BOOK ONE
THOUGHTS HELPFUL in the LIFE of the SOUL

Liber Primus
Admonitiones ad Vitam spiritualem utiles.

CHAPTER 1: Imitating Christ and Despising All Vanities on Earth

Cap. I. De imitatione Christi et contemptu mundi omniumque eius vanitatum.

HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness,” says the Lord (John 8:12). By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.

1. Qui sequitur me non ambulat in tenebris dicit Dominus. Hæc sunt verba Christi, quibus admonemur quatenus vitam eius et mores imitemur, si volumus veraciter illuminari, et ab omni cæcitate cordis liberari. Summum igitur studium nostrum, sit in vita Jesu meditari.

The teaching of Christ is more excellent than all the advice of the saints, and he who has His spirit will find in it a hidden manna. Now, there are many who hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they have not the spirit of Christ. Yet whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ.

2. Doctrina Ejus omnes doctrinas Sanctorum præcellit, et qui spiritum haberet absconditum ibi manna inveniret. Sed contingit quod multi ex frequenti auditu Evangelii parvum desiderium sentiunt, quia spiritum Chrisi non habent. Qui autem vult plene et sapide verba Christi intelligere, oportet ut totam vitam suam illi studeat conformare.

What good does it do to speak learnedly about  the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.

3. Quid prodest tibi alta de Trinitate disputare, si careas humilitate unde displiceas Trinitati? Vere alta verba non faciunt sanctum et justum, sed virtuosa vita efficit Deo carum. Opto magis sentire compunctionem quam scire definitionem. Si scires totam Bibliam, et omnium philosophorum dicta quid totum prodesset, sine charitate et gratia? Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas præter amare Deum et illi soli fervire. Ista est summa sapientia per contemptum mundi tendere ad regna cælestia.

This is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.

4. Vanitas igitur est divitias perituras quærere, et in illis sperare. Vanitas quoque est honores ambire, et in altum se extollere. Vanitas est carnis disideria sequi, et illud desiderare unde postmodum graviter oportet puniri. Vanitas est longam vitam optare, et de bona vita modicum curare. Vanitas est præsentem vitam solum attendere, et quæ futura sunt non prævidere. Vanitas est diligere quod cum omni celeritate transit, et illuc non festinare ubi sempiternum manet gaudium.

Often recall the proverb: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing.”[Eccles. 1:8.] Try, moreover, to turn your heart from the love of things visible and bring yourself to things invisible. For they who follow their own evil passions stain their consciences and lose the grace of God.

5. Stude ergo cor tuum ab amore visibilium abstrahere, et ad invisiblia te transferre. Nam sequentes suam sensualitatem maculant conscientiam, et perdunt Dei gratiam.

CHAPTER 2: Having a Humble Opinion of Self

Cap. 2. De humili scire sui ipsius.

EVERY man naturally desires knowledge [Aristotle, Metaphysics, i.] ; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. [Augustine, Confessions V.] He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and is not happy when praised by men.

1. Omnis homo naturaliter scire desiderat. Sed scientia sine timore Dei quid importat? Melior est profecto Rusticus humilis, qui Deo fervit, quam superbus Philosophus, qui se neglecto cursum cæli confiderat. Qui bene se ipsum cognoscit sibi ipsi vilescit, nec laudibus delectatur humanis. Si scirem omnia quæ in mundo sunt, et non essem in charitate, quid me juavert coram Deo, qui me judicaturus est ex facto?

If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me before God Who will judge me by my deeds? Shun too great a desire for knowledge, for in it there is much fretting and delusion. Intellectuals like to appear learned and to be called wise. Yet there are many things the knowledge of which does little or no good to the soul, and he who concerns himself about other things than those which lead to salvation is very unwise. Many words do not satisfy the soul; but a good life eases the mind and a clean conscience inspires great trust in God.

2. Quiesce a nimio discendi desiderio, quia ibi magna incitatur distractio et deceptio. Scientes volunt libenter docti videri et sapientes dici. Multa sunt, quæ scire animæ parum vel nihil prodest. Et valde insipiens est, qui aliquibus magis intendit, quam his quæ saluti suæ deserviunt. Multa verba non satiant animam, sed bona vita refigerat mentem, et pura conscientia magnam ad Deum præstat confidentiam.

The more you know and the better you understand, the more severely will you be judged, unless your life is also the more holy. Do not be proud, therefore, because of your learning or skill. Rather, fear because of the talent given you. If you think you know many things and understand them well  enough, realize at the same time that there is much you do not know. Hence, do not affect wisdom, but admit your ignorance. Why prefer yourself to anyone else when many are more learned, more cultured than you?

3. Quanto plus et melius scis, tanto gravius judicaberis inde nisi sancte vixeris. Noli ergo extolli de ulla arte vel scientia, sed potius time de data tibi notitia. Si tibi videtur quod multa scias et fatis bene intelligas, scito tamen quia sunt multo plura quæ nesci. Noli sapere altum, sed ignorantiam tuam magis fatere. Quid te vis alicui præferre, cum plures doctiores te inveniantur, et magis in lege periti. Si vis aliquid utiliter scire, et discere, ama nesciri, et pronihilo reputari.

If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing. Truly to know and despise self is the best and most perfect counsel. To think of oneself as nothing, and always to think well and highly of others is the best and most perfect wisdom. Wherefore, if you see another sin openly or commit a serious crime, do not consider yourself better, for you do not know how long you can remain in good estate. All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself.

4. Hæc est altissima et utilissima lectio, sui ipius vera cognitio, et despectio. De se ipso nihil tenere, et de aliis semper bene et alte sentire magna sapientia est, et perfectio. Si videres aliquem aperte peccare, vel aliqua gravia perpetrare, non deberes te meliorem exstimare. Omnes fragiles sumus, sed tu niminem fragiliorem te ipso tenebis.

CHAPTER 3: The Doctrine of Truth

Cap. 3. De doctrina veritatis.

HAPPY is he to whom truth manifests itself, not in signs and words that fade, but as it actually is. Our opinions, our senses often deceive us and we discern very little. What good is much discussion of involved and obscure matters when our ignorance of them will not be held against us on Judgment Day? Neglect of things which are profitable and necessary and  undue concern with those which are irrelevant and harmful, are great folly. We have eyes and do not see.

1. Felix quem Veritas per se ipsam docet, non per figuras et voces transeuntes, sed sicuti se habet. Nostra opinion, et noster sensus sæpe nos falllit, et modicum videt. Quid prodest magna cavillatio de occultis, et obscuris rebus de quibus nec argueur in judicio, quia ignoravimus? Grandis insipientia quod neglectis utilibus, et necessariis, ultro intendimus curiosis, et damnosis. Oculos habentes, non videmus.

What, therefore, have we to do with questions of philosophy? He to whom the Eternal Word speaks is free from theorizing. For from this Word are all things and of Him all things speak—the Beginning Who also speaks to us. Without this Word no man understands or judges aright. He to whom it becomes everything, who traces all things to it and who sees all things in it, may ease his heart and remain at peace with God. O God, You Who are the truth, make me one with You in love everlasting. I am often wearied by the many things I hear and read, but in You is all that I long for. Let the learned be still, let all creatures be silent before You; You alone speak to me.

2. Et quid nobis de generibus et speciebus, cui æternum Verbum loquitur a multis opinionibus expeditur. Ex uno Verbo omnia, et unum loquuntur omnia et hoc est Principium quod et loquitur nobis. Nemo sine illo intelligit, aut recte judicat. Cuit omnia unam sunt, et qui omnia ad unum trahit, et omnia in uno videt, potest stabilis esse, et in Deo pacificus permanere. O veritas Deus, fac me unum tecum in charitate perpetua. Tædet mihi sæpe multa legere, t audire: in te toum est, quod volo et desidero. Taceant omnes doctores, sileant universæ creaturæ in conspectu tuo, tu mihi loquere solus.

The more recollected a man is, and the more simple of heart he becomes, the easier he understands sublime things, for he receives the light of knowledge from above. The pure, simple, and steadfast spirit is not distracted by many labors, for he does them all for the honor of God. And since he enjoys interior peace he seeks no selfish end in anything. What, indeed, gives more trouble and affliction than uncontrolled desires of the heart? A good and devout man arranges in his mind the things he has to do, not according to the whims of evil inclination but according to the dictates of  right reason. Who is forced to struggle more than he who tries to master himself? This ought to be our purpose, then: to conquer self, to become stronger each day, to advance in virtue.

3. Quanto magis aliquis unitus, et interius implicatus fuerit, tanto plura et altiora sine labore intelligit quia desuper lumen intelligentiæ accipit. Purus simplex et stabilis in multis operibus non dissipatur, quia omnia ad Dei honorem operatur, et in se otiose ab omni propria exquisitione esse nititur. Quis te magis impedit, et molestat quam tua immortificata cordis affectio? Bonus et devotus homo, opera sua intus prius disponit, quæ foris agere debet, nec illa trahunt ad desideria vitiosæ inclinationis, sed ipse inflectat ea ad arbitrium rectæ intentionis rationis. Quis habet fortius certamen, quam qui nititur vincere se ipsum? Et hoc deberet esse negotium nostrum, vincere scilicet se ipsum, et quotidie se fortiorem ipso fieri, atque in melius proficere.

Every perfection in this life has some imperfection mixed with it and no learning of ours is without some darkness. Humble knowledge of self is a surer path to God than the ardent pursuit of learning. Not that learning is to be considered evil, or knowledge, which is good in itself and so ordained by God; but a clean conscience and virtuous life ought always to be preferred. Many often err and accomplish little or nothing because they try to become learned rather than to live well.

4. Omnis perfectio in hac vita quamdam imperfectionem sibi habet annexam. Et omnis speculatio nostra quadam caligine non caret. Humilis tui cognitio certior via est ad Deum, quam profundæ scientiæ inquisitio. Non est culpanda scientia, aut quælibet rei notitia quæ bona est, in se confiderata, eet a Deo ordinata, sed præferenda est, semper bona conscientia, et vita, quia student magis plures scire quam bene vivere, ideo sæpe errant, et nullum vel modicum fructum ferunt.

If men used as much care in uprooting vices and implanting virtues as they do in discussing problems, there would not be so much evil and scandal in the world, or such laxity in religious organizations. On the day of judgment, surely, we shall not be asked what we have read but what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived. Tell me, where now are all the masters and teachers whom you knew so well in life and who were famous for  their learning? Others have already taken their places and I know not whether they ever think of their predecessors. During life they seemed to be something; now they are seldom remembered..

5. O, si tantam adhiberent diligentiam ad extirpanda vitia, et virtutes inferendas, sicuti movendi quæstiones, non fierent tanta mala et scandala in populo nec tanta dissolutio in cænobiis. Certe adveniente e judicii, non quæretur a nobis quid legimus, sed quid fecimus; nec quam bene diximus, sed quam religiose visimus. Dic mihi, ubi sunt modo illi omnes Domini, et Magistri quos bene nosti dum adhuc bene viverent, et in studiis florerent? Jam eorum præbendas alii possident, et nescio utrum de eis recogitent. In vita sua aliquid videbantur et modo de illis tacetur.

How quickly the glory of the world passes away! If only their lives had kept pace with their learning, then their study and reading would have been worth while How many there are who perish because of vain worldly knowledge and too little care for serving God. They became vain in their own conceits because they chose to be great rather than humble. He is truly great who has great charity. He is truly great who is little in his own eyes and makes nothing of the highest honor. He is truly wise who looks upon all earthly things as folly that he may gain Christ. He who does God’s will and renounces his own is truly very learned.

6. O quam cito transit gloria mundi. Utinam vita eorum scientiæ concordasset eorum, tunc bene legissent et studuissent. Quam multi pereunt per vanam scientiam in hoc sæculo, qui parum curant de Dei fervitio. Et quia magis diligunt magni esse quam humiles, ideo evanuerunt in cognitationibus suis. Vere magnus est qui in si parvus est et pro nihilo omne culmen honoris ducit. Vere prudens est qui omnia terrena arbitratur uti stercora ut Christum lucrifaciat. Et vere bene doctus est qui Dei voluntatem facit et suam voluntatem relinquit.

CHAPTER 4: Prudence in Action

Cap. 4. De prudentia in agendis.

DO NOT yield to every impulse and suggestion but consider things carefully and patiently in the light of God’s will. For very often, sad to say, we are so weak that we believe and speak evil of others rather than good. Perfect men, however, do not readily believe every talebearer, because they know that human frailty is prone to evil and is likely to appear in speech.

1. Non est credendum omni verbo nec instinctui sed caute et longanimiter, res est fecundum Deum ponderanda. Proh dolor sæpe malum facilius quam bonum de alio creditur et dicitur ita infirmi sumus. Sed perfecti viri non facile credunt omni enarrant, quia sciunt humanam fragilitatem imo infirmitatem ad malum proclivem et in verbis fatis labilem.

Not to act rashly or to cling obstinately to one’s opinion, not to believe everything people say or to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom.

2. Magna sapientia est non esse præcipitem in agendis, nec pertinaciter in sensibus stare. Ad hanc etiam non pertinet quibuslibet hominum verbis credere nec audita vel credita mox ad aliorum aures effundere.

Take counsel with a wise and conscientious man.  Seek the advice of your betters in preference to following your own inclinations. A good life makes a man wise according to God and gives him experience in many things, for the more humble he is and the more subject to God, the wiser and the more at peace he will be in all things.

