Salesian Literature

Conference 13  :  On the Rules and the Spirit of the Visitation

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You propose a most difficult question to mo when you ask what is the spirit of your Rules, and how you ought to understand it. In the first place, before speaking of this spirit, you must know what is meant by having the spirit of a Rule; for we constantly hear it said that such and such a Religious has the true spirit of his Rule.

 

We will take from the holy Gospels two examples which are very well calculated to make you understand this. It is said that St. John the Baptist had come in the spirit and power of Elias [Lk. 1:17], and therefore he rebuked sinners boldly and severely, calling them a generation of vipers [Mt. 37], and by other similar titles of opprobrium. What, then, was this power of Elias? It was the strength which went forth from his spirit to punish and destroy sinners, drawing down fire from heaven to confound and swoop away all who would resist the majesty of his Master:  the spirit of Elias was, therefore, one of severity. The other example which we find in the Gospels [Lk. 9:51-56], and which serves our purpose, is that of Our Lord Himself when He wished to go up to Jerusalem. His disciples, we read, tried to dissuade Him from doing so, because some of them desired to go to Capernaum, others to Bethany, and thus they endeavoured to lead Our Lord whither they wanted to go; for it is not only in the present day that inferiors wish to lead their masters according to heir will. But Our Lord, gentle and condescending though He was, still steadfastly set His face (for the Evangelist makes use of these very words) to go up to Jerusalem, in order that the Apostles might no longer urge Him not to go.  Now, on His way to Jerusalem He wished to pass through a village of Samaria, but the Samaritans would not permit Him to do so.  St. James and St. John then, being filled with anger[1] and indignation at the inhospitality shown by those Samaritans to their Master, said to Him: Master, wilt Thou that we Command fire to come down from Heaven to consume them, and so chastise them for the insult which they have offered to Thee? Our Lord, however, answered them saying: You know not what spirit you are of —meaning: Do you not know that we are no longer in the time of Elias, who had a spirit of severity? For although he was a great servant of God, and did well in doing what you want to do, nevertheless, you would not do right in imitating him, inasmuch as I am not come to punish and confound sinners, but to draw them gently to penance and to follow Me [Lk. 5:32]. Now, let us see what is the peculiar spirit of a Rule. To understand it better, we must take examples which are outside ourselves, and afterwards we will return to ourselves. Religious Orders and devout societies have a spirit, which is common to all, and each also has one which is peculiar to it. The spirit which they have in common is that which aspires to the perfection of charity[2]; but what is peculiar to each is the special means of attaining that perfection — that is to say, the union of the soul with God, and with our neighbour for the love of God. This is effected as regards God by the union of our will with His, and with our neighbour by a virtue immediately dependent on charity — namely, gentleness.

 

Let us consider this special or particular spirit. It is certainly very different in various Orders. Some unite themselves to God and to their neighbour[3] by contemplation, and therefore live in the greatest solitude. They converse as little as possible with the world, and not even with one another except at certain times; uniting themselves with their neighbour by praying to God for him. On the other hand, the special spirit of some other Orders is to unite themselves with God and their neighbour indeed, but by action, although of a spiritual kind. They unite themselves to God, but, they do so by uniting their neighbour to Him, by teaching, sermons, confessions, conferences, and other pious acts; and in order the better to bring about this union with their neighbour, they mix with the world. They, indeed, unite themselves to God by prayer, but still their chief aim, as we have said, is to try and convert souls and to unite them to God[4]. Other Orders foster a severe and rigorous spirit. They have a perfect contempt of the world and all its vanities and sensualities, wishing by their example to induce men to hold the things of earth in contempt, and employing their ascetic manner of life for this end. Others, again, have quite a different spirit, and it is very necessary to know what is the particular spirit of each Religious Order and pious Society. In order to find what it is, we must consider the end for which the Order was instituted, and the various means by which this end is reached. There is, as we have said, the general end and aim of all Religious Orders, but there is also the special end of which I am speaking, and for which we must entertain so great a love, that there can be nothing likely to help towards that end that we would not embrace with all our heart.

