Chapter XXIII: Particular Admonitions

Particular admonitions for the Superior, Vicar or Assistant, Mistress of

Novices, Bursar, Sacristan, Attendant at the Turn, Infirmarian, and

Counsellors; with instructions to the Lay-sisters.

For the Superior.

I. I wILt suppose that you have been elected Superior, not through your own ambition and exertions, but by the will of God; otherwise you will scarcely succeed well in the government of the Community, because you will be bereft of the divine aid, which God withholds from those that are not called to such an office. Father Leonard of Port Maurice relates that the abbess of a certain convent, though she had accepted the office with reluctance, was greatly tormented at death by many scruples on account of the manner in which she governed the monastery. Now I ask, what will become of the one that has procured the office by her own exertions?

If you have been promoted to the office without your own co-operation, be persuaded that the honor conferred has placed on your shoulders a heavy and a dangerous cross. To his sister after she had been made Superior of her convent Father Torres wrote: “Beg of God to assist you, that you may not die under the torture of so many crosses—a martyr without merit and without a crown.” Consider that you must render to God a great account, if, through you, observance fails and abuses are introduced. That great religious, Father Doria, a Discalced Carmelite, used to say that religious Orders are relaxed more by headaches than by the gout; that is, by diseases of the head rather than of the feet. He meant that the relaxation does not proceed from the inferiors so much as from the Superiors, who shut their eyes to the neglect of the Rule and to abuses.

Hence, before you enter on your office, thank your sisters in religion for the honor they have conferred upon you; but afterwards protest that if you accept the burden in order to serve them, you will not consent to lose your soul. Tell them that you will neither grant nor permit anything that your conscience condemns. This will serve to prevent the nuns from asking inconvenient permissions; and should they ask for them, they will not feel much disappointed at your refusal. Thus you will be able to govern with less restraint. II. Watch over the observances of the Rule, and be careful to prevent abuses, the removal of which, if they be once introduced into the monastery, will be morally impossible. You must take care not to allow even small defects, because by degrees they grow into great irregularities. How have abuses, particularly regarding poverty, been introduced into religious houses? Father Francis of the Cross, a Discalced Carmelite, relates that a certain abbess appeared to a friend after death, and said that she suffered a great deal in purgatory for having neglected to watch over the observance of the rules and of the orders of the Superior. She suffered in purgatory; but, alas! how many Superiors shall we see condemned to hell for the abuses introduced or permitted during the time they were in office? The Superior should also go through the monastery and see whether the orders that she has given have been executed. Of what use are orders unless they are fulfilled? Hence it is better to give few directions that will be observed than many that will be afterwards neglected. When the religious see that the Superior cares but little whether her commands are obeyed or not, they will soon begin to despise all her directions.

Be careful to see that they that are in office fulfil their obligations, but abstain from interfering much in their duties. Abstain also from imposing new burdens or new laws, for this gives great dissatisfaction to the sisters. What you should do is to enforce the observance of the existing rules. But if you find any rule neglected, such as the frequentation of the sacraments, the attendance of the companions in the parlor, the common mental prayer, mortifications that were before practised at table, and the like, it would not be a novelty to endeavor to restore the observance of the Rule; you are even obliged to do so according to the best of your ability.

Be particularly careful not to permit any particular friendships, either among the sisters or with externs. And should you be unable to prevent them, you should have recourse to the higher Superior, who, in good faith, might have given to some one the permission to speak; but if you know that the friendship is improper and a cause of scandal to others, you ought to inform the higher Superior of it, so that he may revoke the permission. In endeavoring to prevent such abuses, you may incur the displeasure of some, but there is no remedy. By the obligations of your office, which obliges you to attend more to the spiritual than to the temporal good of your Community, you are bound to correct irregularities. I also recommend to you, by the way, that you see that your subjects sleep each one in a separate bed.

Be careful, likewise, not to allow persons employed in the monastery to bring letters or unbecoming messages to the religious; and should you ever discover that this was done by any persons in the employment of the convent, dismiss them immediately. Take care that no other men enter the convent than those that are needed to render service. Father Bartholomew of St. Charles, in his “School of Truth,” cites a decree of the Sacred Congregation in which it is forbidden to men to enter convents, except for the doing of work that is above the strength of the lay-sisters. He also cites another decree by virtue of which any one bringing into the convent children of whatever age would incur the censures inflicted on those violating the enclosure. Be careful to hold chapters as often as the Rule prescribes; and in chapter speak strongly against the more frequent defects, and against any abuse that you may witness. It is not necessary to preach a sermon, but you must speak, and make yourself be heard.