3. Cum sapiente et sententioso viro consilium habe, et quære potius a melioribus instrui, quam tuas adinventiones sequi. Bona vita facit hominem sapientem secundum Deum, et expertum in multis. Quanto quis in se humilior fuerit, et Deo subjectior, tanto in omnibus erit sapientior et pacatior.

CHAPTER 5: Reading the Holy Scripture

Cap. 5. De lectione scripturarum.

TRUTH, not eloquence, is to be sought in reading the Holy Scriptures; and every part must be read in the spirit in which it was written. For in the Scriptures we ought to seek profit rather than polished diction. Likewise we ought to read simple and devout books as willingly as learned and profound ones. We ought not to be swayed by the authority of the writer, whether he be a great literary light or an insignificant person, but by the love of simple truth. We ought not to ask who is speaking, but mark what is said.

1. Veritas est in Scripturis sanctis quærenda, non eloquenda. Omnis Scriptura sacra eo spiritu debet legi, quo facta est. Quærere debemus potius utilitatem in Scripturis, quam subtilitatem sermonis. Ita libenter devotos et simplices libros legere debemus, sicut altos et profundos. Non te defendat auctoritas Scribentis utrum parvæ vel magnæ litteraturæ fuerit, sed amor puræ veritatis te trahat ad legendum. Non quæras quis hoc dixerit, sed quid dicatur attende.

Men pass away, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. God speaks to us in many ways without regard for persons. Our curiosity often impedes our reading of the Scriptures, when we wish to understand and mull over what we ought simply to read and pass by. If you would profit from it, therefore, read with  humility, simplicity, and faith, and never seek a reputation for being learned. Seek willingly and listen attentively to the words of the saints; do not be displeased with the sayings of the ancients, for they were not made without purpose.

2. Homines transeunt, sed veritas Domini manet in æternum. Sine personarum acceptione variis modis nobis loquitur Deus. Curiositas nostra sæpe nos impedit in lectione Scripturarum, cum volumus intelligere et discutere ubi simpliciter est transeundum. Si vis profectum haurire lege humiliter, simpliciter, et fideliter nec unquam velis habere nomen scientiæ. Interroga libenter, et audi tacens Sanctorum verba, nec displiceant tibi parabolæ Seniorum sine cause enim non proferuntur.

CHAPTER 6: Unbridled Affections

Cap. 6. De inordinatis affectibus.

WHEN a man desires a thing too much, he at once becomes ill at ease. A proud and avaricious man never rests, whereas he who is poor and humble of heart lives in a world of peace. An unmortified man is quickly tempted and overcome in small, trifling evils; his spirit is weak, in a measure carnal and inclined to sensual things; he can hardly abstain from earthly desires. Hence it makes him sad to forego them; he is quick to anger if reproved.

1. Quandocumque homo inordinate aliquid appetit statim in se inquietus sit. Superbus et avarus nunquam quiescunt. Pauper et humilis spiritu in multitudine pacis conversatur. Homo qui necdum in se perfecte mortuus est, cito tentatur et vincitur in parvis et vilibus rebus. Infirmus in spiritu, et quodammodo adhuc carnalis ad sensibilia inclinatus, difficulter potest se a terrenis desideriis ex toto extrahere. Et ideo sæpe habet tristitiam cum se subtrahit. Leviter etiam dedignatur, si quis ei resistit.

Yet if he satisfies his desires, remorse of conscience overwhelms him because he followed his passions and they did not lead to the peace he sought.True peace of heart, then, is found in resisting passions, not in satisfying them. There is no peace in the carnal man, in the man given to vain attractions, but there is peace in the fervent and spiritual man.

2. Si autem profecutus fuerit quod concupiscitur, statim ex reatu conscientiæ gravatur, quia secutus est passionem suam, quæ nihil juvat ad pacem, quam quæsivit. Resistendo igitur passionibus invenitur vera pax cordis non autem serviendo eis. Non est ergo pax in corde hominis carnalis, non in homine in exterioribus dedito, sed in fervido spirituali.

CHAPTER 7: Avoiding False Hope and Pride

Cap. 7. De vana spe et elatione fugienda.

VAIN is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.Do not be ashamed to serve others for the love of Jesus Christ and to seem poor in this world. Do not be self-sufficient but place your trust in God. Do what lies in your power and God will aid your good will. Put no trust in your own learning nor in the cunning of any man, but rather in the grace of God Who helps the humble and humbles the proud.

1. Vanus est qui spem suam ponit in hominibus aut in creaturis. Non pudeat te aliis servire amore Domini nostri Jesu Christi, et pauperem in hoc sæculo videri. Non stes super teipsum, sed in Deo spem tuam constitue. Fac quod in te est, et Deus aderit bonæ voluntati tuæ. Non confidas in tua scientia, vel cujuscumque astutia viventi, sed magis in Dei gratia, qui humiles adjuvat, et de se præsumentes humiliat.

If you have wealth, do not glory in it, nor in friends because they are powerful, but in God Who gives all things and Who desires above all to give Himself. Do not boast of personal stature or of physical beauty, qualities which are marred and destroyed by a little sickness. Do not take pride in your talent or ability, lest you displease God to Whom belongs all the natural gifts that you have.

2. Non glorieris in divitiis si adsint, nec in amicis quia potentes sunt, sed in Deo qui omnia præstat, et se ipsum super omnia dare desiderat. Non te extollas de magnitudine vel pulchritudine corporis, quæ modica etiam infirmitate corrumpitur et foedatur. Non placeas tibi ipsi, de humilitate aut ingenio ne displiceas Deo, cujus est totum quidquid boni naturaliter habemus.

Do not think yourself better than others lest, perhaps, you be accounted worse before God Who knows what is in man. Do not take pride in your good deeds, for God’s judgments differ from those of men and what pleases them often displeases Him. If there is good in you, see more good in others, so that you may remain humble. It does no harm to esteem yourself less than anyone else, but  it is very harmful to think yourself better than even one. The humble live in continuous peace, while in the hearts of the proud are envy and frequent anger.

3. Non te reputes aliis meliorem, ne forte coram Deo deterior habearis qui scit quid est in homine. Non superbias de operibus bonis, quia aliter sunt judicia Dei quam hominum, cui sæpe displicet, quod hominibus placet. Si aliquid boni habueris, crede de aliis meliora, ut humilitatem conserves. Non nocet ut te hominibus supponas, nocet autem plurimum, si vel uni te præponas. Jugis pax cum humili, in corde autem superbi zelus et indignatio frequens.

CHAPTER 8: Shunning Over-Familiarity

Cap. 8. De cavenda nimia familiaritate.

DO NOT open your heart to every man, but discuss your affairs with one who is wise and who fears God. Do not keep company with young people and strangers. Do not fawn upon the rich, and do not be fond of mingling with the great. Associate with the humble and the simple, with the devout and virtuous, and with them speak of edifying things. Be not intimate with any woman, but generally commend all good women to God. Seek only the intimacy of God and of His angels, and avoid the notice of men.

1. Non omni homini reveles cor tuum, sed cum sapiente, et timente Deum age causam tuam? Cum juvenibus et extraneis rarus esto, cum divitibus noli blandiri, et coram magnatis non libenter appareas. Cum humilibus et simplicibus, cum devotis et morigeratis sociare, et quæ ædificationis sunt pertracta. Non sis familiaris alicui mulieri, sed in communi omnes bonas mulieres Deo commenda. Soli Deo et Angelis ejus opta familiaris esse, et hominum notitiam devita.

We ought to have charity for all men but familiarity with all is not expedient. Sometimes it happens that a person enjoys a good reputation among those who do not know him, but at the same time is held in slight regard by those who do. Frequently we think we are pleasing others by our presence and we begin rather to displease them by the faults they find in us.

2. Charitas est habenda ad omnes, sed familiaritas non expedit. Quandoque accidit ut persona ignota ex bona fama lucescit, tum præsentia oculos intuentium offuscat. Putamus aliis placere ex convictione nostra, et incipimus magis displicere morum improbitate in nobis considerata.

CHAPTER 9: Obedience and Subjection

Cap. 9. De obedientia et subjectione.

IT IS a very great thing to obey, to live under a superior and not to be one’s own master, for it is much safer to be subject than it is to command. Many live in obedience more from necessity than from love. Such become discontented and dejected on the slightest pretext; they will never gain peace of mind unless they subject themselves wholeheartedly for the love of God. Go where you may, you will find no rest except in humble obedience to the rule of authority. Dreams of happiness expected from change and different places have deceived many.

1. Valde magnum est in obedientia stare, sub Prælato se vivere, et sui juris non esse. Multo tutius est stare in subjectione, quam in prælatura. Multi sunt sub obedientia magis ex necessitate, quam ex charitate, et illi poenam habent, et leviter murmurant, nec libertatem mentis acquirent, nisi ex toto corde propter Deum se subjiciant. Curre hic vel ibi non invenies requiem, nisi in humili subjectione sub Prælati regimine. Imaginatio locorum, et mutatio multos fefellit.

Everyone, it is true, wishes to do as he pleases and is attracted to those who agree with him. But if God be among us, we must at times give up our opinions for the blessings of peace. Furthermore, who is so wise that he can have full knowledge of everything? Do not trust too much in your own opinions, but be willing to listen to those of others. If, though your own be good, you accept another’s opinion for love of God, you will gain much more merit;

2. Verum est quod unusquisque libenter agit pro sensu suo et inclinatur ad eos magis qui secum sentiunt. Sed si Christus est inter nos, tunc necesse est, ut relinquamus etiam nostrum sentire propter bonum pacis. Quis est ita sapiens, qui omnia plene scire possit? Ergo noli nimis in sensu tuo confidere, sed velis etiam aliorum sensum audire. Si bonum est tuum sentire, et hoc ipsum propter Deum dimittis, et alium sequeris, magis inde proficies.

for I have often heard that it is safer to listen to advice and take it than to give it. It may happen, too, that while one’s own opinion may be good, refusal to agree with others when reason and occasion demand it, is a sign of pride and obstinacy.

3. Audivi enim sæpe, securius esse audire, et accipere consilium quam dare. Potest enim contingere ut bonum fit uniuscujusque sentire, sed nolle aliis acquiescere, cum id ratio aut causa postulat, signum est superbiæ aut pertinaciæ.

CHAPTER 10: Avoiding Idle Talk

Cap. 10. De superfluitate verborum.

SHUN the gossip of men as much as possible, for discussion of worldly affairs, even though sincere, is a great distraction inasmuch as we are quickly ensnared and captivated by vanity. Many a time I wish that I had held my peace and had not associated with men. Why, indeed, do we converse and gossip among ourselves when we so seldom part without a troubled conscience? We do so because we seek comfort from one another’s conversation and wish to ease the mind wearied by diverse thoughts. Hence, we talk and think quite fondly of things we like very much or of things we dislike intensely.

1. Caveas tumultum hominum, quantum potes. Multum nam impedit tractatus fæcularium gestorum, etiamsi simplici intentione proferantur. Cito enim inquinamur vanitate et captivamur. Vellem me pluries tacuisse, et inter homines non fuisse. Sed quare tam frequenter loquimur, et invicem fabulamur, cum tamen sine læsione conscientiæ raro ad silentium redimus? Ideo tam frequenter loquimur, quia per multas locutiones ad invicem consolari quærimus, et cor diversis cogitationibus fatigatum optamus relevare, et multum libenter, de his quæ diligimus, seu cupimus, vel quæ nobis sentimus contraria, libet loqui et cogitare.

But, sad to say, we often talk vainly and to no purpose; for this external pleasure effectively bars inward and divine consolation.Therefore we must watch and pray lest time pass idly. When the right and opportune moment comes for speaking, say something that will edify. Bad habits and indifference to spiritual progress do much to remove the guard from the tongue. Devout conversation on spiritual matters, on the contrary, is a great aid to spiritual progress, especially when persons of the same mind and spirit associate together in God.

2. Sed proh dolor sæpe inaniter, et frustra. Nam hæc exterior consolatio interioris et divinæ consolationis non modicum detrimentum est. Ideo vigilandum est et orandum ne tempus otiose transeat. Si loqui licet et expedit, quæ ædificabilia sunt loquere. Malus usus et negligentia profectus nostri multum facit ad incustodiam oris nostri. Juvat tamen non parum ad profectum spiritualem devota spiritualium rerum collatio, maxime ubi pares animo et spiritu in Deo sibi sociantur.

CHAPTER 11: Acquiring Peace and Zeal for Perfection

Cap. 11. De pace quærenda, et zelo proficiendi.

WE SHOULD enjoy much peace if we did not concern ourselves with what others say and do, for these are no concern of ours. How can a man who meddles in affairs not his own, who seeks strange distractions, and who is little or seldom inwardly recollected, live long in peace? Blessed are the simple of heart for they shall enjoy peace in abundance.

1. Multam possumus pacem habere, si volumus nos cum aliorum dictis et factis quæ ad nostram curam non spectant non occupare. Quomodo potest ille in pace die permanere, qui alienis curis se intermiscet, qui occasiones forinsecus quærit, qui parum vel raro se intrinsecur colligit? Beati simplices, quoniam multam pacem habebunt.

Why were some of the saints so perfect and so given to contemplation? Because they tried to mortify entirely in themselves all earthly desires, and thus they were able to attach themselves to God with all their heart and freely to concentrate their innermost thoughts. We are too occupied with our own whims and fancies, too taken up with passing things. Rarely do we completely conquer even one vice, and we are not inflamed with the desire to improve ourselves day by day; hence, we remain cold and indifferent.

