Shot Glasses
Been ponderin' posts at Disputations and Steven Riddle (you know the links by now, right?) on the religious life versus the lay life.
It would seem the religious life is a higher calling, but that personal holiness is not a reflection of the height of the calling but to what extent you fill the role of the calling. St. Therese said that everyone's glass will be full in heaven, just that some glasses will be taller than others. So those called to the religious life typically have taller glasses. If the glasses are taller, that suggests a need for greater graces. So the religious require greater graces. But where this analogy breaks down is that it seems as though a mother of six has more need for grace than your average monk...
It would thus seem there are two ways to have a "short glass" (i.e. 'shot glass'): one is to have been pre-destined to a smaller role, a smaller calling. The second way is to poorly fulfil the role that God has given you. The first is legitimate, the second not.
I don't think the Church has fully thought out the laity/religious dictonomy. And I think the fear in calling the religious life a higher calling stems from a desire to not have the laity think their sacrifices are small potatoes. But in the world of the Kingdom humility is a virtue, so to fill a shorter glass would seem to be something to, if not boast of, at least be sanguine about since its size was determined by God's design. Shot glasses, at the very least, serve to lend perspective.
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