Virtues as means to learn to serve God and neighbour

Introduction to Devout Life
Part 3, chapters 11 to 20.
Sinval Pereira, Yosip Ola, Emmanuel Kipullu, Samuel Mondol

In this section the gentle Saint develops elaborately the three virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience and suggests practical means of preserving these virtues in one's journey of life.

The virtues for him are not ends in themselves but means to arrive at the Service of God, and God's people, they are means to arrive at perfect charity.

Obedience
He speaks of two types of obedicence:
Necessary obedience – that which already appeals to us by our state of life
Voluntary obedicence – when we obligate ourselves by our own choice and when this choise is not imposed on us by someone else.

Chastity
He speaks of chastity of the heart, chastity of the body, chastity within the bond of matrimony and moderation in the use of sex within the bond of marriage. Thus he is very radical in his teaching on chastity.
He gives practical suggestions how to grow in this virtue. Chastity may be lost both by body's external senses and by thoughts and desires within the heart.

Poverty
The virtue of poverty makes us totally depended on God and on His providence.
It is an act of surrender into the loving embrace of God our Father.
Poverty liberates us from the demon of possession.