1. Of The Lord's Body.

The Lord Jesus said to His disciples: 'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me.
If you had known Me you would, without doubt, have known My Father also: and from henceforth you shall know Him, and you have seen Him.
Philip said to Him: Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.
Jesus said to him: Have I been so long a time with you and have you not known Me?
Philip, he that sees Me sees My Father also. How can you say, Show us the Father?'
The Father inhabits light inaccessible, and God is a spirit, and no man has seen God at any time.
Because God is a spirit, therefore it is only by the spirit He can be seen, for it is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing.
For neither is the Son, inasmuch as He is equal to the Father, seen by any one other than by the Father, other than by the Holy Ghost.
Wherefore, all those who saw the Lord Jesus Christ according to humanity and did not see and believe according to the Spirit and the Divinity, that He was the Son of God, were condemned.
In like manner, all those who behold the Sacrament of the Body of Christ which is sanctified by the word of the Lord upon the altar by the hands of the priest in the form of bread and wine, and who do not see and believe according to the Spirit and Divinity that It is really the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, are condemned, He the Most High having declared it when He said, 'This is My Body, and the Blood of the New Testament' and,
'He that eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood will have everlasting life.'
So they who have the Spirit of the Lord, which dwells in Gods faithful people, they, are the ones who receive the most holy Body and Blood of the Lord.
All others who do not have this same Spirit, and who presume to receive Him, eat and drink judgment to themselves.
O ye human, how long will you be dull of heart?
Why will you not know the truth and believe in the Son of God?
Behold daily He humbles Himself as when from His royal throne He came into the womb of the Virgin. Daily He Himself comes to us with like humility; daily He descends from the bosom of His Father upon the altar in the hands of the priest.
Just as He appeared in true flesh to the Holy Apostles, so now He shows Himself to us in the sacred Bread.
The Apostles, by means of their human eyes, saw only His flesh. Yet when contemplating Jesus with their spiritual eyes, the Apostles believed Him to be God.
So today we, seeing the bread and wine with our human eyes, see and firmly believe it to be His most holy Body and true and living Blood.
In this way our Lord is ever with His faithful. For, as He Himself said: 'Behold I am with you all days, even to the end of the world.'

2. The Evil of Self-Will.

The Lord God said to Adam: 'You can eat of every tree of paradise. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shall not eat.'
Adam therefore might eat of every tree of paradise and so long as he did not offend against obedience he did not sin.
For one eats of the tree of knowledge of good who appropriates to himself his own will and prides himself upon the goods which the Lord publishes and works in him.
And thus, through the suggestion of the devil and transgression of the commandment, he finds the apple of the knowledge of evil; wherefore, it is proper that he suffer punishment.

3. Of Perfect and Imperfect Obedience.

The Lord says in the Gospel: they 'that do not renounce all that they possess cannot be' a 'disciple' and 'they that will save their life, shall lose it.'
A person is truly obedient when they leave all they possess, lose their body and their soul, and wholly obeys their superior.
Doing whatever the superior requires - provided the person know that what they do is good and not contrary to the superior's will.
If at times a person sees things which would be better, or more useful to them than those which the superior asks of them, let them sacrifice their will to God. Let them strive to fulfil the work requested by the superior.
This is true and charitable obedience, which is pleasing to God and to one's neighbour.
If, however, a superior commands anything of a person that is against the person's soul, it is permissible for the person to disobey. However, the person must not leave the superior.
If as a result the person suffers persecution from some, they should love their persecutors the more for God's sake. For the one who would rather suffer persecutions, than wish to be separated from their brethren, truly abides in perfect obedience. Because they lay down their life for their brethren.
There are many religious who, under pretext of seeing better things than those which their superiors command, look back and return to the vomit of their own will.
These are murders and by their bad example they cause the loss of many souls.

4. That no one should take Superiority upon themselves.

I did 'not come to be ministered unto, but to minister,' says the Lord.
Let those who are set above others glory in this superiority only as much as if they had been deputised to wash the feet of the community.
If they are more perturbed by the loss of their status than they would be by losing the office of washing feet, so much the more do they lay up treasures to the peril of their own soul.

5. That no one should glory save in the Cross of the Lord.

Consider, O human, how great the excellence in which the Lord has placed you because He has created and formed you to the image of His beloved Son according to the body and to His own likeness according to the spirit.
Now all the creatures that are under heaven, serve, know and obey their Creator in their own way better than you.
And even the demons did not crucify Him, but you together with them crucified Him and still crucify Him by taking delight in vices and sins.
How then can you glory?
If you were so clever and wise that you possessed all science, if you knew how to interpret every form of language and to investigate heavenly things minutely, you could not glory in all this.
Because one demon has known more of heavenly things and still knows more of earthly things than all men, although there may be some man who has received from the Lord a special knowledge of sovereign wisdom.
If you were handsomer, and richer than all others; if you could work wonders and put the demons to flight, all these things are hurtful to you and in no way belong to you. In them you cannot glory.
However, what we may glory in, is in our infirmities, and in bearing daily the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

6. Of the Imitation of the Lord.

Let us all, brothers, consider the Good Shepherd who to save His sheep bore the suffering of the Cross.
The sheep of the Lord followed Him in tribulation and persecution and shame, in hunger and thirst, in infirmity and temptations and in all other ways; and for these things they have received everlasting life from the Lord.
Wherefore it is a great shame for us, the servants of God that, whereas the Saints have practised works, we should expect to receive honour and glory for reading and preaching the same.

