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CONTENTS:
Teaching 1: The Holy Gate
Teaching 2: Entry to Seminary
Teaching 3: Way of Dressing
Teaching 4: Perfect Observance
Teaching 5: Usual Silence and Rigorous Silence
Teaching 6: Prayers and Study in Seminary
Teaching 7: Superiors of the Ordained Sons
Teaching 8: Necessary Manual Work
Teaching 9: Instructions about Manual Works
Teaching 10: Behavior with Relatives
Teaching 11: Food and Table
Teaching 12:
Interviews
and Retreats
Teaching 13: External Behavior
Teaching 14: Observance and Dispensations
Teaching 15: Radius and Cloistral Site
Teaching 16: Spiritual Synthesis of
Ordination
When aspirants to Ordination pass through the Golden Gate toward the House of the Mother, they enter Her sanctuary for the first time. It is called sanctuary because nobody treads on it, except souls consecrated to it.
But, who has given to these souls the big key to open this Gate?
This Gate is a symbol for the majority: it is the image of purity that a soul would wish to reach, although this aspiration remains there suspended in the world of dreams.
This Gate makes exclaim to the souls so many times: “How different life from the one imagined by me!”, although all violated and profaned doors are mute witnesses of the though reality.
But this symbol came true to the Ordained. They reached the Closed Gate, the Mystical Gate: the Gate that only opens inside.
The dream of a realized life came true; constancy and faith sustained this dream and were the holy keys that in the Divine Mother’s hands opened her Gate.
Oh Mystical Gate! Oh Gate imagined by all souls during their pure hours! Oh never open Gate, except for those who are consecrated to her!
To reach her is to reach the truly definitive gate.
Houses of parents and friends were a human home where the worldly surge arrived and scattered desolation and sadness; strange figures passed continuously through those doors; moves and changes impeded the establishment of a personality there. Besides, all was uncertain there. Stability was out of question. It was not the Definitive House, but a house. And it was unstable by the very turmoil of the city.
But the soul reached the Mother’s Gate –Unique Gate, Holy Gate and Definitive Gate. There, behind Her, it is the altar and the whole offering of consecrated lives for the sake of love through Holy Vows.
This implies to say, “I am Home”, since only souls that have surrendered will be admitted there: souls having neither houses, nor things, nor anything else. .
As vocation matured in the heart of the aspirant, the Golden Gate loomed before his eyes as a vision of the Temple, being convinced that there he would reach his place, his definitive house, the site of peace and rest.
It was as he experienced a gradual transformation into a living and whole part of this Holy Gate, of this Cloistral House.
It is the House of the most consecrated souls because nobody will enter there; nobody will know the place of prayers, renunciation and life, which is inhabited by souls transformed into a perfect holocaust of love! And over all, nobody will know this love, the purest love of the Son for the Mother, who loves to give himself to the souls in the deepest silence, in the most untouchable Fidelity, in perfect Obedience and in Renunciation converted into mystical death.
This Gate will remain ever, ever closed, except for souls consecrated to Her.
The Sons that enter the Ordination Seminary will take their Temporary Vow. Although they come from groups of Squires or Damsels of Lonely Beings, they will be dispensed of their Solemn Vows to enter as Pages or Maidens.
Knights or Ladies of Lonely Beings who are to be Ordained, will not take the Vow of Renunciation during all the probation time.
Duration of Seminary will be of six months with one choice, if the Superior and Director feel convenient: other six months of probation.
After this test, the aspirant will take a vocation examination in the presence of a Delegate of the Knight Great Master, of the Knight 8 or Delegate of the Table, of the Superior of Community and the Director of the Seminary; after this, the Knight Great Master is reported, and if the aspirant is accepted, will be admitted for his related Vows and Community.
Although the Ceremony of imposition of the Cloak or Veil to a Squire or Damsel of Ordained Son is extremely solemn in the Ceremonial, Superiors will do their best and a gorgeous event will be held that will remain permanently in the memory the Son.
The Community will welcome the Sons in the Seminary, on the Radius of Stability of the House of Community, and will sing the Psalm “Confitebor”.
Authorized by the Knight Great Master, the Ordained will come back every seven years to the Seminary during a period to invigorate their spirit.
In the Seminary, the Sons learn that the most precious gift is that of perseverance, and pray to conquer it up to death.
