CONTENTS:

Teaching 1: Superior Delegate
Teaching 2: Spirit of Superiors
Teaching 3: The Superior of Community
Teaching 4: Dignity of the Superiors
Teaching 5: Superior Assistant
Teaching 6: Practical Qualities of Superiors
Teaching 7: Director of Seminary
Teaching 8: Superiors in Vocational Examinations
Teaching 9: The Superior and Dispensations
Teaching 10: Superior Guardian of the Observance
Teaching 11: Superior Instructor of Doctrine
Teaching 12: The Superior and the Inner Spirit of an Ordained Son
Teaching 13: The Superior in Recreations and Days Off
Teaching 14: Superiors and Sons at the Works
Teaching 15: Directors Teachers of Offices
Teaching 16: Superiors Custodians of the Sons before the World

Teaching 1: Superior Delegate

Articles 56 and 57 of the Regulation establish that the Ordained will be directly subject to the Knight Great Master and under a Superior who represents the latter.
This Superior will be called Superior Delegate, and his charge remains in abeyance as soon the Knight Great Master arrives at the House, and does not resumes it during all the time when the latter is present there.
All the Table, as much the Community of men as that of women will treat the Superior Delegate with total respect, submission and obedience, and will greet him with the verse of the Knights Masters; “Intende Prospere; Ihes eret onk Hes”.
The Superior Delegate leads, observes and controls every act in the Community, even though is exempt of attending to them when his occupations oblige him to deal with other matters.
He must treat privately with the Superior of Community every necessary observation and modification in accordance with prudence, when and if the urgency of the case does not demand an immediate correction or solution of the problem.
All Sons of the Table can appeal personally or in writing to the Superior Delegate in their needs, and surely they will find in him a father who will be ready to help and advise them.
Sons can correspond with the Superior Delegate, without control of any kind, whether direct or indirect, on the side of Superiors.
When the Superior Delegate attends to acts of Community, he ever occupies the first place and leads those acts.
Besides, the Superior Delegate establishes activities of the Sons outside the Radius of Stability: personally leads and watches over activities of the Sons outside the Radius; arranges journey of the Sons; controls entries and exits of the Radius: letters, writings, objects, relevant purchases, et cetera; and personally deals with social, statutory and executive correspondence, or its sending in his name.
Also, the Superior Delegate is in charge of the administration and movement of funds of Community and Works under the latter and, in case that he cannot make it in a direct way, then he will control movements of administrative funds every month.
Sons should see in the Superior Delegate the Image of the Divine Mother on the earth, and the Superior Delegate must exalt this Image of Her Body of Fire before the Sons, and have to lead more through their example than through their words.

Teaching 2: Spirit of Superiors

As soon as he is in charge, the Superior must surrender, from the beginning, to the Divine Mother and faithfully become a channel; the Divine Will shall flow through it, and he will transmit it to the Sons.
The Divine Mother orders and commands; it is the Superior that makes meekly execute these orders and injunctions. When things go well, it occurs always because the Superior lets the Divine Mother act in him, and when things go bad, it is because his will prevails over the Divine Will.
The Superior must lead the Sons to fulfill faithfully their Vows and observances, and must rule over all things and matters regarding the Community and the Work of Cafh entrusted to him. Always he must do this with entirely spiritual efforts, never with human desires, and must foster the progress of the Work and Community, but remaining in inner peace.
A Superior that wants to make all outright and subject the Community to his personal desires apparently works as those men who did not renounce.
Sometimes, the Divine Mother arranges things in an entirely different way from that projected by the Superior. It is because the Divine Mother sees those things much farther, and her Works are not of time but of eternity. Many times she changes the cards of the play in the very hands of the Superiors, and from an order or a project she draws totally different conclusions from those already projected, and this always for good and progress of the Sons of Cafh.
A Son that is not in charge enjoys a paradise on the earth, but when he assumes this charge, should not lose his peace or permit his will to act. He is just a transparent crystal through which the sunlight passes to transmit this sunray intact to the Sons: this sunray is the expression of the Divine Will.
Sometimes, in cases of need, Sons of few years of antiquity are chosen as Superiors; they must be especially prudent and cautious because still they are tender plants, more in need of obedience than of command.
When a Son enters the Community, he must totally change, physically and spiritually, to be able to express in a vivid way his Renunciation, and this cannot be achieved in one day because is the result of the first seven years of Community. Everything changes in the Son, not only his understanding and feelings, but also his flesh and blood. Just then and only if it is extremely necessary, the Son could begin leading and commanding other Sons.
So, the Sons complement their inexperience with total humility and with such surrender to the Divine Mother that any mistake is impossible.
Order, serenity and simplicity must characteristic in every decision of the Superiors.
First, order. The Community is an automatic clock, and in this sense, this should be the only task of the Superior: to watch and see that this clock never may stop.
If Superior remains watchful, everything goes well and develops in a normal way, and obedience is a silk thread in the hands of the Sons.
Second, serenity. Superiors solve everything without commotion and fears when a contingency occurs or when they must face a moment of excitation before an unexpected event in their Community.
It is easy to lead when everything goes well, but a Superior is valuable when he solves positively unexpected events and avoids any disturbance and fuss in the Community; and even he is more valuable when that part of the Community that did not take part directly in the event does not notice the occurrence.
Third, simplicity. Internally, Superiors have to imitate so perfectly and simply the Divine Mother that that action is unnoticed. This spirit fuses the Superiors with the Mystical Body of the Community. Otherwise, they would show to the Sons that they did not overcome their worldly personality, and still desire to become singular and conspicuous.
A Superior does not neglect his handwork by virtue of his charge, and tries to make it alone without any help of other Sons. It is a bad example a Superior that, while working, mobilizes all Sons round him to be helped.
It is divinely determined that the Superior must lead and think for the Sons; so, not surprisingly the Sons acquire the same virtues and defects of their Superior. The Superior can see himself clearly by looking at the Sons.
The Superior has to lead every Son to begin his day as if it ever were the first day of Seminary, because the achievement of a perfect Renunciation is a hard work that has to last all life and never occurs suddenly.
Superiors: infuse always spirit of silence, routine and patience into the Sons.
Superiors: be neither loose nor too much demanding; avoiding any discouragement, teach them that after their joy because they overcame an imperfection, there is sadness when they realize that other imperfections emerged.
Indicate them that life in community is continuous penitence and martyrdom in miniature, which invigorate and harden them to face anything, and gives perfection, not suddenly, but unfailingly.
Finally, Superiors will teach the Sons that love –charity of Renunciation– is the means by which any virtue and perfection are achieved. Not only charity –expressed in works and action, which is visible and relatively easy– but that love, which is inner charity of renunciation –which is more valuable because is hidden and imperceptible, and ends in holocaust; namely, that exquisite charity that none knows, except the Divine Mother, and that only can be entirely practiced in communities.
Through that charity of renunciation, the Son subjects his own opinion to the opinion of his companions, sees the magnitude of his defects, and is so tolerant that neither perceives the defects of others; that charity neither seeks explanations or excuses even though he is unjustly accused or interpreted, even if he is totally right, nor procrastinates any trial that the soul must experience in life of Community.
Through that charity of Renunciation, everything becomes tolerable and joyful, and the soul becomes resistant like steel, and invariably gets an invincible power at any moment of the day.
Through that charity, apparently our own desires are the little desires of others, and neither we perceive any irregularity in a companion nor observe his distress or affliction before a mistake or repression.
That charity of Renunciation is only sensible to pains of other souls.