 

Now, do you know what it is to have a true love for the aim and end of our Order?  It is to be exact in observing the means for arriving at this end — namely, our Rules and Constitutions.  It is to be most diligent in doing whatever depends on this and will help us to keep the Rule more perfectly. This is what is meant by having the spirit of our Religious Order.   But, then, this exact and punctual observance must be undertaken in simplicity of heart — I mean that we must not wish to exceed, by aspiring to do more than our Rule prescribes for us. It is not by the multiplicity of things we do that we acquire perfection, but by the perfection and purity of intention with which we do them. You must, then, consider what is the special aim of your Order, and the intention of your Founder, and stop short at the means marked out to bring you to it. You must not seek for the aim and object of your Order in the intention of the three sisters who began it, any more than the Jesuits should seek theirs in the original plan and design of St. Ignatius — for he little thought at first of doing all that he afterwards did; and the same may be said of St. Francis, St. Dominic, and others who founded Religious Orders. But God, to Whom alone it belongs to form these pious congregations, gave them success and led them where we now see them. We must never for a moment think or believe that men, by their own invention, began so perfect a manner of life as that of Religion. It was by God's inspiration that were framed those Rules, which are the proper means of arriving at that general end and aim of all Religious — union with God, and with our neighbour for the love of God.

 

But as each Order has its special end, as well as its special means for attaining that end, so also they have means of attaining it common to them all — namely, the three essential vows of Religion. We all know that riches and the good things of earth are powerful allurements to entice the soul, partly through the too great affection with which it clings to them, partly through its solicitous care to preserve, or indeed to increase them, since the desires of man are never satisfied. The Religious cuts off all that by the vow of poverty. He does the same to the flesh and to all its sensualities and pleasures, both lawful and unlawful, by the vow of chastity, which is a very great and special means of uniting ourselves to God. Sensual pleasures weaken and diminish the strength of the mind, relax the heart, and chill the love we owe to God, and which we give Him entirely by this means. For the vow of chastity does not allow us to be satisfied with merely shaking off and rising above the clay of this world. We go beyond that, and rise from the clay of our own poor solves—that is to say, renounce the earthly pleasures of our flesh. Much more perfectly, however, do we unite ourselves to God by the vow of obedience. In that we renounce our whole soul, all its powers, desires, and affections, in order to submit and subject ourselves not to the will of God only, but to that also of our Superiors, which we ought always to regard as being that of God Himself. This is a great renunciation, on account of the innumerable small desires which are the continual product of our self-love. Being thus shut away and apart from all things, we withdraw into the inmost recesses of our hearts, to unite ourselves more perfectly to His divine Majesty.

 

And now to come to the particular end for which our Congregation of the Visitation was founded, and to understand more easily what the peculiar spirit of the Visitation is. I have always considered that, it is a spirit of profound humility towards God, and of great gentleness with our neighbour; the more so because, treating the body with less severity, it must all the more foster kindliness of heart. All the ancient Fathers agree that where rigour of corporal mortification is wanting, there ought to be more perfection of mind; therefore humility towards God, and gentleness towards your neighbour, must in your houses take the place[5] of the austerity of others. And even although austerities are good in themselves, and are means of attaining perfection, they would not be good[6] among you, since they would be contrary to your Rules. The spirit of gentleness is so absolutely the spirit of the Visitation, that any one who should wish to intro­duce into it any more austerities than there are at present, would instantly destroy the Visitation. This would the more certainly be the case, since it would be done in opposition to the very end and object for which the Order was instituted — namely, to be able to receive delicate women, maidens and widows, whose physical powers are not great enough, and who are not inspired and drawn to serve God and to unite themselves to Him, by means of such austerities as are practised by other Religious Orders. You will perhaps say: "But if a sister happens to be of a robust constitution, may she not, with the Superior's permission, practise more austerities than the other sisters, though in such a manner that they do not notice it?" To that I reply that there is no secret which does not pass on secretly to another; and thus Religions are made within Religions, and little leagues are formed, and then all is confusion. Blessed Mother Teresa tells us most admirably[7] what evil is brought about by these little wishes and attempts to do more than the Rule orders and than the Community does. This, she says, is especially to be guarded against in the case of a Superior. The evil is then much greater, and for this reason, directly the sisters perceive it, they want to do the same, and easily persuade themselves that they are doing well. Some are urged on by zeal, others wish to please the Superior, and all this is a source of temptation to those who either cannot or do not wish to do the same. We must never introduce, permit, or suffer these peculiarities in Religion, except in certain special cases of necessity. For instance, if a sister were oppressed by some great trouble or temptation, it would be nothing extraordinary for her to ask the Superior's permission to practise some penances more than the others do. We use the same simplicity in such a case as the sick, who ought to ask for remedies which they think will relieve thorn. If, however, there should be a sister so generous and courageous as to wish to arrive at perfection in u quarter of an hour by doing more than the rest of the Community, I would advise her to humble herself and to submit to a restraint upon her zeal, so far as to extend the space of time to three days taking the same course as her sisters.  And if there should be sisters who have strong and healthy constitutions, well and good; but still, they must not, want to go faster than the weak.