So, get used to repeat daily prayers as follows:
To the Divine Mother: “I adore you, Divine Mother, and I offer my affections, my thoughts and my action. Transform me in the pure nothing and now and ever thy Adorable Will be done. Ahehia ote Hes; eret Hes ote Ahehia”.
To the Protector:
“I greet you, Beloved Protector..., fortitude and honor of ours; grant good spirit to these Sons, give us perseverance, free us from evil, defend us in our fights, call us to Om Hes; Intende Prospere – Ihes eret Om Hes”.
To those Sons who passed away:
“Sons of Cafh, faithful servants of the Divine Mother, who finally achieved the glorious victory by persevering: may your defects in life be forgotten forever and poured on the fire of Eternal Love. By the full power of our souls, may your happiness be imperishable, and may you intercede for us, your brothers on earth, to become some day your companions in that peace”.
To the Knight at the Threshold:
“Holy Knight of the Threshold: indicate us the Path to Perseverance, and open the Gate of Eternity””.
To Micaël:
Micaël Amon Adonai
Micaël Amon Adonai
Micaël ada Agni
Bet Asur ank Asurica.
To the Sephirotielicas:
Micaël ada Agni
Gabriel Ada Buhm
Seraphiel Ada Acpias
Azariel Ada Vayu
Seraphielica Sephirotielica
Bet Asur ank Asurica.
Before they enter the Seminary, the Sons have to take a previous examination before a Superior unknown to them and chosen in due time.
The Sons will take with them their personal clothes and everything necessary for their use when they enter the Seminary.
Men will take: two suits, overcoat and underwear. Women: two thick dresses, two summer dresses and one winter overcoat, and nightshirts.
Also women will take: pullovers, handkerchiefs, socks or stockings, and underwear. Underwear must be white and without any adornment, and as much as possible. If possible, a raincoat.
Men will take: two dark-grey trousers, two jackets of the same color, and one leather coat. Women: some meters of white cloth to make blouses, and a hanks of white wool for the winter shawl.
Bedclothes will be as follows: six sheets, three pillowcases and three blankets. Other elements for personal use: four towels, four napkins, one napkin-case, one complete set of utensils, one glass, one complete set of plates: one soup plate, one flat plate, one dessert plate, and a cup with its plate. In every cloth and object there will be a personal mark or initials. If possible, a flash lamp, an alarm clock, a wrist clock, and a complete sewing-box.
Also, they can bring devotional and spiritual books, if they wish.
In the street: the Daughters will not wear dresses of deep or combined colors; they way of dressing will not be a monastic robe, but a new aesthetic sense of elegance, conceived by a pure woman internally and externally. They will not wear jewels or adornments; these elements are for women that have to live in the world. They will be modest and discreet.
Once a year, for Christmas, the Superior of Community will distribute among the Sons their necessary clothes, and their equipment will be in accordance with the list of ordinary clothes that were specified when they entered the Seminary. Unused clothes will be returned to the Community.
Once a month, the Superior will distribute those objects that he deems necessary for personal use.
Men: in Community and during Works of Cafh, will wear dark-grey trousers and jacket or shirt of the same color.
Women: will wear regulation uniform, without make-up. Their uniform will be as follows: white dress with collar and long-sleeved, a complete apron without sleeves, of natural color and over-sleeves of the same color. Also, they can use white blouse and skirt under their apron. During the summer season, they can wear short sleeves, from November 15th to March 15th.
Do not wear with your uniform any dress, except that specified by Regulation. Also, you can wear, in the House, white socks or of natural color.
Ordained Daughters: will wear, as a uniform over-coating, a knitted white shawl, of 1,20 by 1,20 metre, on their back and in triangle.
Ordained Daughters: their hair will be normally cut, a little longer or shorter, as usual, but will not wear ribbons or adornments in their hair.
Pages: will not wear Cloak in the Seminary; and Damsels will wear a Veil of 1,20 x 1,20 meter.
Men: as soon as they enter the Seminary, will be properly shaved, as usual, and they hair, neatly trimmed. After the Seminary, their hair will be as their Superiors decide
Damsels: will not wear long white Ceremonial gown during their stay in the Seminary. Usually they will wear Veil over the internal uniform, even during Solemn Ceremonies. Ordained Daughters: will wear during ceremonies a white coif to cover entirely their heads; they will wear this coif with their daily uniform, if necessary.