2. Quare quidam Sanctorum tam perfecti et contemplativi fuerunt? quia mortificari omnino ab omnibus terrenis desideriis studuerunt, et ideo totis medullis cordis Deo inhærere, atque sibi libere vacare potuerunt. Nos nimium propriis occupamur passionibus, et de transitoriis nimis sollicitamur. Raro nam vitium unum perfecte vincimus, et ad quotidianum profectum non attendimus, ideo frigidi et tepidi remanemus.

If we mortified our bodies perfectly and allowed no distractions to enter our minds, we could appreciate divine things and experience something of heavenly contemplation.The greatest obstacle, indeed, the only obstacle, is that we are not free from passions and lusts, that we do not try to follow the perfect way of the saints. Thus when we encounter some slight difficulty, we are too easily dejected and turn to human consolations.

3. Si essemus nobismetipsis perfecte intenti, et exterius minime implicati, tunc possemus etiam divina sapere, et de cælesti contemplatione aliquid experiri. Totum et maximum impedimentum est, quia non sumus a passionibus, et concupiscentiis liberi, nec perfectam viam Sanctorum conamur ingredi. Quando etiam modicum adversitatis occurit, nimis cito dijicimur, et ad humanas consolationes convertimur.

If we tried, however, to stand as brave men in battle, the help of the Lord from heaven would surely sustain us. For He Who gives us the opportunity of fighting for victory, is ready to help those who carry on and trust in His grace.If we let our progress in religious life depend on the observance of its externals alone, our devotion will quickly come to an end. Let us, then, lay the ax to the root that we may be freed from our passions and thus have peace of mind.

4. Si niteremur sicut viri fortes stare in proelio, profecto auxilium Dominii super nos videremus de cælo. Ipse nam certantes, et de sua gratia sperantes paratus est adjuvare, qui nobis certandi occasiones procurat, ut vincamus. Si tantum in istis exterioribus observantiis profectum religionis ponimus, cito finem habebit devotio nostra. Sed ad radicem securim ponamus, ut purgati a passionibus pacificam mentem possideamus.

If we were to uproot only one vice each year, we should soon become perfect. The contrary, however, is often the case—we feel that we were better and purer in the first fervor of our conversion than we are after many years in the practice of our faith. Our fervor and progress ought to increase day by day; yet it is now considered noteworthy if a man can retain even a part of his first fervor.If we did a little violence to ourselves at the start, we should afterwards be able to do all things with ease and joy.

5. Si omni anno unum vitium extirparemus, cito viri perfecti efficeremur. Sed modo contrario sæpe sentimus ut meliores, et puriores in initio conversionis nos fuisse inveniamus quam post multos annos prosessionis. Fervor et profectus noster quotidie deberet crescere, sed nunc pro magno videtur si quis primi fervoris partem possit retinere. Si modicam violentiam faceremus in principio, tunc omnia possemus facere cum levitate et gaudio.

It is hard to break old habits, but harder still to go against our will.If you do not overcome small, trifling things, how will you overcome the more difficult? Resist temptations in the beginning, and unlearn the evil habit lest perhaps, little by little, it lead to a more evil one.  If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your spiritual progress.

6. Grave est assueta dimittere, et gravius est contra propriam voluntatem ire. Sed si non vincis parva et levia, quando superabis difficiliora? Resiste in principio inclinatini tuæ, et malum defere consuetudinem, ne forte paulatim ad majorem te ducat difficultatem. O si adverteres quantum tibi pacem et aliis lætitiam faceres, temetipsum bene habendo, puto quod sollicitior esses ad spiritualem profectum.

CHAPTER 12: The Value of Adversity

Cap. 12. De utilitate adversitatis.

IT IS good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts

1. Bonum nobis est, quod aliquando habeamus aliquas gravitates et contrarietates, quia sæpe hominem ad cor revocant, quatenus se in exilio esse cognoscat, nec spem suam in aliqua mundi re ponat. Bonum est quod patiamur quandoque contradictiones, et male et imperfecte de nobis sentiatur, etiamsi bene agimus, et intendimus. Ista sæpe juvant ad humilitatem, et a vana gloria nos defendunt. Tunc enim melius interiorem testem Deum quærimus, quando foris vilipendimur ab hominibus, et non bene de nobis creditur.

Wh. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men.en a man of good will is afflicted, tempted, and tormented by evil thoughts, he realizes clearly that his greatest need is God, without Whom he can do no good. Saddened by his miseries and sufferings, he laments and prays. He wearies of living longer and wishes for death that he might be dissolved and be with Christ. Then he understands fully that perfect security and complete peace cannot be found on earth.

2. Ideo deberet se homo totaliter firmare, et non esset ei necesse multas consolationes quærere. Quando homo bonæ voluntatis tribulatur vel tentatur aut malis cogitationibus affligitur, tunc Deum magis sibi necessarium intelligit, sine quo nihil omnino se posse testatur. Gemit et orat pro miseriis quas patitur. Tunc tædet eum diutius vivere, mortem optat venire, ut possit dissolvi, et esse cum Christi. Tunc etiam bene advertit securitatem et plenam pacem in mundo non posse stare.

CHAPTER 13: Resisting Temptation

Cap. 13. De resistendis tentationibus.

SO LONG as we live in this world we cannot escape suffering and temptation. Whence it is written in Job: “The life of man upon earth is a warfare.”[Job 7:1.] Everyone, therefore, must guard against temptation and must watch in prayer lest the devil, who never sleeps but goes about seeking whom he may devour, find occasion to deceive him. No one is so perfect or so holy but he is sometimes tempted; man cannot be altogether free from temptation.

13.1. Quamdiu in mundo vivimus sine tribulatione et tentatione esse non possumus. Unde in Job scriptum est: Tentatio est vita hominis super terram. Ideo unusquisque sollicitus esse deberet circa tentationes suas, et vigilare in orationibus, ne Diabolus inveniret locum decipiendi, qui nunquam dormitat, sed circuit quærens quem devoret. Nemo tam sanctus et perfectus est, qui non habeat aliquando tentationes, et plene eis carere non possimus.

Yet temptations, though troublesome and severe, are often useful to a man, for in them he is humbled, purified, and instructed. The saints all passed through many temptations and trials to profit by them, while those who could not resist became reprobate and fell away. There is no state so holy, no place so secret that temptations and trials will not come.

13.2. Sunt tamen tentationes hominibus valde utiles, licet molestæ sint et graves, quia in his homo humiliatur, purgatur et eruditur. Omnes Sancti per multas tribulationes et tentationes transierunt et profecerunt, et qui tentationes sustinere nequiverunt, reprobi facti sunt, et defecerunt. Non est aliquis ordo tam sanctus, et locus tam secretus, ubi non sint tentationes et adversitates.

Man is never safe from them as long as he lives, for they come from within us—in sin we were born. When one temptation or trial passes, another comes; we shall always have something to suffer because we have lost the state of original blessedness. Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by  fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies.

13.3. Non est homo securus a tentationibus totaliter, quam diu vixerit, quia in nobis est unde tentamur. Ex quo in concupiscentia nati sumus, una tribulatione vel tentatione recedene alia supervenit, et semper aliquid ad patiendum habemus. Nam bonum felicitatis perdidimus. Multi quærunt tentationes fugere, et gravius incidunt in eas. Per solam fugam non possumus vincere, sed per patientiam et veram humilitatem, omnibus hositbus efficimur fortiores.

The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before. Little by little, in patience and long-suffering you will overcome them, by the help of God rather than by severity and your own rash ways. Often take counsel when tempted; and do not be harsh with others who are tempted, but console them as you yourself would wish to be consoled.

13.4. Qui tantummodo exterius declinat, nec radicem evellit, parum proficiet, imo citius ad eum tentationes redient, et pejus sævient. Paulatim, et per patientiam cum longanimitate Deo juvante melius superabis, quam cum duritia et importunitate propria. Sæpe accipe consilium in tentatione, et cum tentato noli duriter agere, sed consolationes ingere, sicut tibi optares fieri.

The beginning of all temptation lies in a wavering mind and little trust in God, for as a rudderless ship is driven hither and yon by waves, so a careless and irresolute man is tempted in many ways. Fire tempers iron and temptation steels the just. Often we do not know what we can stand, but temptation shows us what we are. Above all, we must be especially alert against the beginnings of temptation, for the enemy is more easily conquered if he is refused admittance to the mind and is met beyond the threshold when he knocks. Someone has said very aptly: “Resist the beginnings; remedies come too late, when by long delay the evil has gained strength.” First, a mere thought comes to mind, then strong imagination, followed by pleasure, evil delight, and consent. Thus, because he is not resisted in the beginning, Satan gains full entry. And the longer a man delays in  resisting, so much the weaker does he become each day, while the strength of the enemy grows against him.

13.5. Initium omnium malarum tentationum inconstantia animi est, et parva ad Deum confidentia, quia sicut navis sine gubernaculo hinc inde a fluctibus impellitur, ita homo remissus, et suum propositum deferens varie tentatur. Ignis probat ferrum, et tentatio hominem justum. Nescimus sæpe quid possumus, sed tentatio aperit quid sumus. Vigilandum tum præcipue circa initium tentationis, quia tunc facilius hostis vincitur, si ostium mentis nullatenus intrare finitur, sed extra limen statim ut pulsaverit illi obviatur. Unde quidam dixit, Principiis obsta, sero medicina paratur. Nam primo occurrit menti simplex cogitatio, deinde fortis imaginatio, postea delectatio, et motus pravus, et assensio, sicque paulatim hostis malignus ex toto ingreditur, dum illi non resistitur in pricipio. Et quanto diutius ad resistendum quis torpuerit, tanto in se quotidie debilior fit, et hostis contra eum potentior.

Some suffer great temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others toward the end, while some are troubled almost constantly throughout their life. Others, again, are tempted but lightly according to the wisdom and justice of Divine Providence Who weighs the status and merit of each and prepares all for the salvation of His elect.

13.6. Quidam in principio conversionis suæ graviores tentationes patiuntur, quidam in fine, quidam quasi per totam vitam suam male habent. Nonnulli fatis leviter tentantur, secundum divinæ ordinationis sapientiam et æquitatem, quæ statum, et hominum merita pensat, et cuncta ad electorum suorum salutem præordinat.

We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptation for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit.

13.7. Ideo non debemus desperare, cum tentamur, sed eo ferventius Deum exorare, quatenus dignetur in omni tribulatione nostra nos adjuvare, qui utique, secundum dictum S. Pauli, etiam faciet cum tentatione proventum, ut possimus sustinere. Humiliemus ergo animas nostras sub manu Dei in omni tentatione et tribulatione, quia humiles spiritu salvabit, et exultabit.

In temptations and trials the progress of a man is measured; in them opportunity for merit and virtue is made more manifest. When a man is not troubled it is not hard for him to be fervent and devout, but if he bears up patiently in time of adversity, there is hope for great progress. Some, guarded against great temptations, are frequently overcome by small ones in order that, humbled by their weakness in small trials, they may not presume on their own strength in great ones.

13.8. In tentationibus et tribulationibus probatur homo quantum profecit, et ibi majus meritum existit, et virtus melius patescit. Nec magnum est, si homo devotus fit, et fervidus, cum gravitatem non sentit, sed si tempore adversitatis patienter se sustinet, spes magni profectus erit. Quidam a magnis tentationibus custodiuntur, et in quotidianis tam sæpe vincuntur, ut humiliati, nunquam de se ipsis in magnis confidant, qui in tam modicis infirmantur.

CHAPTER 14: Avoiding Rash Judgment

Cap. 14. De temerario judicio vitando.

TURN your attention upon yourself and beware of judging the deeds of other men, for in judging others a man labors vainly, often makes mistakes, and easily sins; whereas, in judging and taking stock of himself he does something that is always profitable. We frequently judge that things are as we wish them to be, for through personal feeling true perspective is easily lost. If God were the sole object of our desire, we should not be disturbed so easily by opposition to our opinions.

1. Ad te ipsum oculos reflecte et aliorum facta caveas judicare. In judicando alios homo frustra laborat, sæpius errat, et leviter peccat. Se ipsum vero judicando et discutiendo semper fructuose laborat. Sicut nobis res cordi est, sic de ea frequenter judicamus. Nam verum judicium propter privatum amorem faciliter perdimus. Si Deus semper esset pura intentio desiderii nostri, non tam faciliter turbaremur pro resistentia sensus nostri.

But often something lurks within or happens from without to draw us along with it. Many, unawares, seek themselves in the things they do. They seem even to enjoy peace of mind when things happen according to their wish and liking, but if otherwise than they desire, they are soon disturbed and saddened. Differences of feeling and opinion often divide friends and acquaintances, even those who are religious and devout.

2. Sed semper aliquid ab intra latet, vel etaim ab extra concurrit, quod nos etiam pariter trahit. Multi occulte se ipsos quærunt in rebus, quas agunt, et nesciunt. Videntur etiam in bona pace stare, quum res pro eorum velle fiunt. Propter diversitatem sensuum, et opinionum satis frequenter oriuntur diffensiones inter amicos et cives, inter religiosos et devotos.

An old habit is hard to break, and no one is willing to be led farther than he can see. If you rely more upon your intelligence or industry than upon the virtue of submission to Jesus Christ, you will hardly, and in any case slowly, become an enlightened man. God wants us to be  completely subject to Him and, through ardent love, to rise above all human wisdom.