 

We have an example of this in Jacob [Gen. 33:1-14], an example which is most admirable, and well adapted to teach us how we ought to accommodate ourselves to the weak, and so restrain our vigour as to suit our pace to theirs. This is especially so when it is a matter of obligation, as in the case of Religious who are bound to follow the observances of their Community strictly and closely. Jacob, then, going forth from the house of Laban, his father-in-law, with his wives, his children, his servants, and his flocks, to return to his own home, was greatly afraid of meeting his brother Esau, believing that he was still angry with him, although this was not so. As he journeyed on his way, he suddenly beheld Esau coming to meet him, accompanied by a great troop of soldiers, and the sight filled him with terror. The brothers met, but Jacob, having courteously saluted Esau, found him, to his great surprise, most kindly disposed towards him; for he addressed him in these words: "My brother, let us join company and finish our journey together."   To which, however, the good Jacob replied: "My Lord and my brother, it must not be so, because I have my children, and their little steps would try your patience. As for me, I measure my pace by theirs; which, of course, it is my duty to do.  Then, too, I have my ewes and new-born lambs; the lambs are still so tender and feeble that they cannot go quickly, and all this would delay you too much on the road."  Observe, I pray you, the gentle kindliness of this holy Patriarch:[8] he accommodates his pace cheerfully not only to that of his little children, but also to that of his lambs. He was on foot, and this journey was indeed a happy one to him, as we see by the blessings which he received from God during the whole of it. Several times he saw and spoke with Angels, and at last even with the Lord of Angels and men, so that he was really far more fortunate than his brother, in spite of his splendid escort.

 

If we desire that our journeys should be blessed by the divine Goodness, let us cheerfully submit ourselves to the exact and punctual observance of our Rules, and that in simplicity of heart, not wanting to increase our exercises, which would be going against the intention of the Founder, and the end for which the Order was established. Let us, then, cheerfully accommodate ourselves to the weak who may be received into it, and I assure you that, we shall not on that account be any slower in arriving at perfection.

 

On the contrary, that will be just the moans of leading us to it all the quicker, because, not having much to do, we shall endeavour to do that little with the greatest possible perfection. And it is just this which makes our works more pleasing to God, for He does not regard the multiplicity of things which we do for the love of Him, as we have already said, but only the fervour of the charity with which we do them. I think, if I am not mistaken, that if we make up our minds to wish to observe our Rules perfectly, we shall have quite enough to do, without burdening ourselves with anything more, especially as all that concerns the perfection of our state is comprised in them.

 

The blessed Mother St. Teresa tells us that her daughters were so absolutely exact in their obedience, that their Superiors had to be very careful not to bid them do anything that would not be a good thing to do, because, without any further exhortation, they would instantly set to work to do it. Furthermore, in order to observe their Rules more perfectly, they were most punctilious in carrying out the smallest details. She tells us[9] that on one occasion one of her daughters, not having understood dis­tinctly what a Superior had desired her to do, said so; whereupon the Superior replied somewhat abruptly and inconsiderately: "Go and put your head into a well and then you will understand." The Nun was so ready and eager to obey that, if they had not stopped her, she would actually have thrown herself in[10]. There is certainly less difficulty in observing the Rules exactly than in being willing to observe them only in part[11].

