but "he went
away sad, for he had great possessions." His will was not firm enough
to reject the temptations caused by the riches and pleasures of the
world. Instead of corresponding to his vocation he tried to hush the
voice of conscience speaking to his heart.

Q. By what other mark may a person recognize a vocation to the
religious state?

A. The interior voice of conscience, soliciting the will through the
intellect, and suggesting the religious state, is a mark of a
vocation.

Q. But how are we to recognize this voice of conscience?

A. This voice of conscience, which is nothing else but the grace of
God speaking to the heart, is heard and recognized in various ways:
with some it has been lingering in the heart since childhood; to
others it comes later and more suddenly. This prompting of grace may
result from reading, from a sermon, a mission, a conversation, an
example, the death of a friend or an acquaintance, or even from
misfortune and disappointment. In a word, this interior voice may be
occasioned by the thoughts and reflections of our mind, no matter what
caused these reflections.

Q. Can you give some examples showing the effects of this interior
voice?

A. Yes; St. Anthony, hearing at Mass the words, "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," became so inflamed with
the desire of securing his salvation that he gave away all his vast
possessions and led a long life of penance and prayer in the desert.

By meditating on the life, passion, and death of Jesus Christ St.
Francis of Assisi was filled with such a burning zeal for God and his
neighbor that he renounced his great wealth, and his right to an
honorable inheritance, and spent his life in inflaming others with
zeal for the salvation of souls.

The foul sight and the stench of the corpse of the Empress Isabella
opened the eyes of Francis Borgia to the folly of a worldly life. He
renounced the world and entered the Society of Jesus, where he
sanctified himself, thinking often of the eternal torments of hell.

Q. What, then, is the principal difference in the feelings or emotions
of those called to the religious state?

A. Some people, having their _will_ inflamed with a love for the
religious state, enter it with great pleasure, and without any
questions about the matter; others enter it only when their
_understanding_ has become so enlighte