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Benedictine Abbot, Moretto, 1520 |
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Benedictine Abbot, Moretto, 1520 |
Written in the Year 1500 by Abbot Garcia Jimenez De Cisneros, O.S.B. Engl. modified from the translation from the original Spanish by E. Allison Peers, Monastery of Montserrat, 1929
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CHAPTER 1. How greatly it behoves the religious who desires to progress in the spiritual life to seek, good company and withdraw from bad
CHAPTER 2. How necessary to the religious is the practice of spiritual exercises for the cleansing of the spirit
CHAPTER 3. Of the fruits which come to the devout religious from the practice of fixed and duly ordered exercises.
CHAPTER 4. Of the qualifications and conditions which should mark those persons that practise spiritual exercises
CHAPTER 5. What the exercises should be, and of the moderation which the religious should observe in them
CHAPTER 6. Of the considerations which incite us to be fervent in spiritual exercises.
CHAPTER 7. How the vows that we have made, and the excellence of this place, inspire us to be fervent in our exercises.
CHAPTER 8. How needful it is for the religious to set apart certain matters, times
and seasons for his exercises.
CHAPTER 9. How for many reasons the saints made ordinance that at certain times and seasons religious should give themselves to mental prayer. .
CHAPTER 10. How beginners in the service of God must first of all have fear, which is the beginning of Divine wisdom; and of divers kinds of fear. . .
CHAPTER 11. Of the things which cause us to fear and which we must fear always.
CHAPTER 12. Of the distribution of our meditations throughout the week, according to the Purgative Way. ..
CHAPTER 13. Of the meditations of the exercitant on Tuesday for the awakening of the soul, at the beginning of prayer, after Matins
CHAPTER 14. Of the meditations of the exercitant on Wednesday, at the beginning
of prayer, after Matins
CHAPTER 15. Of the meditations of the on exercitant Thursday, at the beginning of prayer, after Matins
CHAPTER 16. Of the meditations of the exercitant on Friday, at the beginning of prayer, after Matins.
CHAPTER 17. Of the meditations of the exercitant on,Saturday, at the beginning of prayer, after Matins
CHAPTER 18. Of the meditations of the exercitant on Sunday, at the beginning of prayer, after Matins.
CHAPTER 19.Of the time that is necessary for the exercises’ of the Way described above, and how a man may know that he has purged himself.
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CHAPTER 20. How the man that approaches the exercises of the Illuminative Way must be cleansed of his sins through the Purgative Way, that he may be able to bear the rays of the Divine light
CHAPTER 21. Of the examination which the exercitant should make of his conscience after Compline., that he may pass to the Illuminative Way.
CHAPTER 22. Of the Illuminative Way, according to Saint Dionysius
CHAPTER 23. Of the manner wherein the exercitant must proceed for the illumination of his soul, confessing the benefits of God, and giving thanks for them according to he days of the week, in the Way that is called Illuminative
CHAPTER 24. How the Illuminative Way receives rays of brightness from many sources, and principally from the prayer Pater Noster, which was made by our Redeemer, and whereon the exercitant must meditate with very great diligence, affection and devotion, that there may be kindled within him Divine love
CHAPTER 25. Which admonishes the exercitant how great is the sin of one that out of negligence desists from performing the exercises above-mentioned. . .
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CHAPTER 26. Of the Unitive and Perfective Way, showing what it is, and the qualifications necessary in the exercitant who would attain thereto.
CHAPTER 27. Of things whereon the exercitant may meditate throughout the week, at the beginning of his prayer, after Matins, according as pertains to this Way, which is called Unitive and Perfective, to the end that he may mount the six steps which lead to the union of the soul with God.
CHAPTER 28. How our thought is lifted up to God through quick and fervent love, without knowledge of the understanding, or of any other thing soever
CHAPTER 29. That the exercitant feels and loves more than he understands or sees.
CHAPTER 30. Of the works and degrees of this holy, unitive and perfective love in the soul of the devout exercitant.
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CHAPTER 31. That great learning is knowledge but not wisdom, and that it is in no way essential to contemplation.
CHAPTER 32 What persons are best suited for contemplation.
CHAPTER 33. How, according to the doctors, there is a great difference between wisdom and knowledge
CHAPTER 34. How the contemplative life must begin with the labour of the active life
CHAPTER 35. That some, - to whom is given a singular grace, are not to he imitated by all
CHAPTER 36. That the love of God is both the beginning of the contemplative life and the end thereof
CHAPTER 37. In what consists the perfection of the contemplative life, described by a similitude of worldly ‘love.
CHAPTER 38. What kind of love of God the contemplative ought to have.
CHAPTER 39. Of two manners of silence and solitude
CHAPTER 40. Which discusses the manner wherein the contemplative life is of profit to him that leads it
CHAPTER 41. Of the profit which contemplatives bring to others
CHAPTER 42. That it is not pride to engage in the contemplative life, as some believe; and this we show by examples.
CHAPTER 43. Of the greater excellence which contemplatives have than actives. .
CHAPTER 44. How necessary to the contemplative is the grace of God. .
CHAPTER 45. Of the manner wherein the contemplative soul is said to be raised above the body and to be made simple and undivided
CHAPTER 46. On divers manners wherein holy men have written of contemplation
CHAPTER 47. Of the method of contemplation which was practised by Saint Bernard soon after his conversion.
CHAPTER 48. What contemplation is; its divers kinds; and of the subjects which the exercitant should contemplate.
CHAPTER 49. That the contemplative must soar in his contemplation after three manners, according to the life and passion of
CHAPTER 50. Of the figures, prophecies and Scriptures concerning the Incarnation of the Lord
CHAPTER 51. Of the - Annunciation of the Lord. .
CHAPTER 52. A summary of the life of Christ for the exercise of those that have newly entered upon contemplation. .
CHAPTER 53. Wherein is contained another summary of the life of the Lord for the more practised and instructed
CHAPTER 54. Of the Supper of the Lord, and of the preparation meet for one who would receive His most sacred Body .
CHAPTER 55. That the devout contemplative must not cease from receiving the holy Sacrament by reason of certain scruples that at times awaken within him.
CHAPTER 56. That the Passion of the Lord has in itself all the perfection that is possible to a man in this life
CHAPTER 57. Of six manners wherein the contemplative must consider and meditate upon the Lord 255
CHAPTER 58. Of the Passion of the Lord, [p.15] according to the Holy Gospel, divided into six parts. And first of all, before entering thereon, a brief system for the better contemplation thereof.
CHAPTER 59. Of the manner wherein the exercitant and contemplative should ever adore the memory of the Passion of the Lord in his meditations, that the fervour of his devotion may not be quenched. .
CHAPTER 50. Of the Resurrection of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, of His glorious Ascension and of the mission of the Holy Spirit
CHAPTER 61. How stern perseverance is needful for devout men and contemplatives that they may come to the heights of contemplation
CHAPTER 62. Of the many impediments which hinder the contemplative from attaining to the summit of contemplation.
CHAPTER 63. Of certain other hindrances to contemplation
CHAPTER 64. How some persons fail in steadfast perseverance, and therefore profit little in contemplation
CHAPTER 65. Of the manner wherein the contemplative must have knowledge of God.
CHAPTER 66. How God dwells in the soul by grace, and this after three manners.
CHAPTER 67. That all men, and especially religious, are bound to strive to attain perfection, under pain of present and future harm
CHAPTER 68. How in certain cases the contemplative should descend from his contemplation, and postpone for a time his spiritual exercises
CHAPTER 69. Which treats of certain instructions to be observed by the exercitant concerning the matters aforemerttioned, wherewith we conclude the present work.
This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990