Teaching 3: The Superior of Community

The Superior of Community takes care of the Sons entrusted to him; the Superior of Community of men, of all the Sons, and the Superior of Community of women, of all the Daughters that compound the Community.
The Superior of Community will lead all the Sons, when they enter the Community, to renew their Vow with total fervor, in the presence of all the Community.
When the Sons renew their Vows, they will utter just the formula, without the related ceremony of Vows.
If the Superior Delegate is disabled, he must deal with the administration and correspondence of the Community in accordance with instructions.
The main concern of the Superior of Community is the most rigorous fulfillment of all duties of the Sons, the inviolability of the Radius of Stability and cloister, the observance of individual obligations and works entrusted to the Community (whether those of Table or those of Cafh) and the most perfect development of the observance.
The Superior must form the Son in spirit of obedience. The Son fulfils not only the injunction of obedience, but also must practice the contingent obedience of the injunction, in accordance with needs, circumstances and intentions of the injunction.
The Superior of Community is custodian of the treasures of the Community; namely, Regulation, Method, Ceremonial, Interpretation and Orders imparted by the Knight Great Master.
Weekly, the Superior of Community delivers to the Superior Delegate a report about his Community, which must be sent to the Knight Great Master.
This report must register faithfully virtues, works, obstacles, diseases and faults of the Sons; nothing has to remain hidden or badly outlined before the Knight Great Master.
The Superior of Community must impart orders of the day and communicate eventual changes and works during the greeting of the evening, in the presence of all to avoid misunderstandings and problems of last moment.
The most difficult mission of the Superior of Community is to correct faults, since for every Son is indispensable an especial method to lead him to a perfect fulfillment of his Vows, for some of them respond more easily to a loving observation and others need rigorous discipline.
As soon as the Superior of Community notices certain fault, over all he must observe himself to determine if he is the cause of this evil and to increase his spirit of observance in regard to this point. Later he must impart his warnings during the hour of greeting in general terms. In negative case, he must correct directly the Son and, if he does not succeed, he has to insist by every means with love and authority.
If a Son commits a serious fault, the Superior of Community will subject the case to the Superior Delegate for its solution.
Charity becomes indispensable with Sons who commit faults, especially with those who habits are contrary to the spirit of the Community, but tolerance of evil would be weakness. You must ever love the Son that commits a fault, but his evil should be hated.
In these cases, the Knight Great Master will impede that this Son may harm others and will decide his expulsion.
The Superior of Community never will permit reactions of the Sons to observations or their obstinacy about instructions or orders.
The Superior of Community must take special care of the Sons as to their needs, diseases and necessary dispensations; these dispensations should not be for light or futile cases, and never will become a habit in the Son.
Upon request, the Superior of Community will receive the Sons, and after the Rigorous Silence the Sons that are in need of it; his monthly lecture to the Sons of Solemn Vows should not be suspended for any reason.
If the Superior of Community is also Director of Seminary, in this case the Vice-Director can give the particular Lecture granted to the Seminarians, but the Superior and Director must receive the Seminarians once a month.
Moreover, the Superior of Community orders any work and obligation of his Sons in the Radius of Stability. Even though the Superior of Community may not take directly charge of the Work of Cafh, he intervenes in a direct way and fosters the proper development of the Work of Cafh entrusted to his Community, over all when the Superior Delegate is absent.
The Superior of Community must control all; his eyes have to be the eyes of the entire House and of all things; he must try that the clock of the Divine Mother works uninterruptedly, and all Sons of his Community have to be one soul and one heart.
Through his example and love, the Superior of Community will lead all Sons to trust in him and not to fear to tell their doubts and troubles.
The Superior of Community should not forget that the Community is the treasure that the Divine Mother entrusted to him, and that She will demand an strict account if Her treasure does not multiply in virtue and perfection.
The Superior sent to a newly founded Community must be a strong soul because the first seven years of a Community are the most uncertain and difficult; it is a work that needs consolidation, and environment and spirit of cloister. The ten subsequent years to those first seven will be of formation and integral development of the Community; a Community will be an unshakeable rock after fifty years of its foundation.

Teaching 4: Dignity of the Superiors

The Sons will be the Image of the Divine Mother in their Superiors.
Truly, the Superior is neither man nor woman, but the Divine Mother who lives and acts by this means among the Sons, and they must respect and love them as such.
The Regulation determines how the Sons must behave with their Superiors, but also the Sons must adapt themselves to customary acts of veneration.
When a Superior enters a common place or dependency, all the present will stand up, doing the same when the Superior leaves.
The Sons do not stand up if other Superior of lower category enters when a Superior is present.
In the morning and at night, all the Community assembles and asks of the Superior his blessing saying: Bless us.
When the Sons meet a Superior, they greet with his corresponding verse and receive his blessing.
When the Superior, if he is a Knight Master, is out or returns to the House after a stay outside the Community, the Sons that meet him request his Blessing Ired.
The entire Community asks of the Superior his Blessing Ired during festivities. If blessing is requested in common, the Son of lowest category in the Community makes this request.
The Ired Blessing is made by bending the left knee and by kissing the Perpetual Vows’ Ring of the Superior, while the latter touches the head of the Sons with his right hand.
Just the Knights Masters impart the Ired Blessing.
When the Sons are before their Superior, they will ever remain standing until they are invited to sit down.
By honoring his Superiors, the Son not only reveres the Divine Mother, but also recognizes that he can communicate with his Superiors in a personal way.
Besides, any irreverence or mistrust to the Superior, however light it may be, becomes a cunning attempt of the world to recover the Son who escaped from it.
In the event that a Superior comes to the House of Community from the world, they request his blessing just when he introduces himself as such, or when the Superior of Community introduces him.
In the event that certain Son has to assist him, this Son will request his blessing the first and the last time that he sees him, and nothing more. The Son will do the same with all Superiors.
The worthy demeanor of the Son attests his veneration to his Superiors and to the Divine Mother.
Hymns must be sung in accordance with related tone, pauses and unified voices, as much as possible.
The Sons must ever revere, with total solemnity and love, the image that represents to the Divine Mother.
Sons: revere the image of the Divine Mother in the center of the room and with total devotion.
She does not respond to the call of the image, but to the call of love. Through his devout prayer, the Son spiritualizes the image and transforms it into a receptacle of the Divinity.
So, the Image is not a dead form: it lives through the reverence and Renunciation of the Son, and the real presence of the Divine Mother sanctifies it.
So, over all in the hall of prayer, the demeanor of the Sons must be perfect. Sitting, standing or on adamantine posture, remain motionless and with your spine erected, and do not turn from one side to the other; remain immobile, whatever happens.
When the Sons enter a Temple of whatever religion or revered place, they must maintain a very respectful and reverent attitude in accordance with the use in that temple or place, and remember always Ramakrishna’s words: “It is convenient to kneel where others have knelt, because God is present where others have knelt”.
Superior of Community, Assistants, Directors, Vice-Directors and Directors of Cafh’s Works will not remain in the same charge more than two years, but can be chosen for another charge; or for the same charge in another Community. They can be re-chosen after two years. These changes will be made for Christmas’ festivities.

Teaching 5: Superior Assistant

Assistant is the Son that in a determined charge does not represent the Knight Great Master in a direct way.
Superiors, Directors, Vice-Directors, et cetera, also are called Assistants when depend on an immediate Superior who represents the Knight Great Master in a direct way.
In Community, Assistant is the Son who follows the Superior in rank, represents him when the latter is absent or disabled, and also performs certain permanent functions indicated below.
It is convenient that both authority and charges remain in the hands of some few Sons, over all in little Communities. Otherwise, the Sons are unaware of what order prevails, and since every one has his particular way to command and see things, the observance of obedience becomes heavy and confuse.
Also, the charges in Community should correspond to charges of Table: so, a Knight Secretary is Superior, a Knight Almoner is Assistant, and so on.
The charge of Assistant of Community is very difficult, and should be performed with prudence and common sense.
When the Superior is out, even for short time, the Assistant takes charge automatically and represents him in regard to Observance and orders already imparted. In this sense, his temporary authority will tend not only to fulfill properly the work of the Community, but also to fulfill the purposes of the Superior, but should not make changes or even light alterations in what is implicitly characteristic in the Superior, and his orders shall be just in emergency cases.
A personal and imprudent Assistant is whoever, in his Superior’s absence and making use of his temporary authority, imparts different rules or directives from those given or taken by the Superior. Over all, the Community must maintain its usual rhythm.
Divine Mother’s Will is not what one personally believes that is better or worse, but what is established.
But if an Assistant in charge of the Community faces an unexpected event that must be solved at once, he will assume the entire responsibility for this situation, by taking quickly the necessary steps.
In the Assistant’s absence, the Son that follows him in rank takes his place in the Community.
The Assistant is always a faithful expression of his Superior’s spirit of organization and leadership, but at the same time corrects and advises him; privately warns his Superior when the latter is complaisant in relation to the strict fulfillment of the Observance, and reports about those faults that the Sons committed but that the Superior did not notice; for instance, when the Community is gathered and the Superior is present, he reports about certain faults or indiscretions of the Sons, standing up and making his observations in a moderate way. He makes his observations in a direct way if the Superior is not present.
During those hours when the Community is assembled, the Assistant leads the prayers and the Song in common of orisons, and tries to keep the established rhythm and note. Recitation and song of orisons is one of the most important duties of the Sons, and their external expression is as sign of the Son toward the Divine Mother. During the hours of Spiritual Reading, the Assistant gives to all Sons certain manual work to make, and warns them of not to fall asleep during the hour of Meditation and to remain in proper postures.
If during Assemblies and Prayer occurs an unexpected event or certain alteration –for instance, a sudden indisposition in a Son– he will try to help or to go out of the Hall of the Assembly without any noise or disturbance in the Community.
The Assistant watches over regular turns of Monthly Retreats and Lectures of Saturdays, and timely selection and due preparation of subjects. Besides, he keeps a file, which registers the movement of the Community.
If the Superior is disabled, the Assistants prepare the Weekly Report addressed to the Knight Great Master.
In those Houses where there are Works of Cafh, funds are managed by their Director and controlled by their Superior Delegate or Superior, but the Assistant takes care of funds and controls entries and debits in Houses of Community. The Superior of the Community and his Assistant must sign the cashbook.
The Assistant arranges the different Courses of Study for the year, keeps them in a proper place, and selects useful and fit reading texts to the Community.
The Assistant watches over convenient and spiritual talks during recreations and days off, and when the Superior starts a conversation, the Assistant will watch over the Sons to continue and sustain it.
When a Son of other Community or a guest pays a call, the Assistant must honor him, meet his comfort and needs, treat him with courtesy, and socialize with him as if he were at his own home.
Just as the Knight Master Secretary is the Guardian of Cafh’s Holy Gate and of Knight Great Master’s presence, so the Assistant is in the Community the guardian of Observance, decorum and proper development, and help and support of his Superior at any time.
The Assistant personally takes care of sick Sons and of their necessary attention. When a Son with a chronic disease needs especial care, another Son is especially appointed for his assistance.