III. If you wish others to be observant, you must give them an example of exactness. St. Joseph Calasanctius used to say: “Woe to the Superior who, by her example, destroys the effect of her words!” The Superior is placed on a candlestick from which she is seen by all. How can she expect the sisters to be exact in going to meditation, to the divine office, and to other duties of the Community, if she be frequently absent? She will not even have courage to complain of their negligence; and should she speak of it, her words will make but little impression; for the sisters will attend more to her example than to her words. Be careful to be present at all the exercises of the Community, particularly at mental prayer, of which the Superior has greater need than the sisters; for she requires a double portion of food, one for herself and the other for the religious. In meditation you ought to beg of the Lord, in a special manner, to assist you by his light and aid, to bear the burden that has been imposed upon you. Endeavor to be present at the divine office and at the common meals; should you be absent, many irregularities will probably occur.

Abstain with great care from the use of particular food, dress, or furniture; and tell the religious in office not to pay more attention to you than to the lay-sisters. Be assured that if you avail yourself of the authority of your office to obtain special conveniences for yourself or your relatives, you will excite the criticism and dissatisfaction of the whole Community.

IV. Endeavor to govern the Community by yourself and not by others. It is an occasion of great annoyance and disquietude to the nuns to be obliged to obey a person who is not Superior. Be careful, then, not to depend on the advice of a single sister; it would be still worse if she were a lay-sister. In matters of moment, first recommend yourself to God, then ask the opinion of more than one of the religious, and do what appears best to you; but in general you ought to follow the majority of the counsellors. Be careful to treat all with equal attention, and do not show partiality to any sister, unless sickness or some other just cause require it. In the distribution of offices take particular care not to be carried away by passion or by human respect, but be guided by Christian prudence, otherwise you must render to God an account of the evils that follow.

V. Be humble and affable to all. Imagine that because you are Superior you should be the servant of all the sisters. Beware of governing the monastery arrogantly. By humility and meekness, not by severity, you will gain the hearts of the sisters, and thus your admonitions and corrections shall be received without murmuring or discontent. St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi used to say: “Love, esteem, and confidence are the chains that bind the hearts of subjects; but these bonds are dissolved by pride.”

If you are not affable, the sisters will not feel confidence in making known their wants and afflictions, in asking the necessary permissions, and informing you of the disorders of the monastery, and thus your government will not be successful. It is not enough to have a good heart: if your manner is austere, all will avoid you. It is necessary to listen to all without distinction, when they come to you; otherwise you will know but little of the irregularities that take place, and much less will you be able to repair them. Should any sister appear to be reserved with you, endeavor to gain her confidence by treating her with greater affability.

When you have to assign offices or to give employment to the sisters, or to prohibit anything, be careful to abstain from imposing precepts (unless in cases of absolute necessity), refrain as much as possible from all commanding words, and from speaking in a loud voice. Speak rather in the language of entreaty, saying: Sister, I beg of you to do such a thing; do an act of charity for me; will you do me a favor, etc. In a word, endeavor to be loved rather than feared; and do not impose a burden of twenty pounds on a sister whom you see unable to bear more than ten.

Be meek, particularly in correcting the sisters. St. Ambrose says: “A friendly correction is more profitable than a turbulent accusation; the former excites shame, the latter provokes indignation. Let the person whom you correct believe you to be a friend rather than an enemy.”¹ A friendly admonition that points out the defect is more useful than a sharp rebuke that excites anger in the person corrected, who must regard you as an affectionate friend rather than as an adversary. St. John Chrysostom says: ‘Do you wish to see a brother corrected?—weep, exhort, embrace his feet, be not ashamed to kiss them (if necessary), if you wish to see him soon cured.”¹ Endeavor with great sweetness and in private to correct the first fault that a sister commits. Should public correction be necessary in consequence of the fault being public, be careful first to correct the sister in private, praising her on the one hand for her good qualities, and on the other correcting her for the defect; then say to her, that since public correction is necessary for the good of the Community, she ought not to be displeased at your correcting her before the sisters. Oh! how much more profitable are admonitions made in this manner than corrections accompanied with sharpness and severity. When the Superior acts with meekness, she leads the sisters, as it is commonly said, with a thread of silk. The nuns call and regard you as a mother: you, then, should treat them as children, and with maternal affection. It is particularly necessary to treat the aged religious with charity and prudence. In general, says St. Gregory² it is useful, as shall be said hereafter, to treat the young with severity when necessary; but with the aged you must have recourse to entreaties and to sweetness, saying: My sister, you know how much I esteem you; I entreat you not to violate such a rule: we are advanced in years; we must give good example to the young sisters.