During cold weather and in very cold countries, the Sons can wear a white scarf to cover the head and neck under their cloak.
In tropical countries, Sons and Daughters can wear internal uniform of white color.
Teaching 4: Perfect Observance
The Divine Mother abides in a House of Ordination where the Regulation, daily schedule and indications of the Superiors are observed strictly.
To be eager for making many works, for experiencing much mortification and for studying many Teachings is totally in vain if one does not pay attention to his daily Observance.
The Divine Clock of the Mother marks the schedule of a Community, but becomes human every time that only one moment passes unobserved.
The Superior has to appoint for ringing the bell a very punctual Son that indefectibly and for no reason fails in ringing the bell in the indicated way.
Sons: be ready and run as soon as the bell rings when you are called to your duties and if you arrive at an ordinary task after its beginning, remain standing until you get dispensation from the Superior.
A daily schedule will be observed in Communities in accordance with the Regulation and Interpretation; the Knight Great Master must approve this schedule. Usually there is a summer schedule from November 15th to March 15th, and a winter schedule from March 15th to November 15th.
Sometimes there is a tendency to a less intense Observance because of certain changes, moves or especial works assigned to the Son; therefore, the Superior has to be very watchful not to permit anything contrary to the Observance, except when necessary.
All virtues are beautiful, but a conscientious and uninterrupted practice of the Observance transforms the latter into a thread linking all observances.
Every first Saturday of the month, during the hour of spiritual reading, the Sons will read the Regulation, Method and this Interpretation to bear ever in mind their duties.
Teaching 5: Usual Silence and Rigorous Silence
The Sons will observe very rigorous Silence during their stay in the Seminary. They will not speak or have any treat with other Ordained Sons, and if the Director instructs them to perform certain errand, their words will be strictly indispensable with the related persons.
They can speak just when the Superior of Community interrogates them.
Sons: always avoid useless conversations, even during the period of manual work, and do not talk to persons who for work or need are in the house or come to pay a visit. In the case of a visitor, of a person on the way or of strange people at work in the House, if the latter greet or request something, you will greet with modesty answering evasively the question or sending them to the Sons in charge.
In rooms you will never talk for any cause, even in case of disease, except to your Superior. In case of any other problem, just call your Superior.
Do not talk in corridors of bedrooms or in halls of prayer or study; your can do this only in living rooms.
You will make public penitence during the lectures of Saturday if you do not observe Silence.
The period of rigorous Silence must be observed not only regarding words, but even the least noise will not be heard in the Seminary or in the House of Community.
Sons, do not go to bed with some worry, doubt or fault in the soul; after the bell for Rigorous Silence at night, go to the Director’s room and trust him your affliction; at once you will feel well to enjoy a holy rest.
Every one in his room can devote to his devotions and spiritual reading during thirty minutes after the Rigorous Silence; later, all lights will remain off, except the light of guard.
Those Sons that do not wish to sleep can pray, read or study during the Rigorous Silence of the afternoon.
When the Superior deems necessary, for higher perfection or because of any especial request, he will establish an hour of Adoration during the period of Rigorous Silence, in the afternoon or at night, for the entire Community or for certain Sons in particular.
Teaching 6: Prayers and Studies of the Seminary
In the Seminary, the Sons will make their studies in common and also their meditations, except that of the night, which has to be made at the foot of the bed.
In the Seminary, they will have thirty minutes in the morning for vocalized prayers.
Since prayers in the morning are indicated in the Ceremonial as little adaptable to an environment of life in common, every Son will substitute those prayers in turns for the exercise of meditation.
Later they will have thirty minutes of Meditation.
Ask of your Superior his blessing before your prayers. The appointed Son bows his head and standing before his Superior will say, “Bless us”.
If the Superior is not authorized to impart his blessing, he will just recite the prayer of blessing and instead of saying, “My blessing”, he will say, “Your blessing”.
The Sons will fulfill thirty minutes of vocalized prayers in common at night, will recite the “Hymn to the Divine Mother” and the “Om” corresponding to every day, and will request to the Superior his blessing. Also, they can recite these psalms, “In Exitu” and “Eructavit”. Later they will go to meditation.
Their spiritual reading will be in common with the entire Community; likewise, the Readings of Saturdays.