3. Antiqua consuetudo difficulter relinquitur et ultra proprium videre nemo libenter ducitur. Si rationi tuæ magis inniteris vel industriæ, quam virtuti subjectivæ Jesu Christi, raro et trade eris homo illuminatus, quia Deus vult nos sibi perfecte subjicii, et omnem rationem per inflammatum amorem transcendere.

CHAPTER 15: Works Done in Charity

Cap. 15. De operibus ex charitate factis.

NEVER do evil for anything in the world, or for the love of any man. For one who is in need, however, a good work may at times be purposely left undone or changed for a better one. This is not the omission of a good deed but rather its improvement. Without charity external work is of no value, but anything done in charity, be it ever so small and trivial, is entirely fruitful inasmuch as God weighs the love with which a man acts rather than the deed itself.

1. Pro nulla re mundi, et pro nullius hominis dilectione aliquod malum est faciendum. Sed pro utilitate indigentis bonum opus aliquando intermittendum aut quandoque pro meliori mutandum. Hoc nam facto opus bonum non destruitur, sed in melius commutatur. Sine charitate opus externum non prodest quemquam. Quicquid autem ex charitate agitur quantumcumque etiam parvum sit, et despectum totum efficitur fructuosum. Magis si quidem Deus pensat ex quanto quis agit, quam quantum quis facit.

He does much who loves much. He does much who does a thing well. He does well who serves the common good rather than his own interests. Now, that which seems to be charity is oftentimes really sensuality, for man’s own inclination, his own will, his hope of reward, and his self-interest, are motives seldom absent.

2. Multum quis facit, qui multum diligit. Multum facit qui rem bene facit. Bene facit, qui magis communitati, quam suæ voluntati fervit. Sæpe videtur esse charitas, et est magis carnalitas, quia carnalis inclinatio, propria voluntas, spes retributionis, affectus voluntatis raro abesse volunt.

On the contrary, he who has true and perfect charity seeks self in nothing, but searches all things for the  glory of God. Moreover, he envies no man, because he desires no personal pleasure nor does he wish to rejoice in himself; rather he desires the greater glory of God above all things. He ascribes to man nothing that is good but attributes it wholly to God from Whom all things proceed as from a fountain, and in Whom all the blessed shall rest as their last end and fruition.If man had but a spark of true charity he would surely sense that all the things of earth are full of vanity!

3. Qui veram et perfectam charitatem habet, in nulla re se ipsum quærit, sed Dei solummodo gloriam in omnibus fieri desiderat. Nulli etiam invidet, quia nullum privatum gaudium amat, nec in se ipso vult gaudere, sed in Deo super omnia optat bona beatificari. Nemini aliquid boni attribuit, sed totaliter ad Deum refert tota, unde omnia procedunt. In quo finaliter omnes Sancti fruibiliter quiescunt. O qui scintillam haberet veræ charitatis, perfecte omnia terrena sentiret plena vanitatis.

CHAPTER 16: Bearing with the Faults of Others

Cap. 16. De sufferentia defectuum aliorum.

UNTIL God ordains otherwise, a man ought to bear patiently whatever he cannot correct in himself and in others. Consider it better thus—perhaps to try your patience and to test you, for without such patience and trial your merits are of little account. Nevertheless, under such difficulties you should pray that God will consent to help you bear them calmly.

1. Quæ rarissime homo in se vel in aliis emendare non valet, debet patienter sustinere, donec Deus aliter ordinet. Cogita quod sic forte melius est pro tua probatione et patientia, sine qua non sunt multum ponderanda merita nostra. Debes tamen pro talibus impedimentis supplicare, ut tibi dignetur Deus subvenire, ut possis benigne portare.

If, after being admonished once or twice, a person does not amend, do not argue with him but commit the whole matter to God that His will and honor may be furthered in all His servants, for God knows well how to turn evil to good. Try to bear patiently with the defects and infirmities of others, whatever they may be, because you also have many a fault which others must endure. If you cannot make yourself what you would  wish to be, how can you bend others to your will? We want them to be perfect, yet we do not correct our own faults.

2. Si quis semel vel bis admonitus non acquiescit, noli cum eo contendere, sed totum Deo committe, ut fiat voluntas sua, et honor in omnibus servis suis, qui scit bene, malum in bonum convertere. Stude patiens esse in tolerando aliorum defectus, et qualescumque infirmitates, quia et tu multa habes, quæ ab aliis oportet tolerari. Si non potes te talem facere qualem vis, quomodo poteris alium habere ad beneplacitum tuum? Libenter videmus alios perfectos, sed tamen proprios non emendamus defectus.

We wish them to be severely corrected, yet we will not correct ourselves. Their great liberty displeases us, yet we would not be denied what we ask. We would have them bound by laws, yet we will allow ourselves to be restrained in nothing. Hence, it is clear how seldom we think of others as we do of ourselves.

3. Volumus quod alii districte corrigantur, et nos ipsi corrigi nolumus, aut negari quod petimus. Alios restringi per statuta volumus, et ipsi nullatenus patimur amplius cohiberi. Sic ergo patet, quam raro proximum, sicut nos ipsos pensamus. Si omnes essent perfecti quid tunc haberemus ab aliis pro Deo pati?

If all were perfect, what should we have to suffer from others for God’s sake? But God has so ordained, that we may learn to bear with one another’s burdens, for there is no man without fault, no man without burden, no man sufficient to himself nor wise enough. Hence we must support one another, console one another, mutually help, counsel, and advise, for the measure of every man’s virtue is best revealed in time of adversity—adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.

4. Nunc autem Deus sic ordinavit, ut discamus alter alterius onera portare, quia nemo sine defectu, nemo sine onere, nemo sibi sufficiens, nemo sibi satis sapiens, sed oportet invicem portare, invicem consolari, pariter adjuvare, et ammonere. Quantas autem virtutes quisque fecerit, melius patet occasione adversitatis. Occasiones namque hominem fragilem non faciunt, sed qualis sit, ostendunt.

CHAPTER 17: Monastic Life

Cap. 17. De monastica vita.

IF YOU wish peace and concord with others, you must learn to break your will in many things. To live in monasteries or religious communities, to remain there without complaint, and to persevere faithfully till death is no small matter.  Blessed indeed is he who there lives a good life and there ends his days in happiness. If you would persevere in seeking perfection, you must consider yourself a pilgrim, an exile on earth. If you would become a religious, you must be content to seem a fool for the sake of Christ.

1. Oportet ut discas te ipsum in multis frangere, si vis pacem et concordiam cum aliis tenere. Non est parvum in onasteriis, vel in congregatione habitare, et in illis sine querela conversari, et usque ad mortem fidelis perseverare. Beatus qui ibidem bene visit, et feliciter consummavit. Si vis debite stare et proficere, teneas te tanquam exulem et peregrinum super terram. Oportet te stultum fieri propter Christum, si vis religiosam ducere vitam.

Habit and tonsure change a man but little; it is the change of life, the complete mortification of passions that endow a true religious.He who seeks anything but God alone and the salvation of his soul will find only trouble and grief, and he who does not try to become the least, the servant of all, cannot remain at peace for long. You have come to serve, not to rule. You must understand, too, that you have been called to suffer and to work, not to idle and gossip away your time. Here men are tried as gold in a furnace. Here no man can remain unless he desires with all his heart to humble himself before God.

2. Habitus et tonsura modicum faciunt, sed mutatio morum et integra mortificatio passionem verum faciunt religiosum. Qui aliud quærit, quam pure Deum, et animæ suæ salutem, non inveniet nisi tribulationem et dolorem. Non potest etiam diu stare pacificus, qui non nititur esse minimus, et omnibus subjectus. Ad serviendum venisti, non ad regendum, ad paciendum et laborandum scias te vocatum, non ad otiandum, vel fabulandum. Hic ergo probantur homines sicut aurum in fornace. Hic nemo potest stare nisi ex toto corde si voluerit propter Deum humiliare.

CHAPTER 18: The Example Set Us by the Holy Fathers

Cap. 18. De exemplo Sanctorum Patrum.

CONSIDER the lively examples set us by the saints, who possessed the light of true perfection and religion, and you will see how little, how nearly nothing, we do. What, alas, is our life, compared with theirs? The saints and friends of Christ  served the Lord in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in work and fatigue, in vigils and fasts, in prayers and holy meditations, in persecutions and many afflictions.

1. Intuere Sanctorum Patrum vivida exempla, in quibus vera perfectio fulsit, et videbis quam modicum sit, et vere nihil, quod nos agimus. Heu quid est vita nostra, si illis fuerit comparata. Sancti et amici Christi Dominio servierunt in fame et siti, in frigore et nuditate, in labore et fatigatine, in vigiliis et jejuniis, in orationibus et sanctis meditationibus, in persecutionibus et opprobriis multis.

How many and severe were the trials they suffered—the Apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the rest who willed to follow in the footsteps of Christ! They hated their lives on earth that they might have life in eternity.How strict and detached were the lives the holy hermits led in the desert! What long and grave temptations they suffered! How often were they beset by the enemy! What frequent and ardent prayers they offered to God! What rigorous fasts they observed! How great their zeal and their love for spiritual perfection! How brave the fight they waged to master their evil habits! What pure and straightforward purpose they showed toward God! By day they labored and by night they spent themselves in long prayers. Even at work they did not cease from mental prayer.

2. O quam multas, et graves tribulationes passi sunt Apostoli, Martyres et Confessores, Virginies et reliqui omnes, qui Christi vestigia voluerunt sequi. Nam animas suas in hoc mundo oderunt, ut in vitam æternam eas possiderent. O quam strictam et abdicatam vitam sancti Patres in eremo duxerunt, quam longas, et graves tentationes pertulerunt: quam frequenter ab inimico vexati sunt, quam graves, et fervidas orationes Deo obtulerunt, quam rigidas abstinentias peregerunt, quam magnum zelum, et fervorem ad spiritualem profectum habuerunt, quam forte bellum adversus edomationem vitiorum gesserunt, quam puram, et rectam intentionem ad Deum tenuerunt, per diem laborabant, et noctibus orationi diutinæ vacabant: quamquam laborando ab oratione mentali minime cessarent.

They used all their time profitably; every hour seemed too short for serving God, and in the great sweetness of contemplation, they forgot even their bodily needs.They renounced all riches, dignities, honors, friends, and associates. They desired nothing of the world. They scarcely allowed themselves the necessities of life, and the service of the body, even when necessary, was irksome to them. They were poor in earthly things but rich in grace and virtue. Outwardly destitute, inwardly they were full of grace  and divine consolation.

3. Omne tempus utiliter expendebant, omnis hora ad vacandum Deo brevis videbatur. Et præ magna dulcedine contemplationis, etiam oblivioni tradebatur necessitas corporalis refectionis. Omnibus divitiis, dignitatibus, honoribus, amicis et cognatis renuntiabant. Nihil de mundo habere cupiebant: vix necessaria vitæ sumebant, corpori servire etiam in necessitate dolebant. Pauperes igitur erant rebus terrenis, sed divites valde in gratia, et virtutibus. Foris egebant, sed intus gratia, et consolatione divina reficiebantur.

Strangers to the world, they were close and intimate friends of God. To themselves they seemed as nothing, and they were despised by the world, but in the eyes of God they were precious and beloved. They lived in true humility and simple obedience; they walked in charity and patience, making progress daily on the pathway of spiritual life and obtaining great favor with God. They were given as an example for all religious, and their power to stimulate us to perfection ought to be greater than that of the lukewarm to tempt us to laxity.

4. Mundo erant alieni, sed Deo proximi, ac familiares amici. Sibi ipsis videbantur tanquam nihili, et huic mundo dispecti, sed erant in oculis Dei prætiosi, et delecti. In vera humilitate stabant, in simplici obedientia vivebant, in charitate et patientia ambulabant, et ideo quotidie proficiebant, et magnam apud Deum obtinebant gratiam. Dati sunt in exemplum omnibus Religiosis et plus provocare nos debent ad bene proficiendum, quam tepidorum numerus ad relaxandum.

How great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institution! How great their devotion in prayer and their rivalry for virtue! What splendid discipline flourished among them! What great reverence and obedience in all things under the rule of a superior! The footsteps they left behind still bear witness that they indeed were holy and perfect men who fought bravely and conquered the world. Today, he who is not a transgressor and who can bear patiently the duties which he has taken upon himself is considered great.

5. O, quantus fervor omnium Religiosorum in principio suæ sanctæ institutionis fuit; o, quanta devotio orationis, quanta æmulatio virtutis, quam magna disciplina viguit, quanta reverentia et obedientia sub regula in omnibus floruit. Testantur adhuc vestigia derelicta, quod vere viri sancti et perfecti fuerunt, qui tam strenue militantes, mundum suppeditaverunt. Jam magnus utique putatur, si quis transgressor non fuerit, si quis quod accepit cum patientia tolerare potuerit.

How lukewarm and negligent we are! We lose our original fervor very quickly and we even become weary of life from laziness! Do not you, who have seen so many examples of the devout, fall asleep in the pursuit of virtue!

6. O, tepor et negligentia status nostri, quod tam cito declinamus a pristino fervore et jam tædet vivere præ lassitudine et tepore. Utinam in te penitus non dormiret profectus virtutum, qui multa sæpius exempla vidisti devotorum.

CHAPTER 19: The Practices of a Good Religious

Cap. 19. De exercitiis boni Religiosi.