 

I cannot sufficiently impress upon you the importance of this point—namely, punctual attention to the smallest matters tending to the more perfect observance of the Rule, and at the same time an unwillingness to undertake anything more. That is the way to preserve a Religious Order undivided and in its first fervour, and to do otherwise is to do what destroys it and causes it to fall away from its original perfection[12]. You ask whether there would be more perfection in conforming yourselves so absolutely to the Community, as not even to ask permission to go to Communion on an unusual occasion, or oftener than the others. Who can doubt it, my dear daughters?—unless, indeed, in special cases, such as the feasts of our Patron, or of some saint for whom we have had a great devotion all our lives, or in some pressing necessity.    But as regards certain little outbursts of fervour which we may sometimes feel — transitory emotions which, generally speaking, have something to do with our temperament, but which make us desire Communion — we must pay no more regard to them than do mariners to the breeze which springs up at daybreak, produced by the mists which at that time are rising from the earth, a breeze which does not last, and dies away as soon as these mists have risen and dispersed. The captain of the vessel, who knows well the nature of this breeze, pays no heed to it, and not expecting to be carried on by it, does not unfurl his sails. Just so it is with us; we must not look upon our ever-changing wishes, now to ask for more frequent Communion, now to beg to be allowed to say more prayers, now for something else, as a favourable breeze — that is to say, as an inspiration. Our self-love, which is always seeking its own satisfaction, would rest quite con­tented with that, and more particularly with such little inventions, and would be continually furnishing us with new ones. Today, when the Community goes to Communion, it will suggest to you that you had better, out of humility, ask to be allowed to abstain from it[13]; and when the time for humbling yourself arrives, it will persuade you to rejoice and to ask for Communion to increase your humility; and so the whole thing will be endless. We must not regard as an inspiration a suggestion of anything beyond the Rule, unless in cases so extraordinary that perseverance shows us it is the will of God; as it has been with two or three great saints with regard to Communion, their directors having wished that they should com­municate every day. I consider it to be a very great act of perfection to conform in all things to the ways of the Community, and never to depart from them of our own choice; for besides this being an excellent means of uniting ourselves with our neighbour, it also hides from us our own perfection. There is a certain simplicity of heart in which consists the perfection of all perfections. It is this simplicity which makes our soul look only to God, and remain shut up and recollected in herself, so that she may apply herself with all possible fidelity to the observance of her Rules, without allowing herself to desire, or wish to undertake more. She does not want to do such excellent and extraordinary things as may cause her to be esteemed by creatures; and thus she keeps herself lowly and retired, without any great satisfaction, for she does nothing of her own will and nothing more than others. By this means all her sanctity is hidden from her own eyes: God alone sees it, and delights Himself in her simplicity, by which she ravishes His heart and unites herself to Him. She makes short work of all the suggestions of her self-love – that self-love which takes such supreme delight in attempting the great and splendid things, which will make us esteemed far above others. Such souls as these enjoy at all times, and in all places, great peace and tranquillity of mind.

 

We must never believe or think that by doing nothing more than others, and following the ways of the Community, we acquire less merit. Oh no! for[14] perfection does not consist in austeri­ties. Although they are excellent means to attain it, and are good in themselves, for us they are not so, because they are not in conformity with our Rules or with their spirit; it being of far greater perfection to keep to the simple observance of those Rules, and to follow the ways of the Community, than to wish to exceed that limit. I assure you she who keeps within these bounds will in a short time make great progress, and will by her example do much for her sisters[15].

 

Finally, when we are rowing we must do so in time; those who are out at sea in a rowing-boat, are not beaten so readily on account of sluggish rowing, as they are when they do not all row together in time. We must try to train up the novices to do, all of them, the same things, so that they may keep time together; and although all may not do this with equal perfection, that cannot be helped — it is the same in all communities.

 

But you may say, that it is as a mortification that you remain in the Chapel on Feastdays a little longer than the others, on account of your having felt impatient and weary during the two or three consecutive hours, when you were all there together. To that I reply that there is no general rule that we must do everything that is repugnant to ourselves, any more than abstain from everything for which we feel an inclination. If a sister greatly loves saying the Divine Office, she must not stay away from it under the pretext of wishing to mortify herself. With regard to the time on Feast - days when you are at liberty to do what you please, it may be spent by each of you as her devotion suggests. It is, however, true that after having been for three hours, or perhaps more, in the Chapel with the Community, there is great fear that the extra quarter of an hour you impose upon yourself may be a morsel thrown to your self-love[16].

