Front matter — St. Alphonsus, True Spouse

Contents (as printed)

¶1.

APPROBATION — p. 4
THE AUTHOR’S PREFACE — p. 12
NOTICE — p. 13
CH. I. THE MERIT OF VIRGINS WHO CONSECRATE THEMSELVES TO GOD — p. 17
1. They become like the angels, and are the spouses of Jesus Christ — p. 17
2. How much more happy are virgins than married women even in this life — p. 21
3. Excellence of virginity — p. 26
4. Means to preserve virginal purity — p. 28
5. The spouse of Jesus Christ should be entirely his — p. 33
II. THE ADVANTAGES OF THE RELIGIOUS STATE — p. 39
1. The religious state is like the promised land; it is paradise on earth; it is a great grace — p. 39
2. Advantages of the religious state according to St. Bernard — p. 41
III. THE RELIGIOUS SHOULD BELONG ENTIRELY TO GOD — p. 61
1. She should renounce everything, and love only God — p. 61
2. We must overcome ourselves and courageously strive for perfection:—Means to be adopted for this purpose — p. 71
CHAP. IV. THE DESIRE OF PERFECTION — p. 80
1. How holy desires are useful, and even necessary — p. 80
2. Means for acquiring perfection — p. 90
V. THE DANGER TO WHICH AN IMPERFECT RELIGIOUS, WHO IS BUT LITTLE AFRAID OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF HER IMPERFECTIONS, EXPOSES HER SALVATION — p. 99
1. One can and should avoid all venial sins plainly voluntary — p. 99
2. Venial sins injure above all the religious, who are most especially called to perfection — p. 107
VI. CONTINUATION OF THE SAME SUBJECT — p. 113
1. A religious has especially to fear being lost when she sins by attachment to some passion, or when she lives in tepidity — p. 113
2. Means to extricate one’s self from tepidity — p. 121
VII. INTERIOR MORTIFICATION, OR ABNEGATION OF SELF-LOVE:—OBEDIENCE — p. 129
I. Necessity of combating self-love.—Practical rules — p. 129
II. Detachment from self-will — p. 142
III. The merit of obedience — p. 154
IV. The obedience due to the Superiors — p. 160
V. Obedience due to the Rule — p. 172
VI. The four degrees of perfect obedience — p. 190
VIII. EXTERIOR MORTIFICATION — p. 205
I. Its necessity and advantages — p. 205
II. The mortification of the eyes and modesty in general — p. 217
CHAP. VIII. III. The mortification of the appetite — p. 229
IV. The mortification of the sense of hearing, of smell, and of touch — p. 243
IX. RELIGIOUS POVERTY — p. 249
I. The vow of poverty, the perfection of poverty, and Community life — p. 249
II. The degrees and the practice of perfect poverty — p. 263
X. DETACHMENT FROM RELATIVES AND OTHER PERSONS — p. 277
I. Detachment from relatives — p. 277
II. Detachment from seculars, and even from the Sisters — p. 287
XI. HOLY HUMILITY — p. 299
I. The advantages of humility — p. 299
II. The humility of the intellect or of the judgment — p. 308
III. Humility of the heart or of the will — p. 318
IV. Continuation of the same subject, and especially patience in bearing contempt — p. 331
XII. FRATERNAL CHARITY — p. 346
I. The necessity of this virtue, and its practice in our thoughts and sentiments — p. 346
II. The charity to be practised in words — p. 355
III. The charity to be practised in works, and towards whom it is to be practised — p. 366
XIII. PATIENCE — p. 379
I. Patience in general — p. 379
II. Patience in sickness, poverty, contempt, persecution, and spiritual desolation — p. 395
III. Patience in temptation — p. 408
CHAP. XIV. RESIGNATION TO THE WILL OF GOD — p. 421
I. The merit of resignation to the divine will — p. 421
II. In what things we ought, in a special manner, to resign ourselves — p. 430
XV. MENTAL PRAYER — p. 441
I. Moral necessity of mental prayer for religious — p. 441
II. The practice of mental prayer — p. 453
XVI. SILENCE, SOLITUDE, AND THE PRESENCE OF GOD — p. 467
I. Silence — p. 467
II. The love of solitude, and the avoiding of idleness — p. 480
III. The presence of God — p. 495
XVII. SPIRITUAL READING — p. 513
XVIII. THE FREQUENTATION OF THE SACRAMENTS — p. 525
I. Confession — p. 525
Utility of frequent confession, 525. Examination of conscience, sorrow or contrition, and purpose of amendment, 527. False shame, 532. Doubts, 536. Sincerity, respect, and wise reserve in confession, 539. Need and choice of a director — p. 541
II. Scruples — p. 545
What are real scruples, and how they are hurtful, 545. Obedience to the director is the great remedy against scruples, 548. Practical application — p. 554
III. Communion, Spiritual Communion, and visiting of the Blessed Sacrament — p. 563
CHAP. XVIII. for not communicating frequently, 578. 7. Exhortation to receive Communion frequently, 584. 8. Spiritual Communion, 586. 9. The visits to the Most Holy Sacrament — p. 588
XIX. PURITY OF INTENTION — p. 597
XX. PRAYER — p. 609
XXI. DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY — p. 624
1. A true servant of Mary cannot be lost — p. 624
2. What are the true servants of Mary — p. 634
XXII. THE LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST — p. 641
I. The obligation of a religious to love Jesus Christ — p. 641
II. The means of acquiring divine love, and the acts of love that a religious should practise towards Jesus Christ — p. 652
XXIII. PARTICULAR ADMONITIONS — p. 668
For the Superior, 668. For the Vicar or Assistant, 682. For the Mistress of Novices, 682. For the Bursar, 684. For the sacristan, 685. For the attendant at the turn, and for the portress, 686. For the Infirmarian, 687. For the Counsellors, 690. For the lay-sisters — p. 690
XXIV. RULE OF LIFE FOR A RELIGIOUS THAT DESIRES TO BECOME A SAINT — p. 694
Rising in the morning, 694. Mental prayer, 695. The divine office, 695. The hearing of Mass, 702. The refectory, 705. Recreation, 706. The examination of conscience, with other instructions, 709. The necessity of banishing melancholy, and what ought a person to do who finds that she has become a nun against her inclinations — p. 712
Summary of the virtues which the religious who wishes to become a saint should practise — p. 719
Spiritual maxims for a religious — p. 723
Aspirations of love to Jesus Christ — p. 726