THE life of a good religious ought to abound in every virtue so that he is interiorly what to others he appears to be. With good reason there ought to be much more within than appears on the outside, for He who sees within is God, Whom we ought to reverence most highly wherever we are and in Whose sight we ought to walk pure as the angels. Each day we ought to renew our resolutions and arouse ourselves to fervor as though it were the first day of our religious life. We ought to say: “Help me, O Lord God, in my good resolution and in Your holy service. Grant me now, this very day, to begin perfectly, for thus far I have done nothing.”

1. Vita boni Religiosi omnibus virtutibus pollere debet, ut sit talis interius qualis ab hominibus videtur exterius. Et multo plus debet esse intus, quam quod cernitur foris, quia inspector noster est Deus quem summopere revereri debemus ubicumque fuerimus, et tamquam Angeli in conspectu ejus mundi incedere. Omni die renovare debemus propositum nostrum, et ad fervorem nos excitare, quasi hodie primum ad conversionem venissemus ac dicere: Adjuva me Deus in bono proposito et sancto fervitio tuo, et da mihi nunc hodie perfecte incipere, quia nihil est, quod hactenus feci.

As our intention is, so will be our progress; and he who desires perfection must be very diligent. If the strong-willed man fails frequently, what of the man who makes up his mind seldom or half-heartedly? Many are the ways of failing in our resolutions; even a slight omission of religious practice entails a loss of some kind. Just men depend on the grace of God rather than on their own wisdom in keeping their resolutions. In Him they confide every undertaking, for man, indeed, proposes but God disposes, and God’s  way is not man’s.

2. Secundum propositum nostrum est cursus profectus nostri, et multa diligentia opus est bene proficere volenti. Quod si fortiter proponens sæpe deficit, quid faciet ille qui raro aut minus fixe aliquid proponit? Variis tamen modis contingit defertio propositi nostri. Et levis omissio exercitiorum vix sine aliquo dispendio transit. Justorum propositum in gratia potius Dei, quam in propria patientia pendet. In quo et semper confidunt quidquid arripiunt. Nam homo proponit, sed Deus disponit, nec est in homine via ejus.

If a habitual exercise is sometimes omitted out of piety or in the interests of another, it can easily be resumed later. But if it be abandoned carelessly, through weariness or neglect, then the fault is great and will prove hurtful. Much as we try, we still fail too easily in many things. Yet we must always have some fixed purpose, especially against things which beset us the most. Our outward and inward lives alike must be closely watched and well ordered, for both are important to perfection.

3. Si pietatis causa, aut fraternæ utilitatis proposito, quandoque consuetum omittitur exercitium, facile postea poterit recuperari. Si autem tædio animi, vel negligentia faciliter relinquitur, satis culpabile est et nocivum sentitur. Conemur quantum possumus, adhuc leviter deficiemus in multis. Semper tamen aliquid certi proponendum est, et proponenda sunt illa præcipue quæ amplius nos impediunt. Exteriora nostra et interiora pariter nobis scrutanda sunt, et ordinanda, quia utraque expediunt ad proprium profectum.

If you cannot recollect yourself continuously, do so once a day at least, in the morning or in the evening. In the morning make a resolution and in the evening examine yourself on what you have said this day, what you have done and thought, for in these things perhaps you have often offended God and those about you. Arm yourself like a man against the devil’s assaults. Curb your appetite and you will more easily curb every inclination of the flesh. Never be completely unoccupied, but read or write or pray or meditate or do something for the common good. Bodily discipline, however, must be undertaken with discretion and is not to be practiced indiscriminately by everyone.

4. Si non continue te vales colligere, saltem interdum, et ad minus semel in die, mane videlicet aut vespere. Mane propone, vespere discute mores tuos, qualis hodie fuisti in verbo, opere et cogitatione, quia in his forsan Deum sæpius offendisti ex proximum. Accinge te sicut vir fortis contra diabolicas nequitias, fræna gulam et omnem carnis inclinatinem facilius frænabis. Numquam sis ex toto otiosus, sed aut legens, aut scribens, aut orans, aut meditans, aut aliquid utilitatis pro communi laborans. Corporalia tamen exercitia discrete sunt agenda, nec omnibus æqualiter assumenda.

Devotions not common to all are not to be displayed in public, for such personal things are better performed in private. Furthermore, beware of indifference to community prayer through love of  your own devotions. If, however, after doing completely and faithfully all you are bound and commanded to do, you then have leisure, use it as personal piety suggests. Not everyone can have the same devotion. One exactly suits this person, another that. Different exercises, likewise, are suitable for different times, some for feast days and some again for weekdays. In time of temptation we need certain devotions. For days of rest and peace we need others. Some are suitable when we are sad, others when we are joyful in the Lord.

5. Quæ communia non sunt, non sunt foris ostendenda, nam in secreto tutius exercentur privata. Cavendum tamen ne piger sis ad communia, et ad singularia promptior. Sed expletis integre et fideliter debitis, et injunctis, si jam ultra tempus vacat, redde te tibi, prout tua devotio desiderat. Non possunt omnes habere exercitium unum, sed aliud isti, aliud illi magis deservit, et pro temporis congruentia diversa placent exercitia, quia alia in festis, alia in feriatis magis sapiunt diebus, aliis indigemus tempore tentationis, et aliis tempore pacis et quietis. Alia, cum tristamur, libet cogitare, et alia, cum læti in Domino fuerimus.

About the time of the principal feasts good devotions ought to be renewed and the intercession of the saints more fervently implored. From one feast day to the next we ought to fix our purpose as though we were then to pass from this world and come to the eternal holyday. During holy seasons, finally, we ought to prepare ourselves carefully, to live holier lives, and to observe each rule more strictly, as though we were soon to receive from God the reward of our labors.

6. Circa principalia festa renovanda sunt bona exercitia, et Sanctorum suffragia ferventius imploranda. De festo in festum proponere debemus quasi tunc de sæculo migraturi, et ad æternum festum perventuri. Ideoque sollicite nos præparare debemus in devotis temporibus, et devotius conversari, atque omnem observantiam strictius custodire, tanquam in brevi laboris nostri præmium a Deo percepturi.

If this end be deferred, let us believe that we are not well prepared and that we are not yet worthy of the great glory that shall in due time be revealed to us. Let us try, meanwhile, to prepare ourselves better for death. “Blessed is the servant,” says Christ, “whom his master, when he cometh, shall find watching.  Amen I say to you: he shall make him ruler over all his goods.”[Luke 12:43, 44.]

7. Et si dilatum fuerit, credamus nos minus bene paratos, atque indignos tantæ gloriæ, quæ revelabitur in nobis tempore præfinito et studeamus nos melius ad exitum præparare. Beatus servus ait Evangelista Lucas, quem, cum venerit Dominus, invenerit vigilantem. Amen dico vobis, super omnia bona sua constituet eum.

CHAPTER 20: The Love of Solitude and Silence

Cap. 20. De amore solitudinis et silentii.

SEEK a suitable time for leisure and meditate often on the favors of God. Leave curiosities alone. Read such matters as bring sorrow to the heart rather than occupation to the mind. If you withdraw yourself from unnecessary talking and idle running about, from listening to gossip and rumors, you will find enough time that is suitable for holy meditation. Very many great saints avoided the company of men wherever possible and chose to serve God in retirement

1. Quære aptum tempus vacandi tibi, de beneficiis Dei frequenter cogita. Relinque curiosa, tales potius perlege materias, quæ compunctionem magis præstent quam occupationem. Si te subtraxeris a superfluis locutionibus et curiosis circuitionibus nec non a novitatibus et remoribus audiendis, invenies tempus sufficiens et aptum bonis meditationibus insistendis. Maximi Sanctorum humana consortia ubi poterant vitabant et Deo in secreto vivere eligebant.

. “As often as I have been among men,” said one writer, “I have returned less a man.” We often find this to be true when we take part in long conversations. It is easier to be silent altogether than not to speak too much. To stay at home is easier than to be sufficiently on guard while away. Anyone, then, who aims to live the inner and spiritual life must go apart, with Jesus, from the crowd.

2. Dixit quidam: Quoties inter homines fui, minor homo redii. Hoc sæpius experimur, quando diu confabulamur. Facilius est enim tacere quam in verbo non excedere. Facilius est domi latere quam foris se posse sufficienter custodire. Qui igitur intendit ad interiora et spiritualia pervenire, oportet eum cum Jesu a turba declinare.

No man appears in safety before the public eye unless he first relishes obscurity. No man is safe in  speaking unless he loves to be silent. No man rules safely unless he is willing to be ruled. No man commands safely unless he has learned well how to obey. No man rejoices safely unless he has within him the testimony of a good conscience.

Nemo secure apparet nisi qui libenter latet. Nemo secure præcipit nisi qui obedire didicit. Nemo secure gaudet nisi qui testimonium bonæ conscienitæ habet.

More than this, the security of the saints was always enveloped in the fear of God, nor were they less cautious and humble because they were conspicuous for great virtues and graces. The security of the wicked, on the contrary, springs from pride and presumption, and will end in their own deception. Never promise yourself security in this life, even though you seem to be a good religious, or a devout hermit.

3. Semper tamen Sanctorum securitas plena timoris Dei extitit. Nec eo minus solliciti et humiles in se fuerunt, quia magnis virtutibus et gratia emicuerunt. Pravorum autem securitas ex superbia et præsumptione oritur et in fine in desperationem sui vertitur. Nunquam promittas tibi securitatem in hac vita, quamvis bonus videaris Coenobita, aut bonus Eremita.

It happens very often that those whom men esteem highly are more seriously endangered by their own excessive confidence. Hence, for many it is better not to be too free from temptations, but often to be tried lest they become too secure, too filled with pride, or even too eager to fall back upon external comforts. If only a man would never seek passing joys or entangle himself with worldly affairs, what a good conscience he would have. What great peace and tranquillity would be his, if he cut himself off from all empty care and thought only of things divine, things helpful to his soul, and put all his trust in God.

4. Sæpe meliores in existimatione hominum magis periclitati sunt propter nimiam suam confidentiam. Unde multum utilius est, ut non penitus tentationibus careant, sed sæpius impugnentur ne nimium securi sint, ne forte in superbiam eleventur, ne etiam ad exteriores consolationes licentius declinent. O, qui nunquam transitoriam lætitiam quæreret, qui nunquam cum mundo se occuparet, quam bonam conscientiam servaret. O, qui omnem vanam sollicitudinem amputaret, et duntaxat salutaria ac divina cogitaret, et totam spem suam in Domino constitueret, quam magnam pacem et quietem possideret.

No man deserves the consolation of heaven unless he persistently arouses himself to holy contrition.  If you desire true sorrow of heart, seek the privacy of your cell and shut out the uproar of the world, as it is written: “In your chamber bewail your sins.” There you will find what too often you lose abroad. Your cell will become dear to you if you remain in it, but if you do not, it will become wearisome. If in the beginning of your religious life, you live within your cell and keep to it, it will soon become a special friend and a very great comfort.

5. Nemo dignus est cælesti consolatione, nisi diligenter se exercuerit in sancta compunctione. Si vis corde tenus compungi, intra cubiculum tuum, et exclude tumultus mundi. Sicut scriptum est, In cubilibus vestris compungimini. In cella invenies, quod de foris sæpius amittes. Cella continuata dulcescit et male custodita tædium generat. Si in principio conversationis tuæ bene eam incolueris, et custodieris, erit postea tibi amica dilecta, et gratissimum solatium.

In silence and quiet the devout soul advances in virtue and learns the hidden truths of Scripture. There she finds a flood of tears with which to bathe and cleanse herself nightly, that she may become the more intimate with her Creator the farther she withdraws from all the tumult of the world. For God and His holy angels will draw near to him who withdraws from friends and acquaintances. It is better for a man to be obscure and to attend to his salvation than to neglect it and work miracles. It is praiseworthy for a religious seldom to go abroad, to flee the sight of men and have no wish to see them.

6. In silentio et quiete proficit anima devota, et discit abscondita Scripturarum. Ibi invenit fluenta lacrymarum, quibus singulis noctibus se lavet et mundet, ut Conditori suo tanto familiarior fiat, quanto longius ab omni sæculari tumultu degit. Qui ergo se substrahit a notis et amicis, approximabit illi Deus cum Angelis sanctis. Melius est latere et sui curam agere, quam se neglecto signa facere. Laudabile est homini religioso raro foras ire, fugere videri et nolle homines videre.

Why wish to see what you are not permitted to have? “The world passes away and the concupiscence thereof.” Sensual craving sometimes entices you to wander around, but when the moment is past, what do you bring back with you save a disturbed conscience and heavy heart? A happy  going often leads to a sad return, a merry evening to a mournful dawn. Thus, all carnal joy begins sweetly but in the end brings remorse and death.

7. Quid vis videre, quod non licet habere? Transit mundus, et concupiscentia ejus. Trahunt desideria sensualitatis ad spatiandum. Sed cum hora transierit, quid nisi gravitatem conscientiæ, et cordis dispersionem portat? Lætus exitus tristem sæpe reditum parit et læta vigilia serotina triste mane facit. Sic omne carnale gaudium blande intrat, sed in fine mordet et perimit.

What can you find elsewhere that you cannot find here in your cell? Behold heaven and earth and all the elements, for of these all things are made. What can you see anywhere under the sun that will remain long? Perhaps you think you will completely satisfy yourself, but you cannot do so, for if you should see all existing things, what would they be but an empty vision? Raise your eyes to God in heaven and pray because of your sins and shortcomings. Leave vanity to the vain. Set yourself to the things which God has commanded you to do. Close the door upon yourself and call to you Jesus, your Beloved. Remain with Him in your cell, for nowhere else will you find such peace. If you had not left it, and had not listened to idle gossip, you would have remained in greater peace. But since you love, sometimes, to hear news, it is only right that you should suffer sorrow of heart from it.