Sometimes it is necessary to defer correction for a week or a month, till a convenient opportunity occurs, that the admonition may be more fruitful. Medicine administered at the proper time cures an invalid; but if given at an unseasonable time it will kill him. Sometimes it is necessary to shut your eyes and overlook a fault, as if you had not seen it; that is, when the defect is a light one, confined to the person that commits it, and not imitated by others. We must leave many things to God, and implore of him to apply a remedy. Speaking of the defects of nuns advanced in years, St. Francis de Sales has said, in one of his letters,¹ “It is necessary to pay attention to the aged: they cannot be so easily managed; they are not so flexible; for the sinews of the soul, as well as of the body, have grown stiff.

But when defects are serious, such as when they give scandal or annoyance to any of the nuns, or are opposed to the observance of any rule, then you must speak. If you remain silent, and dissemble through fear of losing the good-will of any of the sisters, you will lose the good-will of God. It is also necessary, in certain cases, such as when you perceive friendships or aversions, to apply an immediate remedy; for the longer such evils continue, the more difficult it is to repair them.

In correcting the religious, it is necessary, as has been said, to use all possible sweetness; but when you see that meekness does not correct the evil, you must, as the Apostle advises, speak strongly: Reprove, entreat, rebuke.”² In her intercourse with the sisters, the Superior should have a heart of honey; but in correcting abuses and relaxations of exact observance, she requires a soul of bronze. In the rules of St. Augustine it is said that the Superior should inspire subjects with fear and love, the humble and docile with love, and the proud and obstinate with fear. A certain author says that certain hearts are so obdurate, that they feel only when pierced with a lance; hence, if neither meekness nor severe words are effectual, you must have recourse to penances, and to severe penances, if the defect be grievous. St. Bonaventure³ used to say, that the difference between relaxed and observant convents is, not that in exact monasteries there are no defects (for even there the religious are not angels, but men), but that in the former transgressions are not reproved, while in the latter they are corrected and punished. In correcting the religious, I entreat you to attend to two things, that you may be secure against error: the first is, not to have recourse to chastisement (I mean severe chastisement), unless when it is absolutely necessary for the amendment of a sister, or for the example of others. Severe remedies are applied only in diseases that are otherwise incurable. The second is, that you do not show passion in correcting any of the sisters, but that before inflicting punishment you first recommend yourself to God, then take the advice of others, and afterwards act according to the best of your judgment.

Be careful not to impose penances, nor to correct a sister with severity, as long as you feel disturbed. Sometimes you may think it a duty to repress without delay the insolence of a sister who treats you with disrespect before your face; but I entreat you to abstain for some time from correcting her: otherwise the correction will probably be accompanied with anger, and will be unprofitable; for the sister will regard it as the fruit of passion, rather than the effect of charity. Besides, when a sister is disturbed by anger, and her mind obscured by passion, the admonition will be of little use. Wait, then, till your and her feelings of displeasure have ceased, and then correct her as you think proper. If the correction must be severe, endeavor always to administer wine and oil, that is, after the correction, say to the sister, that you love her, that you have done all for her good. - When a sister is accused of a fault, do not correct or punish her immediately; but hear first the person accused, and then, after having examined the matter, act according to your judgment. It sometimes happens that things are seen in a wrong light, and that acts are taken for grievous faults when, perhaps, they are not even trivial defects. Some Superiors believe what they hear without further inquiry, and instantly reprove and punish the accused; such conduct leads to a thousand evils and disturbances, because the representation that has been made is without foundation.

May God preserve you from ever seeking revenge against a sister that has opposed or contradicted you, or has spoken disrespectfully of you during the time you are in office: guard, I say, against giving her any pain or humiliation on that account; this would cause very great scandal. You should, whenever it can be done without scruple, rather endeavor to treat with particular respect and attention any sister that may have opposed you. Thus you will please God, and give great edification to the Community.

VI. Be careful never to grant a permission that opens the door to any abuse that may afterwards become general, or give annoyance to the other religious. It is necessary to refuse such permission with firmness, without any regard to friendship, gratitude, or any other human motive. To please others and injure your own soul, is not charity, but folly. But with regard to permission or dispensations that are reasonable, and do no injury to the Community, it is necessary to grant them with facility, unless you wish to see many violations of Rule, which, when committed without leave, are real transgressions. It is on this account that Superiors have power to dispense with the rules in particular cases, for dispensations are frequently necessary, or at least useful.