Teaching 6: Practical Qualities of Superiors

The Superior has to lead spiritually the Sons entrusted to him, but at the same time he must possess practical qualities to offer wellbeing to his Community.
A Superior has to be capable, economic, enterprising, subordinate, skilful and of considerable common sense.
A capable Superior is everywhere, sees all and is ready to solve all. He knows any work and how to achieve the, from the most insignificant to the most important. He can lead the works just in this way. His knowing glance must be enough for the perfect progress of everything.
A Superior has to be economic, but not stingy, because to possess everything that is necessary and to use what is indispensable becomes the quintessence of the Providential Economy.
So as he is wise in Theology and Mystical Asceticism, so he knows all in regard to kitchen, pantry, sewing, et cetera. If he is not aware of conditions and quantity of edibles in the pantry, and does not care about proper and healthy food for the Sons, his Community is weak, and a strong body is very helpful to a strong soul. Moreover he has to know the especial needs of every one of them, and their endurance.
A Superior has to be enterprising and able so solve efficiently any task and problem of the house.
When a Community is not prepared to earn its living, it must investigate and find where the fault is, and must solve it or find new means of subsistence to the Sons.
Also he has to study the peculiar capacity of every Son and every one must occupy a place to develop better.
A Superior is subordinate in all because to command is in Cafh to be subject to all and to depend on all.
A Superior must be entirely devoted to the Divine Law of his Community and must strictly respond to it; he never does what he wants, but what is better to all. He depends on his Vows, of his Superiors, of the Regulation and of the Interpretation. In fact, he is the father in the Community, but also a servant of all. And regarding his particular needs, he should depend on the Sons in charge of several dependencies, in order to be an exemplar in all.
Over all, a Superior has to possess considerable common sense. This is an almost divine gift, acquired through suffering and years of experience. He controls and measures any act of government.
A practical Superior will try to be cultivated, educated and discreet.
His duty is to study and meditate on the Teaching, and to follow those courses that are necessary for a complete knowledge of his appointment. Even he is not authorized to study for personal pleasure; he should follow just those studies that he needs to know in depth.
Once a Son asked his Superiors what studies he would be authorized to follow, and they replied: “Study everything that may be useful to those souls entrusted to you; the rest is vain knowledge”.
Besides, he should watch over every Son to have the suitable teaching and facility to study those matters that complement their work.
The Library of his Community should contain good spiritual books and specialized texts connected with his Community.
Moreover, his concern has to be a fit Teaching to the Sons, and facility to study those subjects that complement their practical work in the Community.
A Superior has to educate continuously and properly the Sons and be an exemplar. Through a good education, the Son acquires more dignity and spirituality, and conquers the heart of other Sons, of those who depend on Works of Cafh and of acquainted persons. A Superior removes from him and from the Sons any rudeness, joke, innuendo, bad manners and anything eventually unpleasant to others.
A Superior has to be highly discreet. Over all, he puts a shield over his heart.
To be truly discreet in relation to the Sons, he has not any personal preference or aversion, and never shows his emotional weakness, especially when a Son is undervalued.
A discreet Superior is circumspect in his corrections and deep observer of the state of mind of the Sons; he order without haughtiness or wrath, and never expects a word of understanding or comfort from the Sons; and never expresses his inclination or weakness.
So, the practical qualities of a Superior have to be centered on the great sentence of Saint Therese: “The head on heaven and the feet on the earth”.

Teaching 7: Director of Seminary

A Director of Seminary is a living image of Observance and of duties of life in Community.
He guides the young souls that enter the Seminary with love, understanding, common sense and steady hand, since they will achieve their perfect spiritual Renunciation in accordance with how they start their life in Community.
The entire life in Community will depend on how the Son lives in the Seminary. A Director of Seminary should not forget that the Son delivered to him leaves at that moment any worldly possession that so far had been his entire good; he leaves habits, family, circle and affections, and suddenly is taken to a great loneliness where he just finds his Director, who while on the one hand softens the grief of the just arrived Son, on the other hand begins working on that person who must be deprived of all his own things and transformed into a new person in any sense.
In the Seminary, the soul passes every stage of the spiritual life: purgative (past life); illuminative (present life); and unitive (future life), depending of the design of God.
During these few months, or during the year, the Son lives a life that first is super-tense and later super-emotional, and at the end, he reaches a necessary and indispensable relaxation for a definitive surrender of the soul to God.
A Director has to take part in an objective way in these states and quick changes of the Son that has been entrusted to him, and should to adapt him to them without any rupture; he guides his soul but does not touch it: by making use more of his intention than of his action. The more you touch a rose, the more it is withered.
A Director removes obstacles from the way of the Son; he leads him to understand the immense and subtle value of the life of perfection that he embraced, tries to help adapt himself to that fundamental change, spiritual and organic, effected in his life, and little by little leads him to possess the great secret of life in Community: “He leads the Son to conquer great patience before an illusory and fleeting time; this is an attitude entirely unknown to the world, and he teaches him to achieve, through daily repetition of the same external actions, the trend to the inner expansive duration of the Eternity”. He engraves in the mind and heart of the Son the key words: silence, patience and routine.
A Director of Seminary is not only reflects vividly the Observance, but also the very image of the Divine Mother for his Seminarians: what he says is the law and a holy formula to them.
A Director will teach the Sons customs, uses and new behavior to adopt. He does not teach everything suddenly, but little by little, but uninterruptedly: it is important for the Son to adapt himself in a spontaneous way to his new life and to practice his lessons as an habit of life, not as an effort of his will.
As the Son adapts himself to the Life of Community, the Director of Seminary becomes more demanding and imposes more discipline in everything.
Then, discipline must be continuous, hard and steady; he must remember that the Sons are called to achieve an extraordinary work, whether in Cafh or in the world, and this demands strenuous sacrifices and uncommon trials, and only discipline enables to resist when necessary, otherwise, a person succumbs when is not in the habit of being opposed to his own comfort.
The habit of immobility is the most effective auxiliary of discipline.
The Son must ever look down, and his face has to be calm, and his aspect affable. Even though he is tired, his back has to remain erect, not leaning on walls or backs of seats, and they must get up from their seats in one movement.
Their hands must remain immobile when they do not work, and while they walk, their hands have to be on their crossed arms and hidden.
Since the Sons must disappear as men to live as souls, they will forget entirely their past in the Seminary after the backward survey of their lives. To this purpose, they never have to name their relatives, origin, former activities or age. Chronological age stops at the Seminary and just the years devoted to the Divine Mother are taken into account. Also, in order to disappear, they should not be conspicuous and have to walk always in silence, not to move to-and-fro, not to be noisy, not to slam doors and not to walk in the middle of the streets or corridors. Even their physical persons have to dissolve, and this is easier if they behave in silence and without notoriety, slide along walls and always give way to others.
The Director of Seminary will instruct the Sons not to keep souvenirs, letters, family photos or loved objects. None must laugh at the newcomers because of their awkward demeanor or their shaved heads.
A Director is like a drop of water boring the rock; his work never stops. He teaches through his word and his example, by instructing with love, sweetness and steadiness, and corrects continuously.
A Director of Seminary, as an expert in souls, has to inspire trust in the Seminarians and they will open their souls. Certain Sons say all; a word, a glance or a gesture is enough, and they go to the Superior and open their souls, but communication is difficult for other souls and they suffer because of this incapacity. It is necessary to pay much attention to these souls so that they may feel obliged –by love and sweetness– to surrender to the Director.
The Director must keep the Seminarians entirely separated from the regular Community, and has to supervise them constantly and closely. If possible, the Seminarians must be entirely separated from the rest of the Community: their departments (rooms, living room and refectory) must be separate. When the Sons are at their particular rooms, the Director shall go and observe their behavior, even in hours of rest.
When the Sons go out of the Seminary to make a work or to learn an office, the Director will see that the Son treats only the Son destined to teach him.
In days of festivity, when Seminarians meet together with the Community, the Director shall keep them near to him and authorize them just to answer to eventual questions, but they will not converse.
The Director of Seminary has to show to the Sons the treasures of life in Community. The soul is not aware of graces and blessings of the Ordination in a cloister, and he must discover them to the Son.
Over all, he discovers to the Son the treasure of continuous silence. As this great silence enters the Son and harms and hurts him, he warns him that this is the first hour of peace, later followed by many other hours of peace and inner happiness.
The Director of Seminary teaches the Son the secret of patience. Every man is creative; but eagerness and haste consume those energies that shape the creative idea: just patience that renounces of the joy of ideation leaves the idea resting in abeyance and becoming reality.
The Director teaches the Son he secret of routine. As days pass by and inner relaxation begins in the Seminary, the son experiences an enormous tiredness that is more psychical than physical. This tiredness, transformed through routine, strengthens his soul, and is the beginning of a true contempt of the world and its illusions.
The Director teaches the Son the secret of fidelity and conquest of the expansive time. The Son losses any support: his life becomes totally different, things are reverted; and spiritual and human things become unpleasant. Then the Director leads the Son to lean on his own nothing: his renunciation becomes his greatness; his detachment is his faith; and the certainty of his insignificance is his strength. Then the Son becomes unshakeable through fidelity.
The Director teaches the Son the secret of perfect obedience, which takes him out of the human aspect and leads him to live in the divine aspect; he teaches him the secret of true blessedness, which is bliss before any little thing of life and appreciation of any insignificant thing; and he teaches him to be in need of nothing in order to achieve all. Through obedience, the Son removes worries and substitutes them for permanent blessedness.
The Director of Seminary will impart to the Sons an accurate knowledge of the Doctrine and Regulation of Cafh, so that they have clear ideas in this sense, not to be deviated from them and to avoid wrong or different notions.
The Director will lead the Sons to know the Interpretations and obligations of Vows that they will take, fulfilling, loving and living them during all the rest of their lives.

