honor by all, and let all venerate the Mother of God, Who was ever a Virgin, as the model of virgins.”
In Mary we see the counsels not as abstract ideals but as living realities. She is the Mother and Queen of all who walk the narrow way of perfection.
Continuing Relevance Today
While many dismiss the counsels as relics of a bygone era, their relevance is greater now than ever:
- Poverty teaches detachment from consumerism and materialism.
- Chastity offers purity in a world saturated with impurity.
- Obedience combats the cult of autonomy and pride.
Even lay Catholics, though not professing vows, can live by the spirit of the counsels. By practicing simplicity, guarding purity, and submitting their will to God’s law, the faithful share in their fruits.
As St. Francis de Sales wrote: “You may practice the counsels according to the measure of your state in life; for while not everyone is called to renounce all things, all are called to prefer God above all things” (Introduction to the Devout Life, III, c. 24).
Pillars of Lent
The evangelical counsels also embody and perfect the three pillars of lent.
Fasting teaches us to control our bodily appetites. It combats the capital sins of gluttony, sloth. and lust. Thus, it is naturally linked to chastity.
Almsgiving redirects the mind from selfishness towards the good of one’s neighbor. It reminds us that charity is greater than justice. It resists the capital sins of avarice, envy, and anger. Hence, it is closely allied to poverty.
Prayer is communication with God. By praying we prove God is important to us. Moreover, authentic prayer is not aimed at ‘changing God’s will’ but rather to changing my will, so that I conform myself more and more to Christ. Our Lord’s spirit of “not my will but Thy will” should always underlie our prayer. Clearly, prayer combats the capital sin of pride and is necessary for a true spirit of obedience.
Conclusion
The evangelical counsels are not antiquated ideals but divine remedies for every age. Rooted in Scripture, exalted by the Fathers, systematized by the Scholastics, and defended by the Popes, they remain the path of perfection for Religious and a model of sanctity for the laity.
In this age of materialism, sensuality, and rebellion, the counsels shine ever brighter. Poverty, chastity, and obedience remind us that Christ reigns not only in eternity but in every heart that dares to follow Him without reserve.