Certain determined Teachings in accordance with the Regulation will be imparted in the Seminary during thirty minutes. The Sons also will have thirty minutes of a specialised course and thirty minutes of Cultural Study.
In the afternoon, after the Rigorous Silence, or before the supper, the Sons will study the Regulation during thirty minutes, led by the Director, except in usual days off. This course will be given in summer vacation.
If the Knight Great Master establishes certain special spiritual or cultural course, some hours usually devoted to manual work will be reserved to him.
Teaching 7: Superiors of the Ordained Sons
The Knight Great Master grants authority to the Director of Seminary of Ordained Sons. If the Seminary has a Vice-Director, his especial competence is to teach to the Sons manual works and practices and customs of life in Community.
If in the Seminary there is another Son devoted to certain especial teaching or determined work, his treat with the Sons of the Seminary will be reduced to his specific function, without any other participation.
The Director will take the Sons, every day at certain hour, to greet the Superior of the Community, for his information about every one of them.
Superiors that represent directly the Knight Great Masters will be greeted as Knight Masters.
The Superiors will never permit the Sons to buy anything, even the most insignificant and strictly personal thing without his license, which will be time by time. Even he will not permit them to receive presents or money from relatives and friends.
Those Ordained Sons who can receive pensions from their relatives, or from their private incomes, will not receive the monthly allowance granted by Cafh to the Ordained, and their clothes and personal expenses will be provided through those pensions or incomes.
Every month, all the Ordained Sons will report to their Superior how they used or invested their pensions and allowances. Also, those who can use their own incomes will report about the amount of their savings or investments.
As soon as the Sons enter the Seminary will deliver any money that they take with them and will not have money during their entire stay in the Seminary.
The Delegate of Superior of Community will write every month a detailed report about the development social, economic and missionary of the House, as well as about the condition of every one of the Sons, physically, mentally and spiritually.
Teaching 8: Necessary Manual Work
Ordained: never be idle; your hands must make certain work even during your conversation and recreation. In Torino, in the House of the Cottolengo, the continuous activity of the Vicentine Nuns calls especially the attention; even at the entrance, the nun in charge of the door assist not only the door and people, but at the same time she keeps on knitting socks. Someone asked the Cottolengo how to overcome temptations, and he replied, “As long as you are busy and at work, the devil cannot accede to you”.
Neither bad thoughts, nor doubts, nor boredom will disturb the Ordained Sons as long as they are busy.
Leisure is enemy of virtue, and the Black Lady is ever present at the precise instant when a Son wastes his time or is idle, because she knows when it is time to disturb souls of this kind and to tempt them. And if there are certain people whom she wants to catch in particular, these fellows are consecrated souls. The Black Lady possesses many fish; she throws her net on the world and catches a lot. But she desires certain fine fish in her nets, and wants to devour certain privileged souls, namely, all those who are devoted to God. Therefore she is continuously marauding Houses of Ordained Sons that are in their Radius of Stability.
But the Sons will laugh at her if do not open any door; and no door will be open to the enemy if the Sons are ever busy from daybreak to sunset by working, prayer and fulfilling their duties. Even at night she cannot catch them because they will be exhausted and eager for sleeping.
This must be your custom, which is transmitted to any Son that comes to be Ordained: never be cross-armed and idle.
Teaching 9: Instructions about Manual Works
The Director of Seminary will instruct all the Sons to join together even during the period of manual work; and if a Son should make certain special work apart from others, he must keep Rigorous Silence.
During the period of manual work, the Sons should learn any task that may be useful to the Community. In Houses of women, they will learn needlework, patchwork, embroidery and any other work of the House.
They should be active even during the period of recreation: usually, in Communities of men, they make rosaries or knit mats, and in Communities of women, they should knit or perform any similar task.
After their stay in the Seminary, they should have learnt even coarsest works as washing, cooking and taking care of the orchard and domestic animals.
The Director has to instruct the Sons to recite prayers in common and to sing hymns, and the reading of an edifying book during the period of manual work, and over all when they make sedentary tasks.
Superiors should permit to their Directors and Vice-Directors a free performance of their specific duties, without any interference between Superior and Sons that are collaborating in this specialty. If they have to impart any especial order, they will do directly through the Director and Vice-Director.
Teaching 10: Behavior with Relatives
During their months in the Seminary, the Sons will not have any visit from their relatives to accustom the human nature to this new life.