Teaching 8: Superiors in Vocational Examinations

One of the most difficult tasks of Superiors of Cafh is to select vocations of the Sons to live in Community. It is as if the Divine Mother wrapped these destinies in the deepest mystery; so one can state that just the Mother knows the secret of the soul and its destiny of spiritual development.
There were souls of great inner capacity, great spiritual flights, and spirit of prayer, sacrifice and detachment, which despite a foreseeable success in life of Community, failed totally in Community. On the other hand, other souls, without great mystical flights and apparent spiritual gifts, adapted themselves quickly to live in Community and became good Ordained Sons.
Superiors have adopted different methods to achieve a possible perseverance in vocations of Ordination: proper preparation, prudential time of waiting previous to any decision, and certain physical and moral tests, but no method was definitive or sure, since always there is an unknown aspect about how the soul shall react in contact with those supernatural forces animate the Community of Ordained Sons.
This increases the responsibility of the Superior, especially because these results are demonstrated by experience. Even though the Ordained Sons can return to the world and to Tables of sponsored and Lonely beings, this experience has demonstrated almost in every case that none touches the divine fire of Ordination and leaves somewhat burnt, and that most times Ordination leaves in the soul of that Son a wound that is a sense of failure, guilt and fragility.
So, since Superiors do not have at their disposal infallible ordinary means to determine vocations in Community, to select the souls they must make use of supernatural and divine media, which are continuous prayer for a while and vocational examination.
The Superior makes use of the impersonal prayer previous to any proposal or acceptance of a Son to Live in Community, and after an evaluation of every human requirement, namely, physical condition, disposition, inheritance, independence, et cetera. He sets aside any personal factor of the Son (for instance, human sympathy or antipathy toward the Son, which is ever false), his personal gifts or qualities, or disadvantages, and appeals to the Light Blue Heart of the Divine Mother so that She instructs and guides the steps of that Son toward his spiritual destination. The vocational examination of the Son is allowed just after the Superior prayed in this sense for a while.
This examination has to be made, first by Superiors of Tables, and later by Superior of Communities of Ordained Sons.
Before a request of admission to the Seminary of Ordination, Superiors must subject the Sons, for a prudential term, to an strict and detached method of life that not only is excellent preparation for the souls but also a relative expression about their eventual necessary conditions and disposition to persevere in the Seminary.
This examination should be strict, severe and in detail; after this, it is the Vow that decides in a definitive way, as if it were the Voice of the Divine Mother, when and if the Knight Great Master does not decide otherwise.
Superiors must examine the physical condition and disposition of the Soul. Contagious, mental and nervous diseases and relevant physical defects dismiss the Son from the Community, as well as certain heritage defects of the Son’s family; although certain organic diseases do not impede him to fulfill his duties in life of Community. The morality of his family must be investigated: bad examples in childhood rarely disappear from the soul, and the experience indicates that even good souls, from improper places, adapt themselves slowly to the great moral of life in Community and at the end do not persevere.
It is very important to examine the state of mind of the Son. Too much enthusiasm and haste to be ordained, fantasies about the election, and aspirations of long spiritual range always indicate an uncertain vocation. And the most convenient Sons are those who, patient in their waiting, steady in their ideas and convictions, neither boast about their vocation nor imagine an easy life in Community, and remain stable and steady in their feelings, cheerful and adaptable to all.
Also it is very important to know the capacity of the Son in every aspect. It is necessary to examine the work capacity of the Sons that must embrace an state where manual work is one of the foundation of life in Community, since they will be poor works for vocational work and participation.
If possible, they should have an office, and if not, they should learn it before they enter the Seminary.
The intellectual capacity of the Son must be examined, this is very important, but no value should be assigned to mystical practices, physical exercises and specialized courses on metaphysical subjects, made or not, because all those practices and knowledge are an impediment in the Seminary, since they must remain free of those things, with their mind and heart in blank, for they only must know and practice Renunciation; but Superiors should closely find out if the Sons know the Doctrine of Cafh and if they adhere entirely to the Idea Mother of Renunciation,
Superiors will closely watch over their voting; no strange factor to the examination must interfere and the judgment derived from their own conscience must prevail.
In case of no unanimous voting, the Son must go again to the Seminary for other six months, or another voting should take place. But over all, unanimity becomes recommendable.
Fundamental factors that must be considered: did the Son adapt himself easily to life in Community? There were ups and downs? Did he feel temptations to come back to the world? If so, how long from now did his temptations stop?
Besides, all Superiors must pray for those inspired souls who, inspired by their fervor, aim at the Supreme Renunciation.
May the Divine Mother remove any obstacle for their arrival at the goal, or delete in them this desire if they are not called to fulfill it! May She lead these souls, in the Seminary and in charge of the Ordained, get necessary example and strength to achieve the irreplaceable gift of perseverance!
Superiors must teach those souls entrusted to them to correspond to the grace that they received, because so immense grace is beyond description and becomes God Himself.
An Ordained Son of Community can transform the world and all souls, and none in the world, however high his position is, possesses so extraordinary mission.

Teaching 9: The Superior and Dispensations

It is Superior that person that watches over the Community and makes fulfill the Regulation and Interpretation.
So, he is highly responsible and must possess good judgment and true authority to resolve in certain cases.
It is impossible for Regulation and Interpretation to comprise every event in life of Community, especially unexpected events. In very numerous cases the Superior must solve and decide alone, and be able to manage because all is in his hands; perhaps the entire Community depends on an unforeseeable act in accordance with the Regulation.
The Superior determines when dispensations from the Regulation become necessary.
This becomes a true preoccupation and an individual problem for the Superior because never there are two equal cases, and never certain determinable things follow the Interpretation. So, since he is responsible for dispensations, he must possess certain general rules, for he does not possess particular rules to decide and guide.
For the Superior, dispensations should never be necessary and desirable. But always there are unexpected cases. As one cannot dispose of the human burden to achieve a divine mission, periodically there are cases of dispensation.
The Superior must take into account that any responsibility for dispensation, not specified and detailed in the Interpretation, falls directly on him, and that he must respond by words to the Superior who gave him this authority, and to the Divine Mother by facts.
Dispensation is something that moves the Sons away from the general direction imparted by the Divine Mother for their improvement and sanctification. So, dispensation is ever something undesirable, even though a Superior has to make use of it.
The Superior should have two concepts: one of great charity, and the other of great watchfulness. Always these cases occur: or the Superior is too rigorous and denies a dispensation in a necessary event, or is too soft and grants too many dispensations, which later can become a habit. Any dispensation that becomes a habit is not only bad, but also brings about any ruin and calamity.
The Superior never is authorized to grant a continuous dispensation. None possesses authority to exempt a Son from his duty. Dispensation is temporary: for one, two or three times, but nothing else; the Superior never can grant a usual dispensation
Sick people need dispensation and healthy people do not. When a person is sick, he is in need of entire love and charity, and you know that certain diseases demand to exempt the Sons from their ordinary life for a while.
But the Superior should not grant a dispensation for an insignificant pain.
When a disease is serious, it must be healed; but light diseases are healed at the feet of the Mother, by fulfilling responsibilities and duties. Otherwise, because of too much comfort or for fear to become ill, the Son may lose those grand gifts that only are the fruit of a conscientious and perfect observance.
The Superior always wants to do his best for the Son, but knows that if the latter has a new pain every day these pains ever lead to not get up on time and to escape from his own responsibilities. So, in these cases the Superior must be rigorous, but with charity. He must make the Sons understand that in the observance and fulfillment of their holy duties they come in contact with the Great Current.
Certain Sons do not feel well; they are not truly sick persons, but experience certain ill that they have to bear all their life. The Superior should pay especial attention to them, over all in regard to diet.
Of course, if would be very bad that all become ill and need especial food, but in certain particular cases the Son must exempt the abstinence and allow some food during prohibited hours. And even it could occur that the Son needs an especial rest.
The Superior should properly discern about a true need.
These dispensations do not impede the Ordained Sons to fulfill his duties; but it is bad that they get used to believe that they have especial rights to dispose of their own duties.
A Son cannot impose on the authority of the Superior his own dispensation and say: “I cannot” and the Superior should not tolerate it.
How awful thing is to say: “I cannot do... I cannot go...”. If the Son is in the hands of the Divine Mother –who is represented for him in the Superior– it is the Superior who will say: “You can or you cannot, you have strength or not, you are fit or not”.
Even in manual work and all other duties perhaps certain Sons try and seek dispensations, changes of work and of duty. This never has to occur. The watchful eye of the Superior has to know to what extent he can grant to the Son and what the latter can do or cannot do.
Upon this authority, he must watch over the fulfillment of any duty, but not to overload the Sons. Otherwise, if the Superior takes for granted the good will of a Son, and permits him to work during his hours off, gradually the disciple may become weak inadvertently.
Sometimes one believes that a Son is stronger than in reality is. The Superior must be careful because a devotional fervor may produce overwork, and later, by overlooking the period of rest, a sudden disease may result.
Superiors: do not trust too much in the strength of the Sons.
Also, do not forget that a Son subject to overwork loses his general energy; perhaps he makes an undue work and later does not follow the Regulation.
Superiors must control very carefully these aspects, especially in Houses where Works of Cafh are achieved.
Where there is work, it is easy to lose the divine gift of following the Interpretation. Work is something splendid, but sometimes Superiors try to improve all and give priority to work instead of following the Interpretation.
Do not grant too many dispensations to lazy Sons. And if they become disappointed, the Superior should ignore this.
Otherwise, the Superior assigns to the most obedient and humblest a work that belongs to the laziest. Then, he believes that is guiding those souls, but disharmonizes the group.
The Superior must be more rigorous with those who never pay attention to their duties, and soft with the wholehearted, stimulating the former and saving energies of the latter.
In Houses of Work it is very easy to miss order and rhythm in the Holy Observance. The Sons must maintain the peaceful rhythm of the observance but respect faithfully every minute of duty.
In their treat with persons who do not belong to the Community, the Sons must be strictly reserved and, without rudeness, should not waste time with compliments.
Observance is quickly relaxed when the Sons usually arrive late at the Observance, talk in the period of Rigorous Silence, and have many dealings with worldly persons.
The Superior may have the clock half an hour or one hour fast in Communities located where darkens earlier.
A true Ordained Son must hate any dispensation, and stand it patiently when it becomes indispensable.
The Son must wonder: “Do I need to ask this permission?”. The most perfect Son expects that the Superior may see his need, and does not ask any dispensation.
As time goes by, dispensation becomes an incurable habit.
The Son of Community does not need any dispensation when he is well. He does not speak of dispensation for disease. If the Superior grants to him certain permanent dispensation that the Work demands, the Son must ever remember that this is not normal and that the Interpretation says otherwise.