8. Quid potes videre alicubi, quod die potest sub solem permanere. Credis te forsitan satiari, sed non poteris pertingere. Si cuncta videres præsentia, quid esset, nisi visio vana? Leva oculos tuos ad Deum in excelsis, et ora pro peccatis tuis, et negligentiis. Dimitte vana vanis, tu autem intende illis, quæ tibi præcepit Deus. Claude super te ostium tuum, et voca ad te Jesum dilectum tuum. Mane cum eo in cella, quia non invenies alibi tantam pacem. Si non exisses nec quidquam de rumoribus audisses, melius in bona pace permansisses. Ex quo nova delectaris aliquando audire, oportet te exinde turbationem cordis tolerare.

CHAPTER 21: Chapter Sorrow of Heart

Cap. 21. De compunctione cordis.

IF YOU wish to make progress in virtue, live in the fear of the Lord, do not look for too much freedom, discipline your senses, and shun inane  silliness. Sorrow opens the door to many a blessing which dissoluteness usually destroys. It is a wonder that any man who considers and meditates on his exiled state and the many dangers to his soul, can ever be perfectly happy in this life.

1. Si vis aliquid proficere, conserva te in timore Dei et noli esse nimis liber. Sed sub disciplina cohibe omnes sensus tuos, nec ineptæ te tradas lætitiæ, da te ad cordis compunctionem, et invenies devotionem; compunctio multa bona aperit, quæ dissolutio cito perdere consuevit. Mirum est, quod homo possit unquam perfecte lætari in hac vita, qui suum exilium, et tam multa pericula animæ suæ considerat, et pensat.

Lighthearted and heedless of our defects, we do not feel the real sorrows of our souls, but often indulge in empty laughter when we have good reason to weep. No liberty is true and no joy is genuine unless it is founded in the fear of the Lord and a good conscience. Happy is the man who can throw off the weight of every care and recollect himself in holy contrition. Happy is the man who casts from him all that can stain or burden his conscience. Fight like a man. Habit is overcome by habit. If you leave men alone, they will leave you alone to do what you have to do.

2. Propter levitatem cordis et negligentiam defectuum nosrorum non senstimus animæ nostræ dolores, sed sæpe vane reddimus verba, quandomerito flere deberemus. Non est vera libertas, nec bona conscientia, nisi in timore Dei. Felix qui abjicere potest omne impedimentum distractionis, et ad unionem se redigere sanctæ compunctionis. Felix qui a se abdicat quidquid suam conscientiam maculare potest, vel gravare. Certa viriliter. Consuetudo consuetudine vincitur. Si tu scis homies dimittere, ipsi bene dimittent te, tua facta facere.

Do not busy yourself about the affairs of others and do not become entangled in the business of your superiors. Keep an eye primarily on yourself and admonish yourself instead of your friends. If you do not enjoy the favor of men, do not let it sadden you; but consider it a serious matter if you do not conduct yourself as well or as carefully as is becoming for a servant of God and a devout religious. It is often better and safer for us to have few consolations in this life, especially comforts of the body. Yet if we do not have divine consolation or  experience it rarely, it is our own fault because we seek no sorrow of heart and do not forsake vain outward satisfaction.

3. Non attrahas tibi res aliorum, nec te implices causis majorum. Habeas semper oculum super te primum, et admoneas te ipsum specialiter, præ omnibus tibi dilectis. Si non habes favorem hominum noli exinde tristari, sed hoc tibi sit grave quia non habes te satis bene et circumspecte, sicut deceret servum Dei et devotum Religiosum conversari. Utilius est sæpe et securius, quod homo non habeat multas consolationes in hac vita secudum carnem, præcipue tamen, quod divinas non habemus, aut rarius sentimus nos devotos; in culpa sumus, quia compunctionem non quærimus cordis, ac vanas et extrinsecas non abjicimus.

Consider yourself unworthy of divine solace and deserving rather of much tribulation. When a man is perfectly contrite, the whole world is bitter and wearisome to him. A good man always finds enough over which to mourn and weep; whether he thinks of himself or of his neighbor he knows that no one lives here without suffering, and the closer he examines himself the more he grieves. The sins and vices in which we are so entangled that we can rarely apply ourselves to the contemplation of heaven are matters for just sorrow and inner remorse.

4. Cognosce te indignum divina consolatione, sed magis dignum multa tribulatione. Quando homo perfecte est compunctus, tunc gravis et amarus est ei totus mundus. Bonus homo sufficientem invenit materiam dolendi et flendi: sive enim considerat se, sive de proximo pensat; scit quia nemo sine tribulatione hic vivit; et quanto strictius sese considerat, tanto amplius dolet. Materiæ justi doloris, et internæ compunctionis sunt peccata, et vitia nostra, quibus ita involuti jacemus, ut raro cælistia contemplari valeamus.

I do not doubt that you would correct yourself more earnestly if you would think more of an early death than of a long life. And if you pondered in your heart the future pains of hell or of purgatory, I believe you would willingly endure labor and trouble and would fear no hardship. But since these thoughts never pierce the heart and since we are enamored of flattering pleasure, we remain very cold and indifferent. Our wretched body complains so easily because our soul is altogether too lifeless. Pray humbly to the Lord, therefore, that He may give you the spirit of contrition and say with the Prophet: “Feed me, Lord, with the bread of  mourning and give me to drink of tears in full measure.”[Ps. 79:6.]

5. Si frequentius de morte tua, quam de longitudine vitæ tua cogitares, non dubium, quin ferventius te emendares. Si etiam futuras Inferni, sivi Pergatorii, poenas cordialiter perpenderes, credo quod libenter dolorem et laborem sustineres, et nihil rigoris formidares. Sed quia ista ad cor non transeunt, et blandimenta adhuc amamus, ideo frigidi et valde pigri remanemus. Sæpe est inopia spiritus unde tam leviter conqueritur corpus miserum. Ora igitur humiliter ad Dominum ut det tibi compunctionis spiritum; et dic cum Propheta, Ciba me Domine pane lacrymarum et potum da mihi in lacrymis in mensura.

CHAPTER 22: Thoughts on the Misery of Man

Cap. 22. De conditione humanæ miseriæ.

WHEREVER you are, wherever you go, you are miserable unless you turn to God. So why be dismayed when things do not happen as you wish and desire? Is there anyone who has everything as he wishes? No—neither I, nor you, nor any man on earth. There is no one in the world, be he Pope or king, who does not suffer trial and anguish. Who is the better off then? Surely, it is the man who will suffer something for God.

1. Miser es ubicumque fueris, et quocumque te verteris, nisi ad Deum te convertas. Quid turbaris quia non succedit tibi sicut vis et desideras? Quis est qui habeat omnia secundum suam voluntatem? Nec ego, nec tu, nec aliquis hominum super terram. Nemo est in mundo sine aliqua tribulatione, vel angustia, quivis Rex, vel Papa. Quis est, qui melius habet? Utique qui pro Deo aliquid pati valet.

Many unstable and weak-minded people say: “See how well that man lives, how rich, how great he is, how powerful and mighty.” But you must lift up your eyes to the riches of heaven and realize that the material goods of which they speak are nothing. These things are uncertain and very burdensome because they are never possessed without anxiety and fear. Man’s happiness does not consist in the possession of abundant goods; a very little is enough. Living on earth is truly a misery. The more a man desires spiritual life, the more bitter the  present becomes to him, because he understands better and sees more clearly the defects, the corruption of human nature. To eat and drink, to watch and sleep, to rest, to labor, and to be bound by other human necessities is certainly a great misery and affliction to the devout man, who would gladly be released from them and be free from all sin.

2. Dicunt multi imbecilles et infirmi, Ecce quam bonam vitam ille homo habet, quam dives et quam magnus, quam potens et excelsus. Sed attende ad cælestia bona, et videbis quod omnia ista temporalia nulla sunt, sed magis incerta, et valde gravantia, quia nunquam sine solicitudine, et timore possidentur. Non est hominis felicitas habere temporalia ad abundantiam, et sufficit ei mediocritas. Vere miseria est vivere super terram. Quanto homo voluerit esse spiritualior, tanto præfens vita sit ei amarior, quia sentit melius, videt clarius humanæ corruptionis affectus. Nam comedere, bibere, vigilare, dormire, quiescere laborare et cæteris necessitatibus naturæ subjacere vere magna miseria est, et afflictio homini devoto, qui libenter esset absolutus et liber ab omni peccato.

Truly, the inner man is greatly burdened in this world by the necessities of the body, and for this reason the Prophet prayed that he might be as free from them as possible, when he said: “From my necessities, O Lord, deliver me.”[Ps. 34:17.]  But woe to those who know not their own misery, and greater woe to those who love this miserable and corruptible life. Some, indeed, can scarcely procure its necessities either by work or by begging; yet they love it so much that, if they could live here always, they would care nothing for the kingdom of God.

3. Valde enim gravatur interior homo necessitatibus ocrporalibus in hoc mundo. Unde Propheta devote rogat quatenus ab istis liber esse valeat, dicens, De necessitatibus meis erue me, Domine. Sed væ non cognoscentibus suam miseriam et corruptibilem vitam. Nam in tantum quidam hanc amplectuntur, licet etiam vix necessaria laborando aut mendicando habeant, ut si possent hic semper vivere, de regno Dei nihil curarent.

How foolish and faithless of heart are those who are so engrossed in earthly things as to relish nothing but what is carnal! Miserable men indeed, for in the end they will see to their sorrow how cheap and worthless was the thing they loved. The saints of God and all devout friends of Christ did not look to what pleases the body nor to the things that are popular from time to time. Their whole hope and aim centered on the everlasting  good. Their whole desire pointed upward to the lasting and invisible realm, lest the love of what is visible drag them down to lower things.

4. O insani, et infideles corde, qui tam profunde in terris jacent, ut nihil nisi carnalia sapiant. Sed miseri adhuc in fine sentient graviter, quam vile, et nihilum erat, quod amaverunt. Sancti autem Dei, et omnes devoti amici Christi non attenderunt, quæ carni placuerunt, nec quæ in hoc tempore floruerunt. Sed tota spes eorum, et intentio ad ætena bona anhelabat. Ferebatur totum desiderium eorum ad mansura et invisibilia, ne amore visibilium traherentur ad infima.

Do not lose heart, then, my brother, in pursuing your spiritual life. There is yet time, and your hour is not past. Why delay your purpose? Arise! Begin at once and say: “Now is the time to act, now is the time to fight, now is the proper time to amend.” When you are troubled and afflicted, that is the time to gain merit. You must pass through water and fire before coming to rest. Unless you do violence to yourself you will not overcome vice. So long as we live in this fragile body, we can neither be free from sin nor live without weariness and sorrow. Gladly would we rest from all misery, but in losing innocence through sin we also lost true blessedness. Therefore, we must have patience and await the mercy of God until this iniquity passes, until mortality is swallowed up in life.

5. Noli frater amittere confidentiam proficiendi ad spiritualia. Adhuc enim habes tempus et horam, quare vis procrastinare propositum tuum? Surge, et in instanti incipe, et dic: Nunc est tempus faciendi, nunc tempus pugnandi est, nunc tempus aptum est emendandi. Quando male habes et tribularis, tunc tempus promerendi. Oportet te transire per ignem et aquam, antequam venia ad refrigerium, nisi tibi vim feceris, vitium non superabis. Quamdiu istud fragile corpus gerimus, sine peccato esse non possumus nec sine tædio et dolore vivere. Libenter haberemus ab omni miseria quietem, sed quia per peccatum perdidimus innocentiam, amisimus etiam veram beatitudinem. Ideo oportet nos tenere patientiam, et Dei exspectare misericordiam, donec transeat iniquitas hæc, et mortalitas abforbeatur a vita.

How great is the frailty of human nature which is ever prone to evil! Today you confess your sins and tomorrow you again commit the sins which you confessed. One moment you resolve to be careful, and yet after an hour you act as though you had made no resolution. We have cause, therefore, because of our frailty and feebleness, to humble ourselves and never think anything great of ourselves. Through neglect we may quickly lose that which by God’s grace we  have acquired only through long, hard labor.

6. O quanta fragilitas humana, quæ semper prona est ad vitia. Hodie confiteris peccata tua, et cras iterum perpetras confessa. Nunc proponis cavere, et post horam ita agis, quasi nihil proposuisses. Merito ergo nosmetipsos humiliare possumus, nec unquam aliquid magni de nobis sentire, quia tam fragiles et instabiles sumus. Cito etiam potest perdi per negligentiam, quod multo labore vix tandem acquisitum est per gratiam.

What, eventually, will become of us who so quickly grow lukewarm? Woe to us if we presume to rest in peace and security when actually there is no true holiness in our lives. It would be beneficial for us, like good novices, to be instructed once more in the principles of a good life, to see if there be hope of amendment and greater spiritual progress in the future.

7. Quid fiet de nobis adhuc in fine, qui tepescimus tam mane. Væ nobis si sic volumus declinare ad quietem, quasi jam pax sit et securitas, cum necdum appareat vestigium sanctitatis veræ in nostra conversatione. Bene opus esset quod adhuc institueremus, tanquam boni novitii, ad mores optimos, si forte spes esset de futurea emendatione, et majori spirituali profectu.

CHAPTER 23: Thoughts on Death

Cap. 23. De meditatione mortis.