 

Lastly, my dear daughters, we must love our Rules very much, since they are the means by which we attain their end, which is to lead us easily to the perfection of charity — that is, the union of our souls with God and with our neighbour. And not only that, but the union of our neighbour with God, which we effect by means of these Rules; means which are most sweet and gentle, for no sister is rejected for want of physical strength, provided that she is willing to live according to the spirit of the Visitation.  As I have told you, this spirit is one of humility towards God and gentleness and sweetness towards our neighbour, and it is this spirit which unites us equally with God and with that neighbour. By humility we unite ourselves to God, submitting ourselves to the exact observance of His will as signified to us in our Rules. We ought piously to believe that these Rules were drawn up by His inspiration. They have been received by holy Church and approved by His Holiness, and these are evident signs of their inspiration. For this reason we ought to love them all the more tenderly, and many times a day press them to our hearts in gratitude to God Who gave them to us. By gentleness of heart we unite ourselves to our neighbour through an exact, and punctual conformity of life, manners, and exercises; neither doing more nor less than those with whom we live, nor than is marked out for us in the path in which God has placed us all together; making use of all the powers of our soul to do this with the greatest possible perfection. Remember, however, that what I have told you often about the necessity of exactness in the observance of the Rules, even in their smallest detail, must not be understood to mean that you must admit scruples into your exactitude!  Oh no! I never meant that. What I wish for you is the punctiliousness of chaste spouses, who, not content with avoiding all that might displease their Heavenly Bridegroom, wish to do everything they can to please Him even in the smallest matters.

 

It will be very fitting that I should give you some remarkable example to make you understand how pleasing we are to God when we conform in all things to community life. Listen, then, to what I am going to tell you. Why do you think that Our Lord and His Blessed Mother submitted to the law of the Presentation and Purification, if not on account of the love which they bore to the common life? Assuredly, this example alone ought to be sufficient to incite Religious to follow most exactly their community life, and never to depart from it.  For neither the Son nor the Mother were in any way bound by this law: not the Child, since He was God; not the Mother, since she was a Virgin all-pure. They might easily have exempted themselves from conforming to it, without any one's being aware of the fact; for could not she have gone to Nazareth instead of to Jerusalem? She did not, however, do that, but simply followed the common custom. She might have said: "The law is not made for my beloved Son nor for me; it is not in any way bind­ing on us; but since all others are bound by it, and observe it, we very willingly submit ourselves to it, so that we may be in conformity with them, and not singular in anything." St. Paul the Apostle has well said [Heb. 2:17; 4:15] that it behoved Him (Our Lord) in all things to be made like unto His brethren, without sin. But tell me, was it the fear of prevarication which made this Mother and her divine Son so exact in the observance of the law? No, assuredly it was not that, for there could be no prevarication for them. They were drawn by the love which they bore to their Eternal Father.

 

We cannot love the command if we do not love the giver of the command. In proportion to our affection and esteem for the maker of the law, is the exactness of our observance of it. Some are attached to the law by chains of iron, and others by chains of gold; I mean that seculars who keep the Commandments of God because they four to lose their souls, do so from constraint, and not from love. But Religious, and those who care about attaining perfection, are attached to the law by chains of gold — that is to say, by love. They love the Commandments, and lovingly keep them, and in order to keep them better, they embrace the observance of the Counsels. David says [Ps. 138:4] that God has commanded His Commandments to be kept most diligently. Do you see how exact He wishes us to be in the observance of them?  Certainly all true lovers are exact, for they not only avoid all infidelity to the law, but they avoid oven the shadow of unfaithfulness.  That is why the Bride­groom says [Cant. 5:12] that His Spouse is like a dove resting by the side of the gently flowing streams, whose waters are clear as crystal. You know that the dove rests in security by those waters, because she can see reflected in them the shadows of the birds of prey which she dreads so much; and thus she cannot be taken by surprise, for as soon as she sees these reflections, she wings her flight to some safe shelter.  "So too it is with my beloved," the Heavenly Bridegroom would say; "for while she flies before the very shadow of faithlessness to my Commandments, she has no fear of falling into the hands of disobedience." Assuredly, she who by the vow of obedience, voluntarily deprives herself of the power of doing her own will in things indifferent, shows with sufficient plainness that she loves to submit in things which are necessary and of obligation.[17]

 