Teaching 10: Superior Guardian of the Observance

Superiors are Guardians of the Observance.
Here is the truth that the Superiors have to teach to the Sons: the Observance is external essence of the Vow of Renunciation and ineffaceable sign of choice of a supernatural mission.
Observance is Message of Renunciation.
The persevering Son will not perish: he lives the Eternal Hour.
The potential power that the Divine Mother grants to the Sons, which expands throughout the world for its salvation, cannot become effective without that continuous efforts that are the result of the Observance.
The external freedom of men increases their personality; this increased personality is wasted power of salvation, but life of the Ordained Son, which is of sacrifice and apparent absence of freedom, rescues him from the enslaving desire of individual freedom and, over all, grants to him sensitive freedom. The sensitive part of an individual always needs to be fed by living forces.
Powers of the Ordained Son turn over to men through his internal freedom. An Ordained Son does not spend anything psychically or spiritually. He lives by Renunciation and by the Divine Mother’s life.
Observance, which is life of complete Renunciation, removes any human, sensitive and mental aspect, and transforms the Son into one spiritual focus.
Superiors watch over the Observance, and lead the Sons to love it and the Community to become a unity, a unique power and a solid rock.
In Community, two ideas about the Observance, two different ways to follow it, or divergences about Observance among the Sons cannot exist.
Observance is the act par excellence of the Sons, and just can be followed in the same way, with only one intention, and perfectly.
Through life in Community, always the same and united, any characteristic act of the Sons is noticed by all and known to all, even the littlest and the most insignificant. Superiors must remove these little differences, which may become apparent through different forms of walking, moving, sitting down, eating, laughing, talking, expressing, et cetera. So, the Superior must eliminate differences between one Son and the other, none should distinguish the past position and habit and only one person should become apparent: the Ordained Son. Any Ordained Son disappears as a part and only becomes visible as unity.
The Son has to follow the Observance in such a way that he does notice his own doings; this is something natural in him; it could not be otherwise. A Son is the Observance itself.
Observance must be so perfect that when one is outside it by obedience, you feel the same happiness as if you were following it.
The most extraordinary gifts are wonderful, but just a perfect Observance certainly leads a final perseverance.
Superiors give penitence to those who are remiss or commit regular mistakes; penitence must be severe.
The Superior watches over the Sons and leads them to abandon all their habits, even the best, and to acquire the use of Community; he teaches them that this unification makes the Observance easier and transforms it into a natural expression of the way of life and action of the Ordained Sons.
Superior must watch over the Sons and impede that the Sons may receive anything from outside without his permission; letters, information, gifts or purchases; all this would be very serious fault. Even they cannot interchange anything (for instance, presence), or lend money of their allowances or interchange clothes.
The Sons must accept gladly their presents for Christmas and keep them carefully.
Do not sit down on your cloak or veil; do not drag them through the ground. Do not stain or damage your cloak or veil; be very careful with them because they are not a human garment, but a garment of the Divine Mother, and as such it must be loved and revered by the Sons.
Daughters: do not throw your coif backward; the tighter the better; in this way your fantasies will remain fastened.
Sons: always wear long-sleeved shirts; certain Communities wear short-sleeved shirts by especial dispensation of the Knight Great Master.
Superior: the Sons must pay very especial importance to the sound of bell.
Then, the Son will abandon at once his task, even if it is a work of charity, and will be certain that someone shall complete the work; but with this difference: if he neglected the observance to give priority to charity, this would be an act for his own perfection, but in this way it will become an impersonal and divine act.
A routine schedule is difficult, but later the Son discovers in routine the very perfection, which does not admit interruptions.
Sons and Daughters of solemn Vows will possess only one cloak or veil. Sons of perpetual Vows will possess two cloaks or veils.

Teaching 11: Superior Instructor of Doctrine

The Sons of Cafh, and especially the Ordained Sons of Community, need a clear idea about Cafh’s doctrine. They must know it not only in a general form, but also must be able to synthesize it.
Very often, the Sons expound doctrines that, although are good and accepted by important sections of mankind, are not the doctrine of Cafh.
They need some few ideas, but clear.
Cafh must mystically orient sons, outside general frames of different religions (of religious, theological, doctrinal and eschatological kind).
Man does not avail of any other means of direct communication with the Divine Truth than his predisposition and experience. This predisposition and experience of the soul, transmitted throughout generations, are Revelation and Tradition.
Revelation from extant religions in the world, in regard to their divine principles, is unique and true, but later these religions and every creed imposed by religions, and related doctrines as well, state that they alone are universal.
But religions are not universal, but partial; every religion comprises certain section of mankind. Every religion possesses approximately the same number of worshippers. No religion is universal; no religion comprises the entire Humanity; therefore, they possess a part of the Truth.
But if by Providence and Divine Cosmic Plan they must develop and be adapted to countries and beings who inhabit them, this means that these religions are messengers of the Revelation and possess a Tradition that goes back to the origin of the race.
Basically, religious dogmas and doctrines agree about their foundations, and their extant divergences deal with insoluble Mysteries.
Any religion derives from the Universal Religion, which leads the race from the beginning. In religions, their Tradition and Revelation is Revelation originally transmitted by Divine Instructors of the race, and are image of the Idea mother: they indicated what labor a human being had to develop on the earth, and knowledge of supernatural media at their disposal to achieve it.
It is something fundamental that the Son believes in God as source of the Cosmos.
If one says the fundamental source of the Universe has emanated from itself, or God created all things from the nothing, you just observe the Divine Manifestation from two different viewpoints, which are equally true.
It is important to believe in transcendent God as immutable source, immutable and immanent, and as essence and motor of all Creation.
We may say God possesses certain aspect, or He does not possess any aspect, but this depends on our trend and education, but the fundamental basis remains intact.
Man has to recognize that such as he is placed on the earth, before Humanity and cosmos, and with his reason and emotional and intellectual capacity, cannot comprise divine mysteries and just can glimpse them by means of an intuitive and mystical state.
Cafh can call this mystical and intuitive states, grace, and efforts made to achieve them, free will.
By means of our free will, our mind can know to an amazing –but always limited– extent; we can grasp just certain things, and if so, by means of a superconscious and supernatural state.
No man has seen God or has been able to account for the immensity of the Universe, except through analogies.
Necessarily, you can prepare your soul for this mystical intuitive state if those who already know and went up the Path help you.
Man comprises until certain point; but later he needs help; then he reaches again other point, and so forth.
In the world there are powers of good and evil, which disappear as soon a person reaches a higher state, but he must fight with good and evil in the world.
Certain religions had separated good from evil by cutting them: matter is evil and spirit is good. But this viewpoint is untenable. All is becoming.
Man reaches liberation traveling through the Path; not through a dogmatic path, an imposed revelation or an arbitrary unity, but through ascetic efforts, which lead a soul to liberation.
Here is the link of Cafh.
Cafh is a Mystical Path, transcends established frames and realizes God through Mystique of Renunciation.
Cafh does not ignore the value of dogmas and Revelation, but recognizes that none can reach liberation when mystical efforts are absent.
Cafh teaches a universal doctrine, namely, a doctrine basically extant in any religion, and its doctrine is the fruit of its experience.
Several Theologies establish what is just or unjust in certain ideas, but Cafh neither imparts definitions nor imposes a belief: a soul is free; as long as you do not possess a divine proof, you cannot sustain that certain premise is true.
The Teaching of Cafh even does not sustain the doctrine of reincarnation, although seemingly is positively logical.
The immutable Doctrine of Cafh is based on the value of Mystique of Renunciation and on efforts of the soul for an internal realization.
Some people say the soul is Divine Substance, but not God. Others state that the soul is like God, and even others, that the soul does not exist as such, but is an analogy of the Cosmic Consciousness.
Some people state that a soul that persists in evil can be lost as soul.
The soul is of the same substance of God, but is not like Him until its total reintegration to the Divinity; its state of permanence in God is Divine and therefore unknown.
Of course, the soul is an analogy of the Cosmic Consciousness, since all its manifestations are compounds. What the soul is actually in itself, in its simple and Divine state, just derives from God and just can be known in God.
If you recognize that no religion is universal, you should believe that all of them are true when they reach their highest and loftiest point. They are essential when they form great souls, that is, when develop a mystique: mystique is the only true realization of God on the earth. Sacraments, liturgy and magical-psychological ceremonies help the soul, but do not save the soul.
No religion can save the soul without a participation of the latter in its own salvation.
Through grace and free will, it is indispensable the participation of the soul in the Soul of the Cosmos (God, the Divine Mother), in the life of the Divine Incarnation, and in the Masters who guide mankind.
At the end, all souls will be saved.
Many people expect the new religion. If this occurs, that religion would be just a new religion, which should be added to others.
The true religion is sublimation of religions, realization of privileged souls of every section in the world, and tradition that they left because they are Realized or Liberated.
Your must intensely love the Doctrine, meditate much on it, and recognize it as the unique Doctrine that can grant salvation.
Sons: do not be fond of diviners or fortune-tellers; the luck of an Ordained Son is already determined and is not his business.