VERY soon your life here will end; consider, then, what may be in store for you elsewhere. Today we live; tomorrow we die and are quickly forgotten. Oh, the dullness and hardness of a heart which looks only to the present instead of preparing for that which is to come! Therefore, in every deed and every thought, act as though you were to die this very day. If you had a good conscience you would not fear death very much. It is better to avoid sin than to fear death. If you are not prepared today, how will you be prepared tomorrow? Tomorrow is an uncertain day; how do you know you will have a tomorrow?

1. Valde cito erit tecum hoc factum: vide aliter quomodo te habeas. Hodie homo est, et cras non comparet. Cum autem sublatus fuerit ab oculis, etiam cito transit a mente. O hebetudo, et duritia cordis humani, quod solum præsentia meditatur, et futura non magis prævidet. Sic te in omni facto et cogitatu deberes tenere, quasi statim esses moriturus. Si bonam conscientiam haberes, non multum mortem timeres. Melius esset peccata cavere quam mortem fugure. Si hodie non es paratus, quomodo cras eris? Cras est dies incerta, et quid scis si crastinum habebis?

What good is it to live a long life when we amend that life so little? Indeed, a long life does not always benefit us, but on the contrary, frequently  adds to our guilt. Would that in this world we had lived well throughout one single day. Many count up the years they have spent in religion but find their lives made little holier. If it is so terrifying to die, it is nevertheless possible that to live longer is more dangerous. Blessed is he who keeps the moment of death ever before his eyes and prepares for it every day. If you have ever seen a man die, remember that you, too, must go the same way.

2. Quid prodest diu vivere, quando parum emendamur? Ha, longa vita non semper emendat, sed sæpe culpam magis auget. Utinam per unam diem bene essemus conversati in hoc mundo. Multi annos computant conversionis, sed sæpe parvus est fructus emendationis. Si formidolosum est mori, forsitan periculosius erit vivere diu. Beatus qui horam mortis suæ semper ante oculos habet, et ad moriendum quotidie se disponit. Si vidisti aliquem mori, cogita quia tu per eandem viam transibis.

In the morning consider that you may not live till evening, and when evening comes do not dare to promise yourself the dawn.Be always ready, therefore, and so live that death will never take you unprepared. Many die suddenly and unexpectedly, for in the unexpected hour the Son of God will come. When that last moment arrives you will begin to have a quite different opinion of the life that is now entirely past and you will regret very much that you were so careless and remiss.

3. Cum mane fuerit, puta te ad vesperum non perventurum. Vespere autem facto, mane non audeas tibi polliceri. Semper ergo paratus esto, et taliter vive, ut nunquam imparatum te mors inveniant. Multi subito improvisi moriuntur. Nam hora, qua non putatur, Filius hominis veniet. Quando hora illa extrema venerit, multum aliter sentire incipies de tota vita tua præterita et valde dolebis, quia tam negligens, et remissus fuisti.

How happy and prudent is he who tries now in life to be what he wants to be found in death. Perfect contempt of the world, a lively desire to advance in virtue, a love for discipline, the works of penance, readiness to obey, self-denial, and the endurance of every hardship for the love of Christ, these will give a man great expectations of a happy death. You can do many good works when in good health; what can you do when you are ill? Few  are made better by sickness. Likewise they who undertake many pilgrimages seldom become holy.

4. Quam felix et prudens qui talis nunc nititur esse in vita, qualis optat inveniri in morte. Dabit namque magnam fiduciam moriendi perfectus contemptus mundi, fervens desiderium in virtutibus proficiendi, amor disciplinæ, labor poenitentiæ, promptitudo, obedientiæ, abnegatio sui, et supportatio cujuslibet adversitatis pro amore Christi. Multa bona potes operari dum sanus es, sed infirmatus nescio quid poteris. Pauci ex infirmitate emendantur; sic et qui multum peregrinantur, raro sanctificantur.

Do not put your trust in friends and relatives, and do not put off the care of your soul till later, for men will forget you more quickly than you think. It is better to provide now, in time, and send some good account ahead of you than to rely on the help of others. If you do not care for your own welfare now, who will care when you are gone? The present is very precious; these are the days of salvation; now is the acceptable time. How sad that you do not spend the time in which you might purchase everlasting life in a better way. The time will come when you will want just one day, just one hour in which to make amends, and do you know whether you will obtain it?

5. Noli confidere super amicos et proximos, nec in futuris salutem tuam differas, quia citius obliviscentur tui homines, quam existimas. Melius est nunc tempestive providere et aliquid boni præmittere, quam super aliorum auxilio sperare. Si non es pro te ipso sollicitus modo, quis erit sollicitus pro te in futuro. Nunc tempus est valde prætiosum, sed proh dolor, quod hoc inutilius expendis, in quo promereri vales, unde æternaliter vivas. Veniet quando unam diem seu horam pro emendatione desiderabis, et nescio, an impetrabis.

See, then, dearly beloved, the great danger from which you can free yourself and the great fear from which you can be saved, if only you will always be wary and mindful of death. Try to live now in such a manner that at the moment of death you may be glad rather than fearful. Learn to die to the world now, that then you may begin to live with Christ. Learn to spurn all things now, that then you may freely go to Him. Chastise your body in penance now, that then you may have the confidence born of certainty.

6. Eia, charissime, de quanto periculo te poteris liberare, de quam magno timore eripere, si modo semper timoratus fueris, et de morte suspectus! Stude nunc taliter vivere, ut in hora moris valeas potius gaudere, quam timere. Disce nunc mori mundo, ut tunc incipias vivere cum Christo. Disce nunc omnia contemnere, ut tunc possis libere ad Christum pergere. Castiga nunc corpus tuum per poenitentiam, ut tunc valeas certam habere confidentiam.

Ah, foolish man, why do you plan to live long when you are not sure of living even a day? How  many have been deceived and suddenly snatched away! How often have you heard of persons being killed by drownings, by fatal falls from high places, of persons dying at meals, at play, in fires, by the sword, in pestilence, or at the hands of robbers! Death is the end of everyone and the life of man quickly passes away like a shadow.

7. Ha stulte, quid cogitas te diu victurum, cum nullum diem habeas securum? Quam multi decepti sunt et insperati de corpore extracti! Quoties audisti a dicentibus, quia ille gladio cecidit, ille submersus est, ille ab alto ruens cervicem fregit, ille manducando obriguit, ille ludendo finem fecit, alius igne, alius ferro, alius peste, alius latrocinio interiit: et sic omnium finis mors est, et vita hominum tanquam umbra cito pertransit.

Who will remember you when you are dead? Who will pray for you? Do now, beloved, what you can, because you do not know when you will die, nor what your fate will be after death. Gather for yourself the riches of immortality while you have time. Think of nothing but your salvation. Care only for the things of God. Make friends for yourself now by honoring the saints of God, by imitating their actions, so that when you depart this life they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.

8. Quis memorabitur tui post mortem, et qui orabit pro te? Age, age nunc charissime quidquid pro te agere potes, quia nescis quando morieris. Nescis etiam, quid tibi post mortem sequatur. Dum tempus habes, congrega divitias immortales. Præter salutem tuam nihil cogites. Solum quæ Dei sunt, cures. Fac nunc tibi amicos venerando Sanctos, et actus imitando, ut cum defeceris in hac vita, illi te recipiant in æterna tabernacula.

Keep yourself as a stranger here on earth, a pilgrim whom its affairs do not concern at all. Keep your heart free and raise it up to God, for you have not here a lasting home. To Him direct your daily prayers, your sighs and tears, that your soul may merit after death to pass in happiness to the Lord.

9. Serva te tanquam peregrinum et hospitem super terram, ad quem nihil spectat de mundi negociis. Serva cor liberum, et ad Deum sursum erectum, quia non habes hic manentem civitatem. Illuc gemitus et preces quotidianas cum lacrymis dirige, ut spiritus tuus mereatur post mortem ad Dominum feliciter transire.

CHAPTER 24: Judgment and the Punishment of Sin

Cap. 24. De judicio et poenis peccatorum.

IN ALL things consider the end; how you shall stand before the strict Judge from Whom nothing is hidden and Who will pronounce judgment in all justice, accepting neither bribes nor excuses. And you, miserable and wretched sinner, who fear even the countenance of an angry man, what answer will you make to the God Who knows all your sins? Why do you not provide for yourself against the day of judgment when no man can be excused or defended by another because each will have enough to do to answer for himself? In this life your work is profitable, your tears acceptable, your sighs audible, your sorrow satisfying and purifying.

1. In omnibus rebus respice finem, et qualiter ante districtum judicem stabis, cui nihil est occultum, qui muneribus non placatur, nec escusationes recipit, sed quod justum est, judicabit. O miserrime et insipiens, quid respondebis Deo, omniamala tua scienti, qui interdum times vultum hominis irati? Ut quid non prævides tibi in judicii die? Quando nemo poterit per alium excusari vel defendi, sed unusquisque sufficiens onus suum portabit sisi ipsi. Nunc labor tuus est fructuosus, fletus acceptabilies, gemitus exaudibilis, dolor satisfactorius et purgativus.

The patient man goes through a great and salutary purgatory when he grieves more over the malice of one who harms him than for his own injury; when he prays readily for his enemies and forgives offenses from his heart; when he does not hesitate to ask pardon of others; when he is more easily moved to pity than to anger; when he does frequent violence to himself and tries to bring the body into complete subjection to the spirit. It is better to atone for sin now and to cut away vices than to keep them for purgation in the hereafter.  In truth, we deceive ourselves by our ill-advised love of the flesh.

2. Habet magnum et salubre purgatorium homo patiens, qui suscipiens injurias, plus dolet de alterius malitia, quam de sua injuria, qui pro contrariantibus sibi libenter orat, et ex corde culpas indulget; qui veniam ab aliis petere non retardat, qui facilius miseretur quam irascitur, qui sibi ipsi violentiam frequenter facit, et carnem suam omnino spiritui subjugare conatur. Melius est modo purgare peccata, et vitia resecare, quam in futuro purganda reservare. Vere nos ipsos decipimus per inordinatum amorem, quem ad carnem habemus.

What will that fire feed upon but our sins? The more we spare ourselves now and the more we satisfy the flesh, the harder will the reckoning be and the more we keep for the burning. For a man will be more grievously punished in the things in which he has sinned. There the lazy will be driven with burning prongs, and gluttons tormented with unspeakable hunger and thirst; the wanton and lust-loving will be bathed in burning pitch and foul brimstone; the envious will howl in their grief like mad dogs.

3. Quid aliud ille ignis devorat, nisi peccata tua? Quanto amplius nunc tibi ipsi parcis, et carnem sequeris, postea lues tanto durius, et majorem materiam comburendi reservas. In quibus homo peccavit, in illis gravius punietur. Ibi acidiosi ardentibus stimulis purgentur, et gulosi ingenti fame ac siti cruciabuntur. Ibi luxuriosi et voluptatum amatores ardenti pice et foetido sulphure perfundentur. Et sicut furiosi canes, præ dolore invidiosi ululabunt.

Every vice will have its own proper punishment. The proud will be faced with every confusion and the avaricious pinched with the most abject want. One hour of suffering there will be more bitter than a hundred years of the most severe penance here. In this life men sometimes rest from work and enjoy the comfort of friends, but the damned have no rest or consolation. You must, therefore, take care and repent of your sins now so that on the day of judgment you may rest secure with the blessed. For on that day the just will stand firm against those who tortured and oppressed them, and he who now submits humbly to the judgment of men will arise to pass judgment upon them. The poor and humble will have great confidence, while the proud will be struck with fear.

4. Nullum vitium erit, quod suum proprium cruciatum non habeat. Ibi superbi omni confusione replebuntur, et avari miserrima egestate arctabuntur. Ibi erit una hora gravior in poena, quam hic centum anni in amarissima poenitentia. Ibi nulla requies, nulla consolatio damnatis. Hic tamen interdum cessatur a laboribus atque amicorum fruitur solatiis. Esto modo sollicitus, et dolens pro peccatis tuis, ut in die judicii sis securus propetenus cum beatis. Tunc enim justi stabunt in magna constantia adversus eos, qui se angustiaverunt et depresserunt. Tunc stabit ad judicandum qui modo se subjicit humiliter judiciis hominum. Tunc magnam fiduciam pauper et humlis habebit, et pavebit undique superbus.

He who learned to be a fool in  this world and to be scorned for Christ will then appear to have been wise.In that day every trial borne in patience will be pleasing and the voice of iniquity will be stilled; the devout will be glad; the irreligious will mourn; and the mortified body will rejoice far more than if it had been pampered with every pleasure. Then the cheap garment will shine with splendor and the rich one become faded and worn; the poor cottage will be more praised than the gilded palace. In that day persevering patience will count more than all the power in this world; simple obedience will be exalted above all worldly cleverness;

5. Tunc videbitur sapiens in hoc mundo fuisse, qui pro Christo didicit stultus esse et despectus. Tunc placebit omnis tribulatio patienter perpessa et omnis iniquitas oppilabit os suum. Tunc gaudebit omnis devotus et merebit omnis religiosus. Tunc plus exultabit caro afflicta, quam si semper in deliciis fuisset nutrita. Tunc splendebit habitus vilis, et obtenebrescet vestis subtilis. Tunc plus laudabitur pauperculum domicilium, quam deauratum palatium. Tunc plus juvabit constans pacientia, quam omnis mundi potentia. Tunc amplius exaltabitur simplex obedientia, quam omnis sæcularis astutia.

a good and clean conscience will gladden the heart of man far more than the philosophy of the learned; and contempt for riches will be of more weight than every treasure on earth.Then you will find more consolation in having prayed devoutly than in having fared daintily; you will be happy that you preferred silence to prolonged gossip. Then holy works will be of greater value than many fair words; strictness of life and hard penances will be more pleasing than all earthly delights. Learn, then, to suffer little things now that you may not have to suffer greater ones in eternity. Prove here what you can bear hereafter. If you can suffer only a little now, how will you be able to endure eternal torment? If a little suffering makes  you impatient now, what will hell fire do? In truth, you cannot have two joys: you cannot taste the pleasures of this world and afterward reign with Christ.