VII. Be careful to provide for all the wants of the sisters, particularly with regard to food and clothing. St. Antonine says,¹ that a Superior that does not supply the religious with necessaries, when he can conveniently do so, and thus gives occasion to them to retain something for their particular use, cannot be excused from mortal sin. Some Superiors make the Community suffer, in order to erect new buildings, and to adorn the church with ornaments of marble and silver. Certain monasteries have superfluous revenues, and the religious suffer from want; but all have not sufficient fervor to bear the want of necessaries, and thus the monastery goes to ruin. I entreat you to be liberal rather than parsimonious to the sisters, if you expect them to be exact in the observance of the Rule; and therefore abstain from new improvements that are not necessary, unless you wish to see the material house adorned, and the spiritual edifice brought to ruin. Be particularly

careful to see the sick well treated, and supplied with medicine and food; endeavor to the best of your ability to procure for them every comfort of which they stand in need. The care of the sick ought to be one of the principal concerns of a Superior. Our Lord recommended the care of the sick, in a special manner, to St. Teresa. When you know that a sister is ill, go immediately to visit her, and if she stands in need of a physician, send for one, and charge the other sisters to be attentive to her wants. While her illness continues, take care to inquire whether she is well attended; and do not omit to visit her frequently. Father Leonard of Port Maurice remarks that the Superior should not be very condescending to those who, in every little illness, seek particular attention and exemption from the common exercises; for much condescension to them might cause scandal and abuses injurious to general observance.

So much regarding the care of the temporalities; but you should pay far greater attention to the spiritual concerns of the monastery.

Be careful, then, to see that the spiritual exercises be made every year for eight or ten days, in solitude and with devotion; do not spare trouble, or a little expense, in order to procure, according to the best of your ability, a person well qualified to give the meditations and instructions to the religious. Expenditure of this kind contributes far more to the glory of God than the expense of music, of costly ornaments, and of repasts. Ask the ecclesiastical Superior to procure a suitable person to give the spiritual exercises. Above all, be careful to provide the religious with an extraordinary confessor, at least four times a year, and to make the sisters present themselves to him, if not for confession, at least for his blessing according to Canons 521 and 566, n. 4. Do not imagine that the extraordinary confessor is useless, since no one asks for him; for she that rarely asks for him may be most in need of him. Fearing that it may be suspected that her conscience is disturbed, she will not ask for one; and in the mean time, by going to the ordinary confessor, she continues to make sacrilegious confessions and Communions. Oh! how great the account that certain Superiors will have to render to God for the neglect of this duty! I entreat you to attend to it. Be careful always to give the extraordinary confessor, or the new ordinary confessor, the information necessary for the direction of the Community.

I would, moreover, recommend to you to see to it that in your church the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass be celebrated with the respect and devotion due to Jesus Christ. I say, in a special little work that I have written on this subject, that those priests that say Mass in a, hurried manner (some of them finish Mass in less than a quarter of an hour) cannot be excused from mortal sin on account of the grave irreverence of which they are guilty towards the great sacrifice, as well as on account of the great scandal that they give to the people. How disgraceful, therefore, to see religious, who are anxious to hear several Masses, extolling such precipitate Masses, and those unworthy priests that deserve to be expelled from all the churches! There is perhaps no church in which Masses are said so unbecomingly as in the churches of religious; and why?—because the religious wish to have short Masses. What a disorder! and I repeat, what a shame! You, therefore, who are the Superior, endeavor to keep from your church these undevout priests who say Mass hurriedly. A single Mass well celebrated inspires more devotion than a hundred Masses said hastily and disrespectfully.

VIII. Let us now say a few words on the music and singing of nuns. In itself, singing in the church is good, because it is intended to praise God; but it sometimes happens that in the singing of nuns, vanity and the devil have a greater share than God: Some one may ask, What evil is there in singing? -

I answer, in the first place, that there is a loss of time, and a great loss of time; for music is an art which, if not perfectly learned, not only does not delight, but gives positive displeasure.

In the second place, it is an occasion of a thousand distractions, and sometimes of irreverence.