Teaching 12: The Superior and the Inner Spirit of an Ordained Son

The spirit of Observance must be in Community like an adamant block in relation to activities and uses, and every external expression of the Ordained Son must be unique, but this external union has to accompany the internal union.
A Community achieves its internal union by means of harmony of the souls, namely, through an internal sense of unity in all of them.
This state become somewhat difficult to understand and acquire, because consecrate souls do not achieve internal harmony through acquiescence, sympathy or disposition, but through spiritual and consecrated life of the Ordained Son in Community and absolute fidelity to vocation and Vows.
All Sons are good and obedient, and even fulfill wholeheartedly any duty of their vocation, but fidelity between the Divine Mother and the Son devoted to Her, in the innermost depths of the soul becomes something absolute, unique, secret and intimate; and this intimate fidelity and love between Divine Mother and soul brings true union of souls in Community.
But although the Son, because of his spiritual vocation and Vows lives the Eternal Hour, he is a divine being wearing a human garment, subject to reactions of his soul and of physical-chemical kind and to unexpected external events, which hinder to maintain that internal fidelity.
Man is subject to time, and this is the most awful factor to overcome and to remain in his stable love.
So, the Son must remain very attentive and watchful to maintain an entirely divine fidelity, super-spiritual, super-mental and super-emotional.
As time goes by, elation fades away, everything is not so easy, and enemies of the fidelity come into action.
Here are two main enemies of fidelity: fantasy and sentimentalism.
Human nature gets angrier with the Ordained Son because his vocation calls to a super-mentality and super-feeling; fantasy tries to control his mind, and sentimentalism tries to control his heart.
Always fantasy is the first to come into action.
Fantasy makes its work little by little because time is its great ally.
After the first enthusiasm and elation for the new life, the habit appears later. During the first years, attention was tense because of its adaptation to all, but now this great concern disappeared and something filters through attention: always little things, tenuous, light and innocent. Later dryness comes, and then this spiritual being is somewhat in the dark.
These images are sometimes real and sometimes fictitious; poor that Son who permit those images to accede.
Fantasy is a serpent that gradually crawls, an image of the past, a memory, a visual expression of something that you would want to see. All this passes through the mind of that poor Son, despite the fact that he fulfils all. But now his internal fidelity is not complete and absolute.
Fantasy makes you see all rose-colored; a past that perhaps was dark now appears with lights that are entirely unreal.
Even when the soul externally fulfils its duties, internally it is not centered on its duties, does not abides in the innermost depths of its heart, where the Divine Mother reigns supreme.
Sentimentalism is other enemy of fidelity.
The vocation of an Ordained Son is divine; he is dead to the world; if his Vow is true, nothing exists of his past.
But sentimentalism, which is slow but persistent, sometimes controls entirely the heart if the soul is not entirely devoted.
Sentimentalism tends to blood links.
Gods says all human beings have to be lovingly obedient and submitted to their parents who gave them life.
But later, the Divine Master says to the soul: “Leave all and follow me”.
When He says the former, He speaks to man, but when He says the latter, He speaks in an exclusive way to consecrated and chosen souls.
If a soul of vocation finds troubles to be faithful at home, those troubles must be faced like a trial, overcoming them; but if vocation is absent, then the parents suffer because of the bad action of that soul. A soul called by God must die to the world and blood, and death is something ineluctable. When death arrives, despite cries and tears, one must surrender to it.
A consecrated soul dies to the world, after a total fulfillment. The Divine Mother strengthens the heart, marks the route of the vocation by means of awful pains, and breaks any tie that he left in the world.
The Son has chosen his vocation and life willingly: he has surrendered. Blood ties never will be what they were; only Divine ties are important.
But sentimentalism makes a very secret work and appears little by little.
Sometimes even the soul does not realize what happens within. The soul loves to live in Community, but allows sentimentalism to move internally. Then, desires of visits, of conversations and new from the world emerge in the soul.
The Son knots again bonds formerly broken. He left the world, cried and suffered a lot, but in silence is building a new bridge as if he wished to go and come back, to be in the Holy House and in houses of the world: to break the mystical internal cloister.
And then his heart is closed: now it does not beat for the Divine Mother. His entire being is of Her, except the secret cell, internal and unique, that the Divine Mother wishes.
Fidelity is not perfect and absolute; one does not understand in a sublime way his vocation if does not allows the dead to bury the dead.
Harmony is broken and the link decreases when human elements enter the soul. Seemingly there are several defects and several states of progress in the soul; there is a difference between one Son and the other.
All this occurs because the doors of sentimentalism are open.
The consecrated soul achieves the divine harmony just when it hears the silent voice that is immaculate love and secret understanding, but if strange currents enter, this decreases and disappears because the soul does not remain on its super-mental and spiritual level.
A consecrated soul cannot feel, think and see like beings of the world because must multiply its love and its feeling must become entirely impersonal.
External Observance and absolute internal fidelity to Vows grant harmonious stability in spiritual life, which multiply the power of the soul until a superhuman point.
Just one man can save mankind.
A soul makes everything if and when keeps this close link between the soul and the Divine Mother.
External discipline means nothing if is not impelled by that intimate fidelity that removes everything from within: no affection can remain in the soul. Even though that soul can act on the earth like a human being, possesses divine and saving means.
Superiors: remain ever watchful over the intact internal fidelity of the Sons, like in the day of their wedding of love; Sons: defend with tenacity your fidelity, because what is not bad to the world is bad to those consecrated souls who abandoned all to live a spiritual life.

Teaching 13: The Superior in Recreations and Days Off

A Superior watches not only over the observance of the Regulation, Interpretation and orders of the Knight Great Master, but also over the brother and companion of the Sons. Therefore, his mission becomes more difficult in those acts of Community where the Sons are subject to their free will.
A good recreation and day off depend on Superiors and Directors.
In recreation, when all are together, sympathies, antipathies, imperfections and little defects of the Sons appear. So, if the Superior is not watchful, a recreation becomes something troublesome and even tiresome instead of a healthy expression of happiness in the Sons.
If the Superior sometimes observes that some Sons remain silent, sad or annoyed, this denotes the existence of a friction, of an opinion stubbornly upheld before contrary sayings, or certain improper expression of a Son.
All these things are in charge of the Superior, and just he can transform a day off into a recreation.
Certain ladies of society possess an especial art to treat well their guests. They know how to deviate a conversation that may disturb one of their guests, and try to avoid a subject that they know that certain persons prefer to ignore. Certain ladies are masterly in this and converse and avoid a heavy atmosphere. And this occurs many times during days off when there is physical tiredness or certain depression, and expansion disappears.
A good Superior should be tactful, foresee a future event and try to maintain a pleasant conversation to all and of good results.
Certain Superiors approve only spiritual conversations among the Sons.
This is splendid; but in certain persons’ view this is to think too much, and instead of relaxing, your mind becomes more tired. The same subject brings more tiredness instead of expansion.
To speak of spiritual things is to grant shine to all. You cab speak of a plant and to maintain a spiritual conversation.
It is not necessary to speak always of the same subject. It is convenient to change subject during your conversation. A little jest, a wandering is not superfluous; this entertains and is in tune with a spiritual conversation.
Of course, you should avoid falling on the other extreme, with risqué words, because then your conversation can degenerate and be a worldly talk, far from the true mission of the Ordained Son, whose permanent expression has more repercussion where there is more freedom.
The Superior must know the Achilles’ heel of every one, because certain people tend to talk about inconvenient things, about their chances and about themselves. Their conversation should be deviated because otherwise leads to discussions, bother, create frictions, disturb and even can produce certain divergences, even though not all Sons express them.
A day off must be amusing, with changes, lofty spirit, sound joy and expansion.
Sons may recite a fine poem or read the Teaching of a book or take part in contests of conversation. The Superior must know who can do this.
Over all, the Superior must choose several assorted subjects and be able to seek the spiritual aspect in a natural and spontaneous way.
The Superior can choose short subjects and distribute them among those who are ready to expound them during days off. Later, a commentary helps like a stimulus to the Sons and at the same time to explain and correct; so, the Sons learn to speak not only of mortification and observance, but also of general and diverse subjects.
Sometimes these practices produce certain rivalry. Also, perhaps a Son says he cannot do anything of that kind; this means that he feels somewhat zealous or offended. The Superior should not force him to speak, but has to encourage him to do it by himself.
You know the souls in depth during recreations and days off, over all in regard to their negative parts. The Superior must be very watchful because it is very difficult to discover certain defects, but at the end, the human part appears always.
Some Sons are extremely humble during their conversation; they want to be insignificant and try to occupy the last place; any observation will not harm them and they will recognize quickly their faults if they are truly humble.
Certain Sons speak too much, and others ask many questions. These Sons, especially if they are young, wish to learn, ask for love and all of them want to learn through their Superior. This is all right as long as they are in Community, but if they behave in this way with those who are not Ordained, the latter could believe that the former are not educated in regard to the true sense of detachment and inner serenity.
Before many questions asked by the Sons, his Superior responds to one question and discards nine; sometimes responds much, and sometimes nothing.
It is likely that some Sons want to advise his Superior, and continuously say: “Our Observance goes right, but if you made like in such institution, like that other person, it would go very well”.
May the Divine Mother remove those Sons from Communities! These people are little adaptable to the Ordination; they want to give advice and opinion about everything.
The Superior can be complaisant in regard to non-fundamental things, but must put a stop to what is established.
Correction should be made with love, not with harshness during recreations: maintaining the spirit of companionship and avoiding verbal disagreements; so, recreation must become a pleasant time. Sons must desire recreation in order to expound and interchange ideas.
Spiritual expressions refer not only to the Divine Mother, but also certainly beautify innocent things of life.
Sons should not be compelled if they do not wan to speak; they should say what emerges. Sons: do always something for those companions that are disagreeable and persuade them that you sympathize with them
Sons: do not make use of nicknames, and instruct to be called always by your name when you took your Vows, and do not sign your writings otherwise.
Sons: do not get used to send telegrams or presents on anniversaries of relatives or acquaintances.
Sons: in recreations, neither refer to your work of the day nor express words apparently corrective to other Sons: the Superior must know all this and warn on the greeting time, in the evening.
Never made good or bad references about Sons that did not persevere; this is lack of charity in regard to that Son that failed in his trial.
Lack of charity and consideration is to speak between two during recreations or days off, leaving others outside your conversation.
In those days of festivity in accordance with the Interpretation, Superiors grant day off to the Sons: dispensation of abstinence and silence at the table and dispensation of manual work in the afternoon.
Yearly, the Superior can grant just two or three days of extraordinary day off. For instance: head’s day of the House, Superior’s name day, and some great event like Perpetual Vows. Extraordinary day off means that, apart from dispensations for the day off, also there is a dispensation for the Observance of the day. Moreover, as the Interpretation says, the Sons can go out and take a stroll all day.
Every year, for Christmas, the Sons will raffle bits of paper containing a sentence that will be subject of meditation and exercise of virtue during all the year.

