State (theology)

State (theology)

In the Catholic religion the term state is used in various senses by theologians and spiritual writers.

It may be taken to signify a profession or calling in life, as where St. Paul says, in I Corinthians 7:20: "Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called". States are classified in the Catholic Church as the clerical state, the religious state, and the secular state; and among religious states, again, we have those of the contemplative, the active, and the mixed orders.

The word is also used in the classification of the degrees or stages of Christian perfection, or the advancement of souls in the supernatural life of grace during their sojourn in the world. This has reference to the practice of all the virtues, both theological virtues and moral virtues, and to all their acts both external and internal. It includes two elements, namely a believer's own efforts and the grace of God assisting the believer.