How unbecoming is the manner in which in many convents the nuns sing the Lessons in Holy Week! Young men go there not out of devotion, but for the purpose of hearing this or that nun sing, and at the end applaud her in a loud voice, just as is done in the theatre. The devils re-echo this applause, as may be. Seen in the following incident related by Father Leonard of Port Maurice.¹ While a brother of a religious Community was singing with much vanity in the church of his convent, a voice was heard, saying: Bravo, bravo! Quite flattered by such applause, the singer became still more vain, and continued singing. He finally noticed that the church was filled with smoke and an insupportable stench, and at once understood who had been applauding him. Do you think that a religious that sings a solo inspires with devotion the men that are present? For myself I do not believe so;—temptation, indeed, but not devotion.

Thirdly, it may sometimes be an occasion of losing God; for it may sometimes be necessary to take lessons from men, and perhaps from young men. In such lessons the devil may gain much. Do not imagine that I speak in this manner because I am an enemy to music: on the contrary, I am fond of music, and when a secular, I devoted a good deal of time to it (it were better that I had devoted it to the love of God). I do not disapprove of nuns singing the plain chant, nor even the figured chant in unison, in imitation of the plain chant. But I say that it is not at all becoming in a nun to sing alone the figured chant. If the figured chant has not been introduced into your monastery, I entreat you to guard against its introduction. Should it be unfortunately introduced, I entreat you to do everything in your power to abolish it, or to prevent, at least, young men, teachers of music, from coming to the house.

IX. Lastly, be careful to give to the lay-sisters sufficient time for meditation, for Communion, and some other devotions: if you do not, you should not complain that they are disobedient, proud, and without devotion. If you do not give them the opportunity of adopting the means of acquiring devotion, how can you expect them to be devout?

I entreat you to recommend to those who are in office to read the admonitions that I here subjoin, regarding their duties, that each may know her principal obligations, and the manner of performing them.

¹ “A friendly correction profits more than a turbulent accusation; the former instills shame, the latter stirs indignation. Let the one who is corrected believe you more a friend than an enemy.”—In Luc. l. 8, c. 17.

¹ “Do you wish to correct a brother? Weep, exhort, take hold of his feet; do not be ashamed to kiss them, provided that you truly wish to heal him.”—Ad pop. Ant. hom. 3.

² “Juvenes plerumque severitas admonitionis ad profectum dirigit, senes vero deprecatio blanda.”—Past. p. 3, adm. 2.

¹ Lettre 788.

² “Argue, obsecra, increpa.”—2 Tim. iv. 2.

³ De Sex Alis, c. 3.

¹ P. 2, tit. 9, c. 5, § 3.

¹ Man. p. 2, § 18.

For the Vicar or Assistant.

I. If you have been elected assistant, know that your office obliges you to a general superintendence of the monastery, and particularly of the lay-sisters, and therefore you should frequently visit them, in order to see if they fulfil their duties.

II. Be most affable to all the sisters, and listen to all that come to speak to you. Many nuns feel a reluctance to mention their troubles to the Superior, and will have recourse to you. Therefore, when they come, inspire them with confidence, that they may freely disclose their inquietudes, and endeavor to provide for their wants, according to the best of your ability; and when you cannot comfort them, apply to the Superior in their behalf. But do not arrogate to yourself authority that you do not possess: you are the servant of the Superior, and should therefore depend on her in all matters of importance.

For the Mistress of Novices.

I. The mistress of novices should be a person of great fervor and prudence; for the good of the monastery depends entirely on the education of the novices, who have afterwards, in their turn, to govern the Community. Many of the admonitions given to the Superior are applicable to you: such as to give an example of all the virtues in which you instruct the novices; not to show partiality to any novice, by praising her, keeping her near you, or showing her attention that excites surprise and discontent among her companions; to correct those that commit a fault, correcting with sweetness, and without anger. Hence you would do well to read the admonitions to the Superior. (See III., IV., V.) With regard to correction, the mistress of novices should be more rigid than the Superior; you should not overlook any fault without correcting it.

II. Besides the instructions to which I have referred, there are others peculiar to your office.

The first is, to be discreet, and not to require too much from young persons that are but little advanced in spiritual life. You must endeavor to lead them to perfection by degrees, according to the strength that you perceive in them. You should not show partiality, as has been said: but holy prudence requires that not all be treated in the same way. One is timid, and must be treated with greater kindness: another is haughty and obstinate; she must be treated with greater rigor. Another is very much under the influence of shame, and may be in danger of concealing a sin in confession; another is too affectionate, and is in danger of forming particular friendships. In these and similar occasions be careful to remove each of the novices from the danger to which she may be exposed.

