USEFUL NOTIONS
Theological virtues
Faith is that theological virtue infused by God, by the power of which we believe, based on authority of the revealing God, the truths revealed by Him and that the Church gives for us to believe.
Hope is that theological virtue infused by God, by the power of which, with sure trust, and with the aid of God, we wait for the eternal beatitude and the means for achieving it.
Charity is that theological virtue by which we love God for himself and ourselves and our neighbor for God.
The Seven Gifts
Intellect: gift of the Holy Spirit through which our intellect is raised
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to understand the eternal and supernatural truths, with the action of the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom: gift of the Holy Spirit through which we refer all things to God, even the least and the material ones.
Knowledge: gift of the Holy Spirit through which we apply a spiritual truth to particular things.
Counsel: gift of the Holy Spirit through which in all our actions we seek and work according to God's pleasure.
Piety: gift of the Holy Spirit through which we refer all our actions to God, our ultimate end.
Fortitude: gift of the Holy Spirit with which we fight against our passions and we exert the effort to acquire what is good.
Fear of God: gift of the Holy Spirit by which we temper our natural inclinations.
Fruits of the Holy Spirit
In us
Charity, through which the spiritual edifice is perfected by loving God above all things and loving all for God.
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Joy, is the enjoyment that comes from charity, or from the knowledge that one loves God.
Peace is the fruit of perfect joy, or the knowledge that one possesses God, his only and supreme good.
Patience, that comes from knowing that one has and possesses God, the only and eternal good and because of this he willingly bears the difficulties of this life.
Neighbors
Benevolence: Recognizing God in one's neighbor, one attentively and gently treats his neighbor.
Goodness: With which one treats his neighbor with due regard to God, thus becoming like God who has treated and treats man with so much goodness.
Forbearance: With which one forgives offenses very easily.
Meekness: With which we repress our anger.
Faithfulness: With which we keep our promises.
We in relation with what is external
Modesty: Brakes all our external behavior.
Continence: Brakes our natural inclinations.
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Chastity: Brakes in a special manner our senses.
The beatitudes1
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
3. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy.
6. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[DFin 164. 165. 194-198] Norms for the Spiritual Exercises and the Novitiate
1. The secret of success in the exercises and in the novitiate, that are2 a long course of Spiritual Exercises, lies especially in its
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management; that is, in the choice of the persons participating in it; in the care used for establishing the use of time, for the definition of the timetable; for the means of mortification and solitude, for the persons who guide, for the practices of piety and especially for the detailed, wise, prudent, and holy direction of each soul in particular.
2. Preferably the persons should be few in number, so with their needs and the condition: it is easy to guide well on condition that they are few and to obtain the fruit for each one when one could establish well defined purpose for the Spiritual Exercises: e. g., choice of the state of life, setting one's life in order, etc. Needed are time that is free from preoccupations, proper age, convenient maximum duration for the Spiritual Exercises. The schedule be such that it engages all the strengths of the spirit and of the body for the soul, but let it not exceed energies themselves; especially beneficial is the easy and varied succession of activities: mental prayer, vocal prayer or song, reflection, readings, examination of conscience, writing, rest, etc. However, much silence is demanded fuge, tace, quiesce.3 It is suitable that the place be solitary, as much as possible.
3. The spiritual direction is done in two ways: general, by indicating in the notices
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and talks the reflections, pious practices, etc., that have to be done according to the interior dispositions, the attractions of divine grace, the progress of the Spiritual Exercises, etc.; particular, while sensing, leading more closely every single soul, the immense abundance of grace and light that the Exercises have is applied to each one. Each one then should open up and listen frequently to the spiritual guide.
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1 Mt 5:3-10.
2 In the original Italian the verb is in the plural: “Novitiate, that are...”: stands for “novitiate, that is...”
3 “Flee, be silent, stay in solitude.” It is probable that Fr. Alberione bore in mind what Cafasso used to say: “I shall close with the famous advice that St. Arsenius already gave to whoever wanted to be benefited in the spirit: flee, withdraw, be silent...” (G. CAFASSO, Meditazioni per Esercizi Spirituali al Clero, a cura di G. Allamano, Tipografia Fratelli Canonica, Torino, 1892, p. 26). Arsenius was one of the fathers of the desert, born in Rome about 354 and died in Tura (Egypt) about the year 449. In no. 2 of his “apoftegmi” or “sayings” one reads: “Having retired to a solitary life, he still prayed with the same words (cf. Mt 26:44), and heard a voice that told him: Arsenius, flee, be silent, stay in solitude.” It is from these roots that the possibility of not sinning originates (cf. Vita e detti dei Padri del deserto, a cura di Luciana Mortari, Città Nuova Editrice, vol. I, 1975, p. 97).