They will not correspond with anyone, except strictly family letters, and will not send or receive letters that are nor previously read and approved by the Superior of the Community.
Write to your relatives what is strictly indispensable; do not show curiosity about family events; your letters will contain rather moral and spiritual concepts.
During visits of relatives, the Sons shall keep a devout detachment, with much respect and affection. If the Superior of the Community permits that a relative stays some days in the House, the Sons can pay him a visit during the time and at the hour already established.
Even they will not hear radio, and magazines, newspapers and books are forbidden, except usual texts on spiritual life.
The Sons will take breakfast and afternoon collation standing and as quickly as possible. You can drink milk, tea or mate, and eat bread, in accordance with your needs. The Superior can offer sweets, butter, et cetera, in holiday or when he deems proper.
In meat days, you will eat three courses at lunch and supper, that is, soup, meat and vegetables, cereals or pasta and dessert.
The Superior must take care of a healthy, clean and abundant food for the Sons.
In holidays, they may receive something especial and also a little of drink.
In abstinence days, they should eat two courses at lunch and supper, that is, one of vegetables, legumes, cereals or pasta with cheese or egg, and dessert.
Fish is equivalent to meat.
During recreation and when and if he deems convenient, the Superior can offer some hot tea, and during hot days some cold drink.
The Sons can eat the ordinary food in Houses of Cafh where in a special case they have to eat with guests or people who are retreated there. Sons: be careful with objects of the House, especially with those objects trusted to you.
If you break or damage any object, do not elude your responsibility and make due confession and penitence.
Read every day at the table a useful book or magazine; the Superior will avoid those books that are heavy and demand much concentration.
They can converse at the table in days off, but with permission of their Superior.
Sons: at the table, they must observe general rules of urbanity without affectation. Since the Sons come from different social circles, all of them should remain on the same level of education, which could be named spontaneous education.
Sons: as we said above, behave at the table with much composure; do not lean too much over the plate, do not make excess noise when you masticate, and use the utensils to eat.
Eat always with bread, which is the first food of the poor, and do not eat eagerly.
Keep your utensils in the plate as long as you eat, and do not use the knife to bring food to your mouth.
Every Son must keep at his left a dessert plate with his ration of bread, cheese and extraordinary food. If your food is abundant and you do not wish to eat all, before its consumption, set aside, in the dessert plate, that portion that you will not eat, not to waste food.
During their stay in the Seminary, the Sons will wash plates in turns; every one, one week. When there is much to wash, the Director will prepare a second weekly list to dry plates.
Their meat must be properly cooked.
Do not converse during breakfast and afternoon collation, and as soon as you eat what you need, return quickly to your occupations.
Out of established hours, you do not eat anything or drink water without permission; you will offer this mortification to the Divine Mother for the sake of love of those souls that are spiritually thirsty in the world.
Teaching 12: Interviews and Retreats
In Houses of Community, although just the Squires and Damsels should compulsorily make a Retreat of one day every month, all Sons, of any group, even Knights and Ladies, must make a spiritual Retreat every month in common.
Their Retreats will follow the usual schedule, besides the period devoted to Teaching and Interview.
The Sons of Temporary and Solemn Vows will have a monthly Interview with the Superior of the Community, and a weekly Interview with the Director of the Seminary.
All Sons can request a particular Interview with the Knight 8 or with the Delegate of the Table or with his Spiritual Director.
If during annual Retreats the Community attends to the same Retreat, every group will attend to it during the corresponding days, in accordance with the Regulation.
In festivals of February 28th Moon, Full Moon, Initiated Knight and the End of the Course, the Ordained Sons of Community will celebrate the same Ceremony in the presence of the entire Community, but without feast or tea.
In Houses of Community, the Sons will have three or four annual dates, ordered by the Superior, which will be holidays. For instance: commemoration of the spiritual titular or patron of the House, the principal fatherland date, the onomastic date of the Superior and Christmas Eve.
In Houses of Seminary or in those where the Sons cannot go out of the Radius of Stability, the Superior will plan a long stroll and a picnic, or a funny entertainment, two or three times a year.
When the Sons pray in common, they will recite Hymns, standing; prayers, leaning on their heels; and psalms, sitting; they will rise just as long as they recite the first verse.
