The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-08-12

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be pleasing to God, Who desires our
perfection.
A vow is absolute, when it has no
condition attached to it, otherwise it
is conditional.
A personal vow makes promise of
some action to be performed; a real
vow dedicates thing to God.
Vows are perpetual if the obligation
is undertaken for life; otherwise they
are temporary.
| A solemn vow is one which is in
vested by the Church with special
force and stability, together with GER
tain legal effects; others are simple.
The vows taken by religious in regp-
lar orders, approved by the Pope and
by those who receive sacred orders,
are solemn. Es
Substantial mistake about the mat
ter of a vow or about the circufn-
stances which are regarded as enter
ing into the substance of the matter
invalidates the vow. For substantial
| mistake binders the consent of the
will; consent was given to something
which was not there and so there was
no contract. A vow, dedicating to God
chalice which is thought to be sill
yer, while in reality it is gold, would
be invalid, just as sale of it would
be under the same mistake.
Merely accidental mistake about
things of little moment which were
not really the motive of taking the
VOW does not inValidate it. However,
according to ST. Alphonsus, it is a
| probable opinion that a mistake about
something connected with a VOW,
which if it had been known before,
would have prevented it's being taken,
| is sufficient to invalidate it.
Fear arising from natural causes,
provided that it does not take away
the use of reason, does not invalidate
vow. If, however, grave fear be I'M
| Justly caused with view to compell-
| ing another to take VOW, the VOW is
null and void. The same is probably
| true even if the fear be slight.
For God cannot be supposed to &C.
cept of a promise which has not been
| freely given, but on the contrary eX-
torted by unjust violence.
A vow imposes special obligation
on him who has taken it to perform
what he has promised: IF thou hast
vowed anything to God, defer not to
paw it; for an unfaithful and foolish
promise displeaseth Him; but whatso-
ever thou hast vowed, pay it, If a
| special time was fixed for the fulfill
ment of VOW with the intention that
| it should be fulfilled then, and at ne
other time, it must be fulfilled at the
time appointed under pain of sin and
it no longer binds after the time has
elapsed IT, on the contrary, it was
| intended that it should continue to
| bind even after the time fixed had
| elapsed, then the obligation still re-
mains. The obligation should be full
filled at the proper and reasonable
time and unreasonable delay will be
sinful. when thou hast made a vow
| to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not
delay to pay it, And if thou delay
it shall be imputed to thee for a SIM
1t is not clear, whether even notable
/ delay in the execution of vow is al
ways mortally sinful. Notable delay
without just cause would be mortal
sin, if the obligation of the vow were
grave and if the delay endangered
it's execution altogether, or made the
matter of the vow notably less than
was promised. On the other hand, ii
a rich man vowed to give large sum
of money to the poor, assigning nc
particular time for the execution OF
the vow, it is probable that he would
not commit a grave sin,f even If, he
deferred giving the money until his
death and then gave it by his will
For in these circumstances the mat
ter of the vow is not seriously at
fected by the delay, which therefore
cannot be a grave sin.
The measure of the obligation of a
vow is the will of him who takes it
much in the same way as the obliga
ton of law depends on the will OF
the lawgiver. Ordinarily it will be
presumed that in grave matter, such
as the Church considers to be suffi
cient for a precept to bind under NOR
tai sin, vow also binds under pain OF
grave sin, for the intention of him
who took the VOW is presumed to &C
commodate itself to the matter. Moth
ing prevents from limiting the ebliga
ton of vow even in grave matters
so that transgressions of it will be
only venial sins, if he expressly in
tended it. This must not be under
stood of the essential VOWS of religion
nor of the solemn vow of chastity an
nexed to sacred orders. Those vows
are regulated by the Church and &C
cording to her intention they bind un
der pain of grave sin in grave matter
Another exception must be made tC
the general rule that the obligation
of VOW depends on the will of him
who takes it; for if the matter be
light it cannot form the ground for a
grave moral obligation, when this is
imposed by human wilL AS con
tract binds only the parties who
agree to it, so no one can be bound
by vow made by someone else. Ii
former times it was not uncommon fol
parents to VOW child to religion
Such vow put no obligation on the
child, but the parents were bound by
J it to give the child the opportunity Of
J entering religion if he desired to dc
CO Thoro ORC olcn inctancnc nf com