Charism
To the ordinary three vows of religion, the cloistered Poor Clare adds a fourth, that of enclosure. She promises to live in obedience, in poverty, in virginal chastity, and in enclosure.
The vows bring a marvelous enrichment. One is truly bound to Christ now with fourfold and very dear pledges of eternal love and adoration.
Christian motherhood and consecrated virginity form a marvelous entity. Each is a fulfillment, and each a symbol. Human motherhood symbolizes the union of Christ with Holy Church. Consecrated virginity symbolizes the union of Christ with the souls of the blessed. Each is a positive thing, and virginity is no more a mere negation of motherhood than human maternity is a mere negation of virginity.