The Evangelical Counsels

In moral theology, there is a distinction between a precept and a counsel. A precept is a moral duty, i.e., a moral obligation. A counsel is not obligatory but is expressly recommended and is supererogatory (Moral Theology: A Complete Course, Vol. I, pg. 141). This distinction is present in the Law of Christ. For example, while celibacy is not morally obligatory—we are free to instead choose the married life—it is the better way of life, according to St. Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:38). There are numerous counsels in the Law of Christ, but they can generally be reduced to three categories, which are often collectively referred to in moral theology as the evangelical counsels. These counsels are as follows:

1. Poverty: The counsel of poverty requires, for the sake of pursuing perfection more surely and rapidly, that one give up entirely external goods or wealth (cf. Matthew 19:21). Following this counsel counteracts the concupiscence of the eyes (cf. 1 John 2:16).
2. Chastity: The counsel of chastity requires, for the sake of pursuing perfection more surely and rapidly, that one renounce entirely the goods of carnal pleasure and the married life (cf. Matthew 19:12, 1 Corinthians 7:32-38). Following this counsel counteracts the concupiscence of the flesh (cf. 1 John 2:16).
3. Obedience: The counsel of obedience requires, for the sake of pursuing perfection more surely and rapidly, that one deny oneself the good of the soul which is one’s own will (cf. Matthew 19:21). Following this counsel counteracts the pride of life (cf. 1 John 2:16). Obedience in general, of course, is a precept, but the counsel of obedience refers to a commitment to the affairs of the Lord to a degree that is characteristic of the religious life (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35). “The effective practice of the counsel of obedience is found especially in the religious life; it is a much surer road for reaching perfection more rapidly by progressive conformity to the will of God even in the depths of our will and the details of daily life” (The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Vol. II, pg. 153).

While these counsels are typically followed completely only by those in the religious life, everyone can at least follow the spirit of the counsels (cf. Matthew 5:3). As the theologian Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange explains, the spirit of the counsels is the spirit of detachment (The Three Ages of the Interior Life, Vol. II, pg. 140). St. Paul explains this as follows: “I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing way” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31; cf. James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17). In line with this teaching, St. Augustine taught (as relayed by St. Thomas Aquinas), “sin is nothing else than to neglect eternal things, and seek after temporal things…all human wickedness consists in using what we should enjoy, and in enjoying what we should use” (Summa Theologica, I-II, 71, 6, emphasis in original). In this way, following the spirit of the counsels is needed for practicing the detachment necessary for the conquering of vice and the cultivation of virtue.

Furthermore, even those who are not in the religious life (including those in the married life) can practice the counsels in particular instances, even if not at all times. Consider the following examples: (1) A wealthy man gives to the poor in an instance in which he is not strictly obligated to do so. Such a man practices the counsel of poverty in this instance (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-18). (2) A person can renounce his own legitimate wishes in some matter as when he pardons a neighbor who has offended him without demanding what would be just restitution (cf. Matthew 5:38-41). Such a person practices the counsel of obedience in this instance as he is renouncing his own legitimate will in order to follow more closely the example of mercy set by our Lord. (3) Married persons who practice conjugal abstinence for a time in order to be more prayerful and spiritually attentive practice the counsel of chastity in such an instance (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:5) (Moral Theology, Vol. I, pg. 142).

The primary purpose of the counsels is to expedite our journey towards perfection. But while the pursuit of perfection is itself a precept (cf. Matthew 5:48), not every means of such pursuit is a precept. The counsels are examples of means to perfection that are not precepts, i.e., not obligatory. With that being said, they are recommended for the purpose of attaining to perfection more surely and rapidly. As such, all Christians, regardless of their state in life, should seek to practice the counsels when opportunity arises. The counsels are, after all, recommended for a reason.