In annual Retreats, during days established by Regulation, the Sons can attend, but if the Superior deemed proper and the subjects were convenient, the Sons of temporary and solemn Vows can attend to Lectures and Teachings of Sons of perpetual Vows just as an educational resource.
Teaching 13: External Behavior
The Sons never should abandon their period of study and prayer for a work, however urgent it is; but if the Superior or Director assigns them a task out of the period of manual work, they should perform it very quickly and joyfully.
The Son will leave their Radius of Stability just by important motives or by sickness, but always accompanied.
Sons: do not have familiarity or useless conversations with persons that you should treat outside, and in case of visits, do not accept anything, except with permission of the Superior. If you are visiting someone, keep your composure and do not intervene in the conversation of a Superior; but answer properly and solicitously if someone talks to you; do not request anything and do not transmit reports of someone in the presence of anyone.
Superiors: the Sons should enjoy their weekly strolls and good walks during this period of sound fun and joy, and if they do not go out, should practice a sport. They neither have to be isolated or nor have to form groups.
They should try to converse about useful and edifying things during their strolls and recreation.
Before any stroll, they must meet to recite the related prayer.
When you go out, and even in the House, look with modesty; your eyes must be half-opened as usual, and do not look at persons in the face. Your eyes are windows of the soul and have to be totally devoted to the Divine Mother.
You will be all together during your recreation, and in no way you will leave. If someone is authorized to leave, he will greet when he leaves and when he gets back. Do not request permission to leave for futile things during your recreation period.
Your greeting has to be as follows: bowing the head before the Community; you greet this way any time, as long as you enter or leave when the Community is assembled.
Every day, after the Rigorous Silence in the afternoon, the Sons will meet in the living room of the Community to receive instructions from the Superior.
Sons: your external behavior has to be always edifying. If the Regulation dedicates an entire Teaching to the behavior of all Sons of Cafh, how higher behavior the Ordained Sons must keep.
Walk but not run, without excitation; and do not cast a glance right and left. When you are seated, you should not cross your legs or adopt too much comfortable postures.
You should not laugh or cry too much; all must be moderate.
Sons: avoid any familiarity among you; do not touch or embrace one another; do not take your hands for any reason; do not show external affection; and stay at a respectful distance.
Teaching 14: Observance and Dispensations
All Sons will go to their assigned place as soon as the bell sounds.
The Superior will ring the little bell after a prudential time to permit the Sons to be together.
Whoever arrives late will remain standing until to get dispensation from the Superior.
In every House of Community all will observe every rule besides the Regulation, w which is foundation of the life of Ordination, and even those rules imparted by the Seminary, except something special related to the probationary period.
One has to understand for Regulation: Regulation, Method and Ceremonial.
In Houses where Ordained Sons stay, but that are not considered Houses of Community, they will observe rules, but will respect Regulation and injunctions of the Knight Great Masters.
Communications of the Sons will become easier in relation to their future labors for Works of Cafh by suppressing at the table the Mane Mann at noon, which will be substituted for this Prayer: “Spill, Lord, your blessings on us and this food that we will take. So Be It”.
Every Wednesday and Friday, the Sons will sing “Stabat Mater”, as it is established, and the other days will substitute the Hymn to the Mother for “Ave Maris Stella”. If they cannot make procession, they will recite standing round the table.
Penitence of Saturdays will take place soon after the Lecture instead of making it in the refectory.
Every dispensation can be put in practice just with permission of the Knight Great Master and will last during a period that he will establish.
The Director will apply to the Sons usual penitence; for instance, to stay lying down as the Community passes by; to beg public penitence kneeling; or to remain in the refectory with their arms up high; all this to acquire a deep spirit of humility by means of this penitence.
They will say many times in a loud voice; “I request to this Venerable Community forgiveness for my faults and my bad examples”, or this prayer: “Venerable Community, please hear my voice: I do not deserve to remain in such saintly company. Pray for me”. Or this: “May this Community be aware of my will; I wish to be the last fellow in this Holy House of the Mother, rather than the first in houses of the world”.
Teaching 15: Radius and Cloistral Site
In Houses of Community, the Radius of Stability and privacy in rooms where the Ordained Sons live must be preserved.
The Sons will not leave the Radius of Stability for any cause and will not tread on outside the established area without due permission.
Watch rooms and departments assigned to the Ordained Sons, and those who are in charge of the keys be watchful: they never will remain open.