6. Tunc plus lætificabit pura et simplex conscientia et bona quam docta philosophia. Tunc plus ponderabit contemptus divitiarum, quam totus thesaurus terrigenarum. Tunc magis consolaberis super devota oratione, quam super delicata comestione. Tunc potius gaudebis de fervato silentio, quam de longa fabulatione. Tunc plus valebunt sancta sancta opera, quam multa pulchra verba. Tunc plus valebit stricta vita et ardus poenitntia, quam omnis delectatio terrena. Disce nunc in modico pati, ut tunc a gravioribus valeas liberari. Hic primo proba quid possis pati postea. Si nunc tam parum non vales sustinere, quomodo poteris æterna tormenta sufferre? Si modo modica passio te tam impatientem efficit, tunc gehenna quid facietur? Ecce vere non potes modo duo gaudia habere, delectari hic in mundo, es postea regnare cum Christo.

If your life to this moment had been full of honors and pleasures, what good would it do if at this instant you should die? All is vanity, therefore, except to love God and to serve Him alone. He who loves God with all his heart does not fear death or punishment or judgment or hell, because perfect love assures access to God. It is no wonder that he who still delights in sin fears death and judgment. It is good, however, that even if love does not as yet restrain you from evil, at least the fear of hell does. The man who casts aside the fear of God cannot continue long in goodness but will quickly fall into the snares of the devil.

7. Si usque in hodiernum diem semper in honoribus et voluptatibus vixisses, quid totum tibi profuisset, si jam in instanti mori contingeret? Omnia ergo vanitas, præter amare Deum, et illi foli servire. Qui enim Deum ex toto corde amat, nec mortem, nec supplicium, nec judcium, nec infernum metuit, quia perfectus amor securum ad Deum accessum facit. Quem adhuc peccare delectat, non mirum, si mortem, judicium timeat. Bonum tamen est ut, si necdum amor a malo te revocat, saltem timor gehenæ te coerceat. Qui vero timorem Dei postponit, diu stare in bono non valebit, sed diaboli laqueos citius incurret.

CHAPTER 25: Zeal in Amending our Lives

Cap. 25. De ferventi emendatione totius vitæ.

BE WATCHFUL and diligent in God’s service and often think of why you left the world and came here. Was it not that you might live for God and become a spiritual man? Strive earnestly for perfection, then, because in a short time you will receive the reward of your labor, and neither fear nor sorrow shall come upon you at the hour of death.  Labor a little now, and soon you shall find great rest, in truth, eternal joy; for if you continue faithful and diligent in doing, God will undoubtedly be faithful and generous in rewarding. Continue to have reasonable hope of gaining salvation, but do not act as though you were certain of it lest you grow indolent and proud.

1. Esto vigilans et diligens in Dei fervitio, et cogita frequenter ad quid venisti, et cur sæculum reliquisti. Nonne ut Deo viveres, et spiritualis fieres? Igitur ad profectum ferveas, quia mercedem laborum tuorum in brevi recipies. Nec erit tunc amplius timor aut dolor in finibus tuis. Modicum nunc laborabis, et magnam requiem, imo perpetuam lætitiam, invenies. Si tu permanseris fidelis et fervidus in agendo, Deus procul dubio erit fidelis, et locuples in retribuendo. Spem bonam retinere debes, quod ad palmam pervenies, sed securitatem capere non oportet ne torpeas, aut elatus fias.

One day when a certain man who wavered often and anxiously between hope and fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble prayer before the altar of a church. While meditating on these things, he said: “Oh if I but knew whether I should persevere to the end!” Instantly he heard within the divine answer: “If you knew this, what would you do? Do now what you would do then and you will be quite secure.” Immediately consoled and comforted, he resigned himself to the divine will and the anxious uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to know what the future held for him, and he tried instead to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the beginning and end of every good work.

2. Cum enim quidam anxius inter metum et spem frequenter fluctuaret, et quadam vice moerore confectus in ecclesia ante quoddam altare se in oratione prostravisset, hæc intra se resolvit dicens: O, si scirem, quod adhuc perserveratus essem; statimque audivit divinum intus responsum. Quid, si hoc scires, quid facere velles? Fac nunc quod facere velles, et bene securus eris. Moxque consolatus et confortatus divinæ se commisit voluntati, et cessavit anxia fluctuatio. Noluitque curiose se investigare, ut sciret quæ sibi essent futura, sed magis studuit inquirere quæ esset voluntas Dei beneplacens et perfecta ad omne opus inchoandum et perficiendum.

“Trust thou in the Lord and do good,” says the Prophet; “dwell in the land and thou shalt feed on its riches.”[Ps. 36:3.]  There is one thing that keeps many from zealously improving their lives, that is, dread of the difficulty, the toil of battle. Certainly they who try  bravely to overcome the most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip others in the pursuit of virtue. A man makes the most progress and merits the most grace precisely in those matters wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will.

3. Spera in Domino et fac bonitatem, ait Propheta, et inhabita terram, et pasceris in divitiis ejus. Unum est quod multos a profectu et ferventi emendatione retrahit: horror difficultatis seu labor certaminis. Illi maxime præ aliis in virtutibus proficiunt, qui ea quæ sibi magis gravia et contraria sunt vincere nituntur. Nam ibi homo plus proficit, et gratiam meretur ampliorem, ubi magis se ipsum vincit, et in spiritu mortificat.

True, each one has his own difficulties to meet and conquer, but a diligent and sincere man will make greater progress even though he have more passions than one who is more even-tempered but less concerned about virtue. Two things particularly further improvement—to withdraw oneself forcibly from those vices to which nature is viciously inclined, and to work fervently for those graces which are most needed. Study also to guard against and to overcome the faults which in others very frequently displease you.

4. Sed non omnes habent æque multum ad vincendum et moriendum. Diligens autem æmulator valentior erit ad proficiendum, etiamsi plures habeat passiones, quam alius bene morigeratus, minus tamen fervens ad virtutes. Duo specialiter ad magnam emendationem juvant, videlicet subtrahere se violenter ad quod natura vitiose inclinatur, et ferventer instare pro bono, quo amplius quis indiget. Illa etiam magis studeas cavere et vincere quæ tibi in aliis frequentius displicent.

Make the best of every opportunity, so that if you see or hear good example you may be moved to imitate it. On the other hand, take care lest you be guilty of those things which you consider reprehensible, or if you have ever been guilty of them, try to correct yourself as soon as possible. As you see others, so they see you. How pleasant and sweet to behold brethren fervent and devout, well mannered and disciplined! How sad and painful to see them wandering in dissolution, not practicing the things to which they are called! How hurtful it is to neglect the purpose of their vocation and to attend to what is not their business!

5. Ubique profectum tuum capies ut si bona exempla videas vel audias, de imitandis accendaris. Si quid autem reprehensibile confideraveris, cave ne idem facias, aut si aliquando fecisti, citius emendare te studeas. Sicut oculus tuus alios confiderat, sic iterum ab aliis notaris. Quam jucundum et dulce est videre fervidos et devotos Fratres bene morigeratos et disciiplinatos. Quam triste est et grave videre inordinate ambulantes, qui ea ad quæ vocati sunt non exercent. Quam nocivum est negligere vocationis suæ propositum, et ad non comissia sensum inclinare.

 Remember the purpose you have undertaken, and keep in mind the image of the Crucified. Even though you may have walked for many years on the pathway to God, you may well be ashamed if, with the image of Christ before you, you do not try to make yourself still more like Him. The religious who concerns himself intently and devoutly with our Lord’s most holy life and passion will find there an abundance of all things useful and necessary for him. He need not seek for anything better than Jesus. If the Crucified should come to our hearts, how quickly and abundantly we would learn!

6. Memor esto arrepti propositi, et imaginem crucifixi tibi propone. Bene verecundari potes inspecta vita Jesu Christi, quia necdum magis illi te conformare studuisti, licet diu in via Dei fuisti. Religiosus qui se intente et devote in sanctissima vita et passione Domini exercet, omnia utilia et necessaria sibi abundanter ibi inveniet. Nec opus est ut extra Jesum aliquid melius quærat. O, si Jesus crucifixus in cor nostrum veniret, quam cito et sufficienter docti essemus. Religiosus fervidus bene omnia portat et capit, quæ illi jubentur.

A fervent religious accepts all the things that are commanded him and does them well, but a negligent and lukewarm religious has trial upon trial, and suffers anguish from every side because he has no consolation within and is forbidden to seek it from without. The religious who does not live up to his rule exposes himself to dreadful ruin, and he who wishes to be more free and untrammeled will always be in trouble, for something or other will always displease him.

7. Religiosus negligens et tepidus habet tribulationem super tribulationem et ex omni parte patitur angustiam, quia interiori consolatione caret, et exteriorem quærere prohibetur. Religiosus extra disciplinam vivens gravi patet ruinæ. Qui laxiora quærit et remissiora, semper in angustiis erit, quia unum aut reliquum displicebit sibi.

How do so many other religious who are confined in cloistered discipline get along? They seldom go out, they live in contemplation, their food is poor, their clothing coarse, they work hard, they speak but little, keep long vigils, rise early, pray much, read frequently, and subject themselves to all sorts of discipline. Think of the Carthusians and the Cistercians,  the monks and nuns of different orders, how every night they rise to sing praise to the Lord. It would be a shame if you should grow lazy in such holy service when so many religious have already begun to rejoice in God.

8. Quomodo faciunt tam multi alii Religiosi qui satis arctati sunt sub disciplina claustrali, rare execunt, abstracte vivunt, pauperrime comedunt, grosse vestiuntur, multum laborant, parum loquuntur, diu vigilant, mature surgunt, et orationes prolongant, frequenter legunt et se in omni disciplina custodiunt. Attende Cartusienses et Benedictinos, et Cistercienses ac diversæ religionis Monachos et Moniales qualiter omni nocte ad psallendum Deo surgunt. Et ideo turpe esset, ut tu debeas in tam sancto opere dormitare et pigritare, ubi tanta multitudo Religiosorum incipit Deo jubilare.

If there were nothing else to do but praise the Lord God with all your heart and voice, if you had never to eat, or drink, or sleep, but could praise God always and occupy yourself solely with spiritual pursuits, how much happier you would be than you are now, a slave to every necessity of the body! Would that there were no such needs, but only the spiritual refreshments of the soul which, sad to say, we taste too seldom!

9. O, si nihil aliud faciendum incumberet, nisi Dominum Deum nostrum tot corde et ore laudare. O, si nunquam indigeres comedere, nec bibere, nec dormire, sed semper posses Deum laudare, et solummodo spiritualibus studiis vacare, tunc multo felicior esses, quam modo carni ex qualicumque necessitate serviens. Utinam non essent istæ necessitates, sed solummodo spirituales animæ refectiones, quas heu satis raro degustamus.

When a man reaches a point where he seeks no solace from any creature, then he begins to relish God perfectly. Then also he will be content no matter what may happen to him. He will neither rejoice over great things nor grieve over small ones, but will place himself entirely and confidently in the hands of God, Who for him is all in all, to Whom nothing ever perishes or dies, for Whom all things live, and Whom they serve as He desires.

10. Quando homo ad hoc pervenit, quod de nulla creatura consolationem quærit, tunc ei Deus primo perfecte sapere incipit, tunc etiam bene contentus de omni eventu rerum erit, tunc nec pro magno lætabitur, nec pro modico contristabitur, sed ponit se integre, et fiducialiter in Deo, qui est ei omnia in omnibus, cui nihil utique parit, nec moritur, sed omnia ei vivunt, et ad nutum incunctanter deserviunt.

Always remember your end and do not forget that lost time never returns. Without care and diligence you will never acquire virtue. When you begin to grow lukewarm, you are falling into the beginning of evil; but if you give yourself to fervor, you will find peace and will experience less hardship because of God’s grace and the love of virtue. A fervent and diligent man is ready for all things. It is greater work to resist vices and passions than to sweat in physical toil. He who does not overcome small faults, shall fall little by little into greater ones. If you have spent the day profitably, you will always be happy at eventide. Watch over yourself, arouse yourself, warn yourself, and regardless of what becomes of others, do not neglect yourself. The more violence you do to yourself, the more progress you will make.

11. Memento semper finis, et quia perditum non redit tempus, sine sollicitudine, et diligentia nunquam acquires virtutes. Si incipis tepescere, incipis male habere. Si autem dederis te ad fervorem, invenies magnam pacem, et senties leviorem laborem propter Dei gratiam et virtutis amorem. Homo fervidus et diligens ad omnia est paratus. Major labor est resistere vitiis et passionibus, quam corporalibus insudare laboribus. Qui parvos non devitat defectus, paulatim labitur ad majora. Gaudebis semper de vespere, si diem expendes fructuose. Vigila semper te ipsum et quidquid de aliis sit non negligas te ipsum. Tantum proficies, quantum tibi ipsi vim intuleris. Amen.