We must, then, be most exact in the observance of the laws and Rules given to us by Our Lord, but especially in this point of following the Community in all things. We must beware of saying that we are not bound to observe this Rule, or that special command of the Superior, because it is made for the weak, and we are strong and healthy; or, contrariwise, that some particular commandment is made for the strong, and that we are weak and infirm. In the name of God! Let there be any­thing rather than this in a community.  If you are strong, I entreat you so to comport yourselves as to appear weak with the weak; and if you are really weak, then to strive to be strong with the strong. The great Apostle St. Paul says that he became all things to all men, that he might save all [1 Cor. 9:22]. Who is weak and I am not weak? [2 Cor. 9:29].  With the sick, I too am as one sick; with the strong, I too am strong. Do you see how St. Paul, when he is with the weak, becomes weak himself, and willingly takes all the remedies necessary for their infirmities, to give them confidence to do the same?  When, however, he is with the strong, he becomes a perfect giant, that he may inspire them with courage [Gal. 2:11].  And if ho observes that his neighbour is likely to be scandalised by anything he may do — although it is perfectly permissible for him to do it — yet, so great is his desire for peace and tranquillity of heart, that he willingly abstains from doing it [1 Cor. 8:13].[18]

 

"But," you will say to me, "now that the time for recreation has come, I have a most fervent desire to go to my prayers, that I may enter into a still closer union with the source of all goodness.[19] May I not consider that the law which commands recreation is not binding upon me, seeing that my spirits are gay and joyous enough of themselves without any need of recreation?" Oh no! you must neither think nor say such a thing. If you have no need of recreation for yourself, you must help to make recreation for those who do need it. Are there, then, no exceptions in Religion? Are the Rules all equally binding? Without doubt they are. But there are some laws which are justly unjust. For example: the fast of Lent is commanded for all; does it not seem to you that this law must be unjust, since this unjust justice is moderated by giving dispensations to those who cannot observe it? It is the same in Religion; the command is for all alike. No individual may dispense him or herself from its observance, but Superiors may moderate the rigour of the law, according to the necessity of each individual.

 

We must beware of thinking that the weak are less useful in Religion than the strong; that they do less, and acquire less merit. It is not so at all, since all are equally doing the will of God. Bees afford an example of this, for some are employed in guarding the hive[20], whilst others are always busy gathering in honey; and yet those who remain in the hive do not eat less honey than those which have all the trouble of despoiling the flowers of it[21]. Do you think that [1 Kings 30:23-25] David made an unjust law, when he gave orders that the soldiers who guarded the baggage should have an equal share in the booty with those who went forth to the battle and came back covered with wounds?

 

Not at all; the command was in no respect unjust, seeing that they who guarded the baggage guarded it for those who were fighting, and that they who were in the thick of the battle fought for those who guarded the baggage. Thus they all deserved the same recompense, since they had all equally obeyed[22] the King. God be praised!

 

 

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[1] filled with – zeal, or, it may be, anger (zeal is often mistaken for anger, as well as anger for zeal); and we must not be surprised at this, seeing that they were not yet confirmed in grace. (MS. and Coll.).

[2] And this has been determined and held as certain by Councils. (MS. and Coll.).

[3] Certainly the general and the particular spirit are very different from one another. For example, the Carthusians have quite a different spirit from that of the Jesuits, and that of the Capuchins is different again. . . . (MS. and Coll.)

[4] and to unite them to God.—Now, the Capuchins have a severe and rigorous spirit, and to define it exactly, we may say that it is a perfect contempt as regards the exterior of the world and all its vanities and sensualities. I say, as regards the exterior, for all Religious Orders have it, or ought to have it, as regards the interior. They wish by their example to induce men to hold the things of earth in contempt, and the poverty of their garments serves for this end. By this means they convert souls to God, uniting themselves thus to His divine Majesty, and also with their neighbour for the love of God. This spirit of severity at regards the exterior is so inseparable from them, that if one of their Order is seen to have any kind of affectation, or shows it in his dress, or wishes to be treated more delicately than the others, in however slight a degree, it is said at once that he no longer possesses the spirit of St. Francis. Again, if a Carthusian is observed to take the smallest pleasure in conversing with his neighbour, however perfect may be his intention, were it even to convert him, he loses instantly the spirit of his Order. As would also a Jesuit if he wished to retire into solitude and to devote himself to contemplation like the Carthusians, supposing that it were not the time marked out for this in their exercises, or a special need for an individual, which is provided for by the prudence of Superiors ... (MS. and Coll.)

[5] take the place—i.e. in this house, of the austerity of the Carmelite Sisters, the Poor Clares, the Carthusians, &c. (MS. and Coll.)

[6] they would not be — good in this house (MS.)—good in the Houses of the Visitation (Coll.)—because they would be contrary to the end and object of the Rules (MS. and Coll.).

