The Ends of the Religious Life
Archbishop Paul Philippe (Author)

What is the true purpose of the religious life? Is it contemplation or apostolic work? Personal sanctification or service to one's neighbor? How are prayer, charity, sacrifice, and the evangelical counsels united in the pursuit of Christian perfection?

The author examines the nature of Christian perfection, the role of poverty, chastity, and obedience, the contemplative life, the active life, and the mixed life. He shows how the various forms of religious vocation, whether contemplative or apostolic, find their unity in the pursuit of divine charity and union with God.