Teaching 14: Superiors and Sons at the Works

In Houses of Cafh’s Works, Superiors must be very watchful and avoid any influence from the worldly spirit.
Since certain Works are seemingly identical in their external form like other works that are executed in the world, there is a trend to turn over them with the same spirit of a natural work. But this spirit must be not only supernatural, but also the Sons have to act externally and not to lose any characteristic of an Ordained Son of Community. These characteristics are composed of habits and acts so simple that are beyond explanation, but that always create a supernatural atmosphere round the Ordained.
You may treat sometimes or usually beings of the world, but this never can excuse a change of your behavior with them.
An Ordained Son never stops being The Ordained Son, whatever are his contacts. Strange beings to the Community have to know and notice this difference.
The Sons must pay extreme attention to their external behavior because what they are outside reflects what they may be able to realize as Work: a perfect Son is sure token of a Divine Work.
Superiors must strictly control those Sons who lead Cafh’s Works and work for them, especially when these Sons must be far from the Observance in Community.
If it is difficult not to decline in one’s Observance when one takes part in all acts in Community, how much more difficult is when one does not attend to the ordinary act to keep ever in mind the spiritual duties.
As soon as a Son must remain separate because of some especial need, in the same proportion of his separation one observes an increase in his personality.
This would not occur if the Son remains always watchful in regard to this trend.
Although the only idea of the Son is Renunciation, this idea not always persists with the same intensity. On the contrary, it responds to quite defined cycles of efforts and relaxation.
Life of strict Community tends to eliminate that cycle because a regular Observance removes almost insensibly any internal polarity, whether temperamental or emotional, and transforms it into stable continuous efforts.
In this sense, the observance in strict Community is practically irreplaceable. But a watchful Son, who transforms his internal life into a simple and objective state of self-knowledge and Renunciation does not run any risk, whatever be the type of life he has to adopt.
Moreover, his day is harmoniously divided into cycles of six hours; manual work and mental work; active relaxation and passive relaxation.
When Sons enter the Seminary, there they find discipline, observance and way of life whose external aspects become unavoidable.
Any opposition to Renunciation finds just one possible expression: reactions, doubts, temptations, et cetera, since the observance and practices in Community hinder any external escape.
As the Son adapts himself, his internal opposition disappears, even though not totally: just a total Renunciation produces an integral assimilation in life of Community.
These oppositions that in different souls go from being more or less permanent to entirely sporadic, generally become manifested like certain annoyance when the Son comes in contact with the Community or with some Sons, to certain ordinary actions, and almost in the totality of cases, tends to a desire of staying alone and to a segregation from the Community as the visible result of an effective state of inner separation.
Any opposition to Renunciation should be united with a movement toward an external separation from the Community.
This is natural, since life in Community is structured in such a way that is like a mirror of Renunciation itself.
Even in some good and obedient souls, often one may observe how short instants by oneself become like respites of personal freedom, and then they are not so much affected by any dependence.
So, one may easily deduce how a usual separation, even to fulfill certain duties, can increase the personality of the Son. The latter can avoid it by being much more rigorous with himself than the Superior in the Community, since the Son has more occasions. He must consider that he is not only a Son, but also that in those cases he must be also a watchful and severe Superior as to himself.
Any concession quickly multiplies, and a development of his personality means in practice faults of Observance in ordinary acts: delays, omissions and negligence; and later, more defined aspects: personal opinions, replies and arguments. Inadvertently he can become judge and critic of the Community, blames other Sons for his own faults of personal responsibility, ignores natural troubles, difficulties or unexpected events in the Community or Work, and rejects any contradiction.
Besides, the relative independence of the Sons fosters multiple efforts and trends instead of unity of means and ends.
The Son must be very watchful and can measure easily his inner state in accordance with his greater or lesser desire of being subject to depend directly on common acts, or to be relatively independent of his particular duties.
Sons of little spirit of dependence always find difficulties to fulfill the observance and indications of their Superiors, but when they are alone or other Sons are under their control, tend to make things in their own way and become domineering with their collaborators.
Sons: remember always that an Ordained Son never does his will, even though apparently he can realize freely his acts. The spirit of Renunciation becomes manifest when you fulfill the Observance precisely in cases when there are justified motives for a dispensation.
Observance not only is the timetable, Regulation and obedience, but also essence of life in an Ordained Son, his ineffaceable characteristic, and Renunciation made life, method and Work.
In Communities devoted to external Works, sometimes it is necessary that Sons who are not Superiors may possess authority in regard to the Work. Sons: never mistake this authority supposing that this authority grants to you certain right or power outside your specific work. Manifest spirit of humility and make use of that faculty just for what was granted to you, and do not believe that you prevail over other Sons.
All that does not concern strictly to his area of responsibility is not his responsibility but that of the Superiors. If he finds certain faults or mistakes in a Son, that are eventually important, he must report to the Superior to act in accordance with their advice.
When the Directors of the Work are not Superiors of the Community, the Sons must remember that are subject to them. Try to do your best in regard to your responsibilities, but do not forget that the Divine Mother inspire the spirit that must animate the Work by means of Renunciation and Obedience.
Do not try to impose your opinions, expound with humility your reasons when you deem opportune, and keep silence when respect and reverence indicate it.
Even do not believe that your duties enable you to change the established schedule or to grant dispensations at will: what is not done through obedience and observance is worthless, although seemingly is otherwise to the eyes of men.
Neither judge nor criticize personally the work or actions of other Sons: remember that all of them are divinely inspired to fulfill their duties; see everything with impersonal spirit and dispassionately. Do not envy, compete or exceed anyone: none must know the source of that happy idea or who has solved properly a problem.
Those very personal Sons, who are quite attached to their own opinions, do not accept indications of their Superiors, and always seek examples and reasons to demonstrate that these Superiors can be wrong and not totally right. They would desire to be under another Superior, more in agreement with their own ideas, and feel that these way things would go better. These Sons must know that in Cafh there are not two Superiors or two ideas, but just one will and one orientation that the Divine Mother indicated through the direct Superior granted to them.
Whoever obeys never is wrong and is certain that he does the Divine Will. Sometimes, if you do not understand why an order was imparted, fulfill it and try to identify yourself with his spirit.
Sons who make a difference between Superior and Superior are those who would not wish other Superior except themselves.
Superiors: instill into your Sons, especially into those devoted to external works, deep spirit and great love of the Observance. Teach always by means of your example, and be model of correction, composure, silence and recollection.
Superiors: do not make use of your authority to break the Silence, schedule and common rules, except in case of real need; just as you behave, so your Sons will do.
Superior: your authority does not aim at breaking the observance but at fulfilling it and to making fulfill it.
To break the schedule is not only to be absent when the bell sounds, but also not to fulfill your duty hour by hour. When Superiors leave the House must return on time in accordance with the Observance.
If something occurs when the Community is assembled, the Son on duty or whoever is in charge must assume the responsibility; this way, the Superior remains with the Sons and does not go to-and-fro.
Any indication should be imparted at the moment indicated by the Interpretation; otherwise, so pretext of indicating, teaching or correcting, the spirit of silence in Community may get lost. If it is indispensable to talk when it is forbidden, the Superior will do it as an exception and always in a low voice. A characteristic of Houses of Community is that you never hear there cries, exclamations or conversations: just silent words of love and praise to the Divine Mother.
Sons: keep that spirit in the Work and be careful not to acquire worldly habits of useless movements and continuous conversations.
When you must solve something, do not seek personal solutions, but act in accordance with the way of the Ordained Son, which is always impersonal and reflection of his Renunciation.
Do not make difference between Observance of Community and Observance of the Works: Observance is always the same to the Son identified with it; Observance is life in an Ordained Son.