[7] Liber Fundationum, c. xviii.

[8] of the holy Patriarch.—I loved him well already, but I shall love him henceforth still more for this act of loving kindness. (MS, and Coll.)

[9] Liber Fundationum, c. xvi.

[10] St. Teresa tells this story in rather a different way. "One day," she writes, "when the Community were going to Confession, a Nun who was waiting approached the Superior to speak to her. 'What, sister!' said the Superior, 'do you speak to me at such a moment? Is this a good way of recollecting yourself? Better far put your head into that well which is just outside, and there think over your sins." The Nun took these words as a command to throw herself into the well, and rushed off so promptly to obey it, that if they had not hurried after her, and held her back, she would have flung herself in."

[11] in part.—For instance, the Rule prescribes that at certain times there should be no talking at all. Now, it is much easier to abstain from talking altogether than to attend to the excep­tions, because in the latter case we must not only be careful to keep silence, but also to speak on those occasions which are excepted. Charity, however, shows us clearly enough when we can do this without infringing the command not to speak at all. (MS. and Coll.)

[12] perfection.—Let me tell you that what maintains the Jesuit fathers in the perfection of their Order, is nothing but the firm­ness with which they obey every command, without reply. (MS. and Coll.)

[13] to abstain from it—because it is the feast of some particular saint who used such careful preparation before receiving the Blessed Sacrament, and you, who are so poorly prepared, it is not reasonable that you should receive it so often; and so on. (MS. and Coll.)

[14] for—we do not become perfect, neither are we more pleasing to God, by the multiplication of exercises, penances, and austerities (MS. and Coll.), but rather by the purity of love with which we do them (MS.).

[15] sisters—profit her sisters by her good example. I have seen examples of this in two Generals of the Carthusians [The first named of these generals was probably Dom Jerome Marchand (1588-94), celebrated for his rigorous aus­terities, detailed at length in the Annals of the Carthusian Order, The second is Dom Bruno d'Affringues (1600-31)], one of whom is still living; the other is now dead, but I saw him in Paris when I was there. He was exceedingly austere, and seldom took anything to eat or drink but bread and water. The other, who, as I said, is still living, is not singular in anything, but does exactly what the Community does. Both are great servants of God; but I have been assured that the latter is much more loved and esteemed by his brethren than was the other, and that his gentleness and conformity of life edifies them far more than did the severity which the other practised towards himself. (MS. and Coll.)

[16] self-love.—It is true that, not being able to put it to death, it seems as if -we must occasionally give it some little thing. (MS. and Coll.)

[17] of obligation.—They who deprive themselves voluntarily of lawful possessions, show that they do not desire unlawful attachments. The Apostles, in order to observe better the com­mandment given them by Our Lord to renounce all the riches of earth, deprived themselves voluntarily of what was not only lawful but even necessary for them.

[18] I am strong. — Which of my brethren is scandalised and I am not scandalised with him? When I am with the weak, I gladly make use of all the remedies necessary for their in­firmities, that I may inspire them with confidence to do the same. When I am with the sick, I behave like the tender and loving nurse of a sick child, who softly strokes its head to lull it to sleep. But when I am with the strong, &c. (see above) …  It was, then, the love which he bore to God which made him thus conform himself to all, that he might gain all.

[19] goodness – “O my God, I long to say my rosary in honour of Our Lady!”

[20] the hive—and in keeping it neat and clean.

[21] the flowers—and this with great reason, seeing that those who remain inside the hive, doing scarcely anything, prevent spiders from interfering with the comb of the bees who are abroad gathering honey.

[22] obeyed – according to the King’s good pleasure; for it is not the work which we do which makes us acquire merit, but the love and the charity with which we do it.

  

Let us say a word in connection with this subject on the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the Purification of His most holy Mother. See how the divine Child suffers Himself to be carried so simply and yet so lovingly in the arms of the blessed St. Simeon, neither weeping nor making the slightest resistance when taken from the tender arms of His most pure Mother. Contemplating this scene, let no one excuse himself from Holy Communion on the plea of unworthiness, Saying: "O my God, how dare I, vile as I am, receive Thee as often as others do? How dare I approach Thee even in prayer?" Ah ! this is nothing but a miserable self-deception! Do you not see that our divine Lord passes simply into the arms of St. Simeon, leaving those of His beloved Mother Mary, all-pure and immaculate?

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