The second admonition is, not to permit the novices to be familiar with the religious, or with the postulants, much less with one another; be careful, then, not to allow them to wander about the monastery without a companion. Do not permit them to read profane books, to indulge in vanity of dress, or to write useless letters. Father Leonard of Port Maurice relates that in a certain monastery, a young person, by an epistolary correspondence, contracted an intimacy with a young man, which led her into a mortal sin of thought. Through shame she concealed the sin in confession, and was guilty of many sacrileges. She was seized with a mortal disease, and died impenitent. After death she appeared to an uncle, and said to him: “Behold the niece whom you watched over with so much caution! I am damned for a sin of thought, which I concealed from my confessor.” Be also careful frequently to remind the novices of the eternal maxims, saying, for example: “Sooner or later, we must die. What shall become of us on the day of judgment? Everything in this world will have an end. Miserable the soul that is damned.” Recommend them frequently to practise devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ, and to his divine Mother, if they wish to become saints.

III. Above all, inculcate on the novices the observance of their rules, on which you are bound by your office to instruct them frequently; for, as has been already said, the observance of her rules is the only means by which a religious can become a saint.

For the Bursar.

I. It is necessary for you to guard against two extremes—extravagance, and excessive parsimony. With regard to the former, be careful not to violate justice, nor to injure the convent by spending more than you ought, in order to gain the esteem of the religious. With regard to the second, do not violate charity towards the nuns, by not attending sufficiently to their wants, in order to gain the name of a good economist, by saving a large sum of money during the time of your office. Be careful to provide for the nuns according to the best of your ability.

II]. Be careful also not to omit your devotions, nor to live like a secular, through an excessive solicitude to save for the monastery. It is true that your office obliges you to treat with externs, to keep the accounts, to be sometimes absent from choir and from the common exercises: but be careful to cut off useless discourses; and when it can be done without inconvenience, put off till the next day the business that might interfere with meditation, Communion, examination of conscience, or spiritual reading. The monastery does not require that, in order to serve the Community, you should lead a life of dissipation.

III. Take care, also, not to enter into disputes with seculars, about the price of their goods, nor with workmen about the wages for their labor. You must do these things, not like a worldling, but like a religious.

It would be still worse to appropriate to your own use anything that you save by excessive parsimony. Whatsoever you acquire is the property of the monastery; and all that you save by a culpable or blameless thriftiness belongs not to you, but to the convent,

Vi

For the Sacristan,

I. Entertain a great esteem for your Office, all the duties of which remind you of your Spouse. The hosts, the vestments, the sacred vessels, corporals, purificators, candles, and flowers remind you of him. You should discharge all your duties with devotion and recollection, frequently renewing your intention of honoring the Most Holy Sacrament. And in passing before the Holy Eucharist, do not omit to bend the knee with reverence.

II. Be reserved with the chaplains, and still more reserved with persons that serve Mass; speak to them only when necessary.

III. Treat your companion with great charity and respect. Be not disturbed when she does anything that you do not approve; and be still more careful not to yield to any word of anger or complaint. Do what is in your power, and when there is anything to be done that you are unable to do, ask her to assist you, but always in the language of meekness, saying: I pray you to help me; do this act of charity for me; have patience with me; and the like. IV. Be careful, above all things, not to expend, through vanity, more than others have ordinarily expended. I say ordinarily, for you should not follow the example of a person that has been extravagant: for such vanity she will suffer many years in purgatory, if she escapes hell; and do you wish to be her companion in that place of suffering? I entreat you to read what has been said on this subject, in Chapter IX. § II.¹ Be assured that you will have to give a great account to God, if you introduce or continue an abuse that will be the cause of a thousand sins. Finally, I recommend to you, as I have recommended to the bursar, not to lead a life of dissipation in consequence of attending too much to your office. Do all for God, and not for vanity, and everything will go on well.

¹ Vol. X.

For the Attendant at the Turn, and for the Portress.

I. Be not idle at the turn, or at the door: employ the little moments of your time in working, or in reading; or at least in recollection with God, looking occasionally. at some sacred image. When you open the door, cast down your eyes, if you wish not to expose yourself to a thousand faults and a thousand temptations.