Teaching 15: Directors Teachers of Offices

From his entry to the House of Ordination, the Son is initiated in usual manual works in Community. Although the Sons must know how to realize any indicated work, usually they learn some specialized work. Generally, this task is in charge of Directors who in these cases are also teachers of offices in the Community.
The Teacher of Offices performs a very demanding function, because usually he is more in contact with the Sons, even with the Seminarians. At the same time that efficiency and celerity in the works, he teaches observances, behavior and spirit of recollection.
During his teaching, he neither has to be extremely watchful nor has to abandon totally the Son; he must supervise with intelligence their works and will not hinder the free operation of natural powers of the soul, but at the same he must orientate, guide y discipline them.
When he teaches a work, it is not convenient to impart every explanation, knowledge and detail in one go. This not only confounds, but also may embarrass the Son. It is convenient to impart general indications in a way concise and concrete, and later to see how the Son manages them. He will realize by himself many details and means: no better teacher than personal experience.
This is why the Teacher of Offices will impart strictly indispensable indications during the period of manual work, and will prohibit the Sons any futile comment or question. He must leave any clarification or complementary consideration for due time and keep strictly the spirit of silence during the period of manual work.
Often you may observe how those Sons that are prone to importune conversations have a poor performance in their tasks: a restless mind spends uselessly its energies and is unable to concentrate entirely its attention on the fulfillment of its duties.
Certain Sons learn all quickly. As to them, few words and much observation. Often they use their ability to do contrary things to your indications.
Although they work well, first they must obey and second they must do. But, at the same time, the Teacher of Offices can learn from them new forms to face the works.
Certain Sons follow conscientiously any indication, but are not properly flexible to adapt your indications to eventual needs.
You must be very patient with these Sons, and it is not convenient to teach them many things in one go, but to wait and see how they achieve their ordinary task.
Sons: get used to listen carefully at every indication, and if you do not understand something, ask about it at that moment. Strive and work. Avoid any distraction.
Mistakes, breaks, omissions and imperfections during the work are produced rather by lack of careful attention than by inability.
A Teacher of Offices must know how to teach the tasks and neither wastes time nor makes waste time to the Sons. It is unnecessary to control continuously a Son to know how he works. A watchful and alert Teacher knows what and how every one is working, and does not move from his place; he observes and at a glance sees all.
Here is the motto of a Teacher of Offices: “To teach quickly and well”.
Over all, a Teacher of Offices must be a good organizer.
To teach a work is not only to teach how the Son must move his hands, but also to know how he may make good use of tools, of materials and, very especially, of time.
A good organization achieves not only this, but also excellent performance of the Sons. A Teacher of Offices must know in the beginning of the day not only what to do during the day, but also how to develop works during the week and the month: he must have a plan. In the same way, the Son should know beforehand what he must do.
In this way, works are not interrupted by unexpected events or by lack of materials or tools, and the Teacher of Offices does not waste time seeking work for those who finish their own task and do not know what to do.
Moreover, this will be useful because the Sons will go to work with every necessary material for the day and will not need to seek later those elements that they deem necessary.
Work gives good results when the Sons do only one thing: to work.
To arrange, clean, seek and ask questions do not mean work: everything must be prepared in such a way that the work may begin and end on time, not doing anything else during this period.
A Teacher of Offices must teach how to work in order. Where there is order, there is efficiency. When every thing is at its place, nothing is lost or damaged; the order disciplines the mind and gives speed to the hands.
The Sons must be responsible for their materials and tools. Just whoever knows the value of a thing knows how to take care of it.
To take care is not only not to break or damage. Many times, materials are broken because the Sons do not know how to use them on due time or kept them in an improper way. The Teacher of Offices must teach that all is valuable, even the most insignificant thing; the spirit of poverty trains your hands to make good use even of those apparently useless things. To teach how to work is to teach how to create.
The Teacher of Offices must teach the Sons how to be self-sufficient. Of course, certain works require collaboration of several Sons, but everyone must be a self-sufficient unit in his specific task.
However skilful is a Son, he does not know how to work if always he needs help.
In team works, tasks must be distributed in a way that every one may develop his efficiency to the full.
If certain Son makes a specialized work, never you should distract him from his task or assign him works that any other Son can make.
When you distribute works, keep also in mind the physical condition of every one, and do not overwhelm the fittest with heavy tasks. In this sense, a Teacher of Offices must remember that manual work is an excellent physical school and he must make good use of it to form strong and healthy Sons.
Master of Offices: works must continue without any interruption until their end. When a work is duly orientated, it progresses with minimum efforts by inertia.
When works are made with tools of the Community, the Son should be responsible for them and for their provision and withdrawal in accordance with needs, and for their condition when these tools are given back.
Likewise, in these cases do not take tools of the Community for tasks that you can make with your own elements. If Sons are authorized to possess personal tools is for their more efficient performance in hands of every one, but never will be motive of attachment and selfishness.
When the Sons receive allowances for personal expenses, they must know how to manage them wisely and with spirit of poverty. You not only manage your allowances by buying or saving, but also in accordance with their eventual use.
Allowances do not aim at granting money to the Sons for their free use, but at an appreciation of the cost of things through that money, at discernment about their real needs, and at an effective practice of Providential Economy.
Sons should not have personal needs; their needs must be incorporated in the Work of Cafh. Do not make difference between what you have and that of others; allowances are a way of managing possessions of the House, and the difference established by what is personal and what is common is just for practical purposes of the Community.
Sons must manage their money not as something that belongs to them, but as managers of possessions of the Community, and in that way they have to consider all that is assigned to their personal use.
The Son in charge of the kitchen must request every night from his Superior the menu for the following day.
Those Sons who do not make specialized works will deal with their tasks in common at the hall of assembly or where the Superior indicates. If the work permits it, they should sing psalms or recite prayers.

Teaching 16: Superiors Custodians of the Sons before the World

Superiors will try that the Sons may appear before the world like a living image of perfect Renunciation and, as such, unattainable to those who did not renounce.
Sons: your faces must be affable before all and your aspect serene, without currents of sympathy or particular friendship.
Greet with courtesy, bow your head and do not shake hands. Do not be too much accessible with anyone during your conversation, to avoid any familiarity; do not be too much familiar and avoid handling, over-familiar language or undesirable sentences.
Stay at prudential distance of your interlocutor; distance is the door of dignity.
Talk the least possible to persons by needs of the work. Just speak of the matter and needs of your concern. Avoid any personal friendship and preferences, and do not be affectionate in your greetings.
It is not easy to be a good Ordained Son in so boisterous world, especially when you must work in direct contact with it.
An Ordained Son has to keep ever in mind that to reach perfection is a work that does not admit interruptions.
In their relationship with people, the Ordained Sons must behave such a way that, however the former be long time with the latter, these never could know their inner mystique or the secret of their inalterable serenity and of their peculiar way they are.
In the street they should walk in two or three, but if there are too many people, then they will walk one after the other, close to the wall, to slip by. Walk and do not make noise, avoid movements of arms and heeltaps and go close to the wall in corridors or rooms; this is very useful to disappear.
Neither Superiors nor Sons will go out alone, but always accompanied by other Son or by a very reliable person. During journeys, never make friendship or converse with strangers or accept anything to eat or drink, except with previous permission of your Superiors.
If you travel on your own means of transport, you will be in your uniform, and on general transport means, in civilian clothes.
During your spiritual lectures in Temples or Halls of Lectures you will wear cloaks or veils.
In house of your relatives, keep a proper demeanor, do not accept strolls or entertainment, be moderate and exemplary when you eat, talk, et cetera, do not pay visits and be in uniform.
Women alone never must visit the Sons, and men alone never must visit the Daughters. The Superior or other Sons must accompany the Son during every visit, but in case de visits of parents and brothers, the Sons can be alone and feel at home with them.
With the rest of visitors, they will be laconic and concise, without any intimacy.
Sons: never allow to be photographed by strange persons to the Community. Do not receive objects or books, or gifts. And over all, do not receive clothes even from your relatives.

CONTENTS:

Teaching 1: Superior Delegate
Teaching 2: Spirit of Superiors
Teaching 3: The Superior of Community
Teaching 4: Dignity of the Superiors
Teaching 5: Superior Assistant
Teaching 6: Practical Qualities of Superiors
Teaching 7: Director of Seminary
Teaching 8: Superiors in Vocational Examinations
Teaching 9: The Superior and Dispensations
Teaching 10: Superior Guardian of the Observance
Teaching 11: Superior Instructor of Doctrine
Teaching 12: The Superior and the Inner Spirit of an Ordained Son
Teaching 13: The Superior in Recreations and Days Off
Teaching 14: Superiors and Sons at the Works
Teaching 15: Directors Teachers of Offices
Teaching 16: Superiors Custodians of the Sons before the World