“Vows are not meant to be burdens, Brother Patrick,” the abbot says gently. “They are meant to clarify our lives and why we’re here. Perhaps what is causing these larger feelings is not guilt that you tested the boundaries of your conversatio morum vow, but rather an invitation from God to ask yourself what you really want before you take your solemn vows. To ask yourself if you feel called, truly, to your life here.”