II. Do not, I say, remain idle; but do not neglect the duty of opening the door, and give without delay the messages to the nuns as often as it may be necessary. Offer the trouble and annoyance to God, and it will be more profitable to you than prayer. You must, however, observe that should a person having a bad intention present himself in order to speak with a nun, you cannot call this nun without danger of committing a grievous sin, since you would then co-operate with the evil. Under such circumstances answer firmly that the sister is engaged, and that she cannot come. You must act in the same way in regard to letters that are sent to suspected persons or are received from them. On this account you will perhaps hear complaints from different quarters; but it is better to hear these complaints than those that God will make. If, however, you have not the courage to do this, give up your charge rather than expose yourself to the danger of being forever lost.

III. Be careful to lock the inner as well as the outer doors at the hours prescribed. Be also on your guard lest anything should enter the convent that might injure its inmates, such as children, dogs, immodest pictures, and the like. And then, what a shame is it not to see the convent door wide open, and seculars, men and women, occupied in joking and laughing with the religious! As soon as you notice this, take care to close the door; your office of portress imposes upon you not only the obligation to open and close the door, but also to prevent every disorder that may occur at the door. VII. For the Infirmarian.

I. Your office is one of great importance and of great merit, if you fulfil it as you ought. In order to fulfil your office well, be careful to recognize in the sick the person of Jesus Christ, who says that he accepts the aid that we give the sick, as given to himself. I was sick and you visited Me.¹

¹ “Infirmus (eram) et visitastis me.”—Matt. xxv. 36.

Hence, you require, in the first place, great charity in assisting the sick, according to the utmost of your ability. Do not be uneasy if you sometimes lose the sermon, or if you are unable to hear the usual number of Masses, or to attend at your other devotions; you will gain far greater merit by assisting one of your sisters in religion. Sympathize with her in her pains, and give her as many bodily comforts as you can; if you are obliged to refuse something, because it would be injurious to her, at least console her by your words. Repeat from time to time some spiritual maxim, remind her of the sorrows of Jesus Christ, and should it be agreeable to her, read some spiritual book for her. Be on your guard not to reproach her with being the cause of her illness by eating to excess, or by remaining too long in the garden or on the terrace. Do not show, by your manner or otherwise, that you feel weary of attending her; do not thus add to the pain of an afflicted sister. And when you see that she suffers from headache, tell the nuns in the cell to retire, or at least not to raise their voice. Be careful to give her at the proper time the medicines prescribed. Should she refuse them, remind her of her obligation to obey the physician; and should she still refuse, send for the Superior, or for some of the religious who will persuade her to obey. Secondly, be careful to practise humility in attending your sisters in sickness, though they should be the humblest lay-sisters in the convent; do not disdain to serve them in all their wants. These are the most noble acts of a religious, or of a Christian.

Thirdly, you require great patience in attending the sick, during the whole time of their illness and convalescence. Tedious maladies weary the tepid infirmarian, but not the religious that has an ardent love of Jesus Christ.

Fourthly, you require great meekness in bearing with a sick sister, who, instead of thanking you, complains of you, and appears incapable of being satisfied with all the services that you render her; but you must bear with her, and pity her in her sufferings. There are certain infirmarians that cannot hear a word of complaint from the sick without resenting it. If this be your character, endeavor to give up your office; otherwise you will injure yourself and the sick. A brother of the Society of Jesus used to answer the complaints of the sick by saying: Pardon me, for I am stupid; and in spite of their complaints, he would continue to assist them with the same attention and cheerfulness. You should act in this manner.

II. Be careful not to judge that any sick sister only pretends to be ill; and be still more careful not to say that her illness is only imaginary. On the other hand, when the malady is considered dangerous, do not deceive the sister, but speak plainly to her, and say: “My sister, your recovery is not beyond hope, but your disease is mortal: it appears that God wishes to call you to paradise. I know that you are prepared, but if you have any scruple do not lose time. I will send for the confessor. The holy sacraments are conducive to the health of the soul and body. We all pray for the restoration of your health; but in the end we must all conform to the will of God.” Should your speaking in this manner disturb the sick sister, have patience with her. Shall religious be treated like seculars, who are not warned of their danger until their recovery is past hope? —a deplorable abuse that sends many souls to hell. As soon, then, as you hear from the physician that a sick sister is in danger, take care that she be fortified by the sacraments, particularly if you have any suspicion that her conscience is troubled. I say that an infirmarian that fulfils her office as she ought is a source of joy to the monastery, and renders herself the beloved of God.

For the Counsellors.

I. When your advice is asked, be careful, before you give an answer, to understand well the question proposed; and should you ever find that, because it was founded on error, the counsel that you gave was unjust, you are obliged to retract it.