Keep the doors of the rooms always closed, even in the House.
Every year, one day, from March 9th to March 19th, the Superior blesses the rooms by a touch of magnetized oil of the Ordination lamp.
Always keep your rooms properly clean and in order.
No Son should enter the room of other Son for any cause without clear permission of the Superior.
Rooms: will not have mirrors, and their use is just permitted in bathrooms and clothes room.
The image of a Light Blue Star will be at the entry to the cloistral site of the Community: at the right of the door for men and at the left for women.
In numerous Communities and Houses of much activity, the Son of higher rank, besides the charge of Vice-Director, will become administrator, to lighten the task of the Superior.
Those Sons that as they leave Seminary take Solemn Vows will not be admitted directly in Community. For three years, they will have an especial Director who will accompany them during recreations and sallies, and will assist all their needs, besides the ordinary assistance of their Superior.
Sons of Solemn Vows: always stay respectfully apart from the Sons of Perpetual Vows, and if you are admitted to take part in recreation and as a company, behave with great reverence and submission.
The Sons of Solemn Vows never will go out alone outside the Radius of Stability; if they are not accompanied by their Superior, they must go along with a Son of Perpetual Vow. They never will pay visits to their relatives, except in the event of death or imperious need.
Sons: be very careful and do not trust anyone your intimate feelings or your life in the world, not only among you but also in those Sons and Superior who are not your direct Superior or your Spiritual Director.
Escape from vanity and personal pride by seeking correction and reprimand from your Superior, even without a just cause.
Sons: have a sense of responsibility for Community; a fault or an omission of a Son should be assumed by all; this way, your good or your evil will disappear and just the soul of the Community will remain.
Teaching 16: Spiritual Synthesis of the Ordination
To be an Ordained Son is:
To gain nothing.
To have nothing.
To be nothing.
The Vow of Ordination is not the practice of Silence and Fidelity, or of Obedience, in particular, or any other Vow of Virtue: it is the perfection of these Vows, or rather, of their physical, mental and spiritual integrity.
Renunciation is not a detachment from this or that, or an especial practice of such or such virtue, but to be free of one’s life, of one’s way of thinking and of one’s separate individuality as one ego and another ego.
Ordination is a total liberation in regard to all things, internal and external, past and future, and human and superhuman.
An Ordained Son does not want anything and does not aim at anything; he stays just in Her and She is Eternity.
An Ordained cannot gain anything more because he staked all before jumping on the great void of love that the Divine Mother is; and what he gains by means of his efforts is not enough to pay his past karmic debts.
He has made all his works, tasks and efforts; even his intellectual works and his mental ability do not belong to him, since he surrendered it to the Divine Mother; even the purest affections of his heart, since just by reaching the most intimate poverty of heart he can remain in peace in the Love of Her; and the Ordained Son even offered beforehand all his rights: now he does not posses any right since he does not want anything and does not need anything: he possesses only rights, holy rights that permit him to remain in peace in love; rights that are a burden to men, but the unique gain of those who renounced to all; duties of continuous sacrifice without a truce; duties of assistance to mankind; duties to work for the sake of work; rights of holy duties; duties to die continuously, daily, beforehand and mystically.
Renunciation is to be nothing at the end.
To be nothing is to break bonds of separateness, to scatter shadows of illusion and to stay always in the Heart of the Eternal Mother.
Up to that time, the soul fears always that nature, reason and changes may lead him to go out of himself again, but even this danger disappears when one is nothing, since what “is” will not stop being what “is”.
Ordained Sons: keep always written before you these words:
To gain nothing.
To possess nothing.
To be nothing.
CONTENTS:
Teaching 1: The Holy Gate
Teaching 2: Entry to Seminary
Teaching 3: Way of Dressing
Teaching 4: Perfect Observance
Teaching 5: Usual Silence and Rigorous Silence
Teaching 6: Prayers and Study in Seminary
Teaching 7: Superiors of the Ordained Sons
Teaching 8: Necessary Manual Work
Teaching 9: Instructions about Manual Works
Teaching 10: Behavior with Relatives
Teaching 11: Food and Table
Teaching 12: Interviews and Retreats
Teaching 13: External Behavior
Teaching 14: Observance and Dispensations
Teaching 15: Radius and Cloistral Site
Teaching 16: Spiritual Synthesis of Ordination
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