II. Tell freely what you think before God; and in giving your opinion, be not influenced by the consideration that the Superior, or any other religious that is your friend, thinks the contrary. The Rule requires that consultations should be held on matters of importance; that in these consultations each sister may speak her sentiments freely, and that thus the best counsel may be adopted. If you are influenced by human respect, disadvantageous contracts, useless expenditure, unjust punishments, and other evils will be permitted.

III. When you see any serious irregularity in the convent, you should inform the Superior of it, that she may apply a remedy. But in doing this attend to two things: First, after having done your duty, be not disturbed if the Superior does not do what you think ought to be done; secondly, be not too importunate in speaking to the Superior on the affairs of the Community: you should speak to her only on matters of some importance.

IX. For the Lay-sisters.

What is said for the lay-sisters may be also useful to those that have the care of instructing and admonishing them. I wish, first, to say a word to the choir nuns on their conduct towards the lay-sisters.

You, O choir sister, complain that some of the lay-sisters are arrogant, disobedient, indevout, that they injure the property of the monastery, and sometimes give it away to externs. But who, I ask, is the cause of their misdeeds? You are the cause of this. You keep them at work the whole day; you do not give them sufficient time to make mental prayer, to frequent the sacraments, to visit Jesus Christ on the altar, to read or hear a spiritual reading, or to hear Mass on week-days; and afterwards you complain that they are imperfect and indevout. How can you expect that they will be fervent in the exercises of piety if you deprive them of the means of acquiring devotion? Such is the manner in which lay-sisters are sometimes treated; for such treatment certain nuns will have to give a great account to God.

I shall now address the lay-sisters.

I. Dear sister, you should understand that your state is a state of humility, and that it is particularly by humility that you are to become a saint. You should be humble towards all, even your companions, but particularly towards the choir nuns, by endeavoring always to speak to them with great respect, and to serve them as much as you can without neglecting the duties you owe to the Community. And should they ever say a disagreeable word, bear it with patience, and be careful not to answer them as if you were their equal. Had you remained in the world, would you dare to answer your mistress as you now answer the nuns? You certainly would not; and why should you, now that you are a religious, forget what you are? You should not be puffed up with vanity because the nuns call you sister, or because you sit at the same table with them: you have come to be a servant, and as such you have been professed; you must then serve, and serve with humility; for to serve with pride is not to serve.

II. Be obedient in the office in which you are placed; and obey without reply and without delay. Do not go about examining whether your companions attend to their work, or spend their time in idleness; attend only to yourself: the more you labor, the more merit you will gain before God, if you work with the intention of pleasing him. You will thus merit a greater reward than the nuns that hear many Masses, or are employed in spiritual reading; because in all your toils and labors you perfectly fulfil the divine will, and in this all sanctity consists. Do not say, then, that you have come to the convent to serve God and not to be a drudge; for you are to serve God by laboring for the Community, and by serving the nuns.

III. Be careful, if the Superior does not appoint it for you, to ask a little time for mental prayer, for Communion, for hearing Mass, and visiting the Blessed Sacrament, etc. And when time is given you for these exercises, be careful not to spend it in idle chat, or, as some do, in going about the monastery. You who are a lay-sister must be very avaricious of the time that is allowed to you; you must be careful not to lose a single moment of it; for you are obliged to attend to the service of the Community. If you do not serve the Community, who else is to serve it?

But, during your work, who can hinder you from being recollected in God? Make frequent acts of love, and fervent petitions, saying: My Jesus, mercy; my God, assist me; give me Thy love, etc. At least recite the “Hail Mary,” or other vocal prayers. Do not say any more that you are abandoned. Seek God and you shall find him. But you must love silence; speak when your business requires you to speak, but avoid contention, and cut short all useless discourses. And for that purpose keep at a distance from those that are prone to talk. Avoid particularly the ‘discontented, who sometimes express their discontent in uncharitable language.

IV. I recommend to you the practice of holy poverty. I fear that some lay-sisters go to hell on account of the violation of the vow of poverty; they are intrusted with the care of the goods of the monastery; if then they give them to externs, or neglect to preserve them, how can they expect salvation? Be careful to preserve, with the greatest care, the things that are given to you in charge; and should others ask them of you, answer with firmness that they are not yours, and that you cannot ‘damn yourself for their sake. If you wish to assist any one through charity, do it with the permission of the Superior. Do not make your entrance into religion the occasion of your own damnation.