7. That Good Works should accompany Knowledge.

The Apostle says, 'the letter kills, but the spirit quickens.'
They are killed by the letter who seek only to know the words that they may be esteemed more learned among others and that they may acquire great riches to leave to their relations and friends.
And those religious are killed by the letter who will not follow the spirit of the Holy Scriptures, but who seek rather to know the words only and to interpret them to others.
And they are quickened by the spirit of the Holy Scriptures who do not interpret materially every text they know or wish to know, but who by word and example give them back to God from whom is all good.

8. Of avoiding the Sin of Envy.

The Apostle affirms that 'no man can say the Lord Jesus but by the Holy Ghost,' and 'there is none that doth good, no not one.'
Whosoever, therefore, envies his brother on account of the good which the Lord says or does in him, commits a sin akin to blasphemy, because he envies the Most High Himself who says and does all that is good.

9. Of Love.

The Lord says in the Gospel, 'Love your enemies'.
He truly loves his enemy who does not grieve because of the wrong done to himself, but who is afflicted for love of God because of the sin on his brother's soul and who shows his love by his works.

10. Of Bodily Mortification.

There are many who if they commit sin or suffer wrong often blame their enemy or their neighbour. But this is not right, for each one has his enemy in his power ,—to wit, the body by which he sins.
Wherefore blessed is that servant who always holds captive the enemy thus given into his power and wisely guards himself from it, for so long as he acts thus no other enemy visible or invisible can do him harm.

11. That one must not be seduced by Bad Example.

To the servant of God nothing should be displeasing save sin.
And no matter in what way any one may sin, if the servant of God is troubled or angered—except this be through charity—he treasures up guilt to himself.
The servant of God who does not trouble himself or get angry about anything lives uprightly and without sin.
And blessed is he who keeps nothing for himself, rendering 'to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's and to God the things that are God's.'

12. Of Knowing the Spirit of God.

Thus may the servant of God know if he has the Spirit of God: if when the Lord works some good through him, his body—since it is ever at variance with all that is good—is not therefore puffed up; but if he rather becomes viler in his own sight and if he esteems himself less than other men.

13. Of Patience.

How much interior patience and humility a servant of God may have cannot be known so long as he is contented.
But when the time comes that those who ought to please him go against him, as much patience and humility as he then shows, so much has he and no more.

14. Of Poverty of Spirit.

'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'
Many apply themselves to prayers and offices, and practise much abstinence and bodily mortification.
But because of a single word which seems to be hurtful to their bodies or because of something being taken from them, they are forthwith scandalized and troubled.
These are not poor in spirit: for he who is truly poor in spirit, hates himself and loves those who strike him on the cheek.

15. Of Peacemakers.

'Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.'
They are truly peacemakers who amidst all they suffer in this world maintain peace in soul and body for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

16. Of Cleanness of Heart.

'Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.'
They are clean of heart who despise earthly things and always seek those of heaven, and who never cease to adore and contemplate the Lord God Living and True, with a pure heart and mind.

17. Of the Humble Servant of God.

Blessed is that servant who is not more puffed up because of the good the Lord says and works through him than because of that which He says and works through others.
A man sins who wishes to receive more from his neighbour than he is himself willing to give to the Lord God.

18. Of Compassion toward one's Neighbour.

Blessed is the man who bears with his neighbour according to the frailty of his nature as much as he would wish to be borne with by him if he should be in a like case.

19. Of the Happy and Unhappy Servant.

Blessed is the servant who gives up all his goods to the Lord God, for he who retains anything for himself hides 'his Lord's money,' and that 'which he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.'

20. Of the Good and Humble Religious.

Blessed is the servant who does not regard himself as better when he is esteemed and extolled by men than when he is reputed as mean, simple, and despicable.
For what a man is in the sight of God, so much he is, and no more.
Woe to that religious who is elevated in dignity by others, and who of his own will is not ready to descend.
And blessed is that servant who is raised in dignity not by his own will and who always desires to be beneath the feet of others.

21. Of the Happy and Vain Religious.

Blessed is that religious who feels no pleasure or joy save in most holy conversation and the works of the Lord, and who by these means leads men to the love of God in joy and gladness
And woe to that religious who takes delight in idle and vain words and by this means provokes men to laughter.

22. Of the Frivolous and Talkative Religious.

Blessed is that servant who does not speak through hope of reward and who does not manifest everything and is not 'hasty to speak,' but who wisely foresees what he ought to say and answer.
Woe to that religious who not concealing in his heart the good things which the Lord has disclosed to him and who not manifesting them to others by his work, seeks rather through hope of reward to make them known to men by words.
For now he receives his recompense and his hearers bear away little fruit.

23. Of True Correction.

Blessed is the servant who bears discipline, accusation, and blame from others as patiently as if they came from himself.
Blessed is the servant who, when reproved, mildly submits, modestly obeys, humbly confesses, and willingly satisfies.
Blessed is the servant who is not prompt to excuse himself and who humbly bears shame and reproof for sin when he is without fault.

24. Of True Humility.

Blessed is he who shall be found as humble among his subjects as if he were among his masters.
Blessed is the servant who always continues under the rod of correction.
He is a faithful and wise servant who does not delay to punish himself for all his offences, interiorly by contrition and exteriorly by confession and by works of satisfaction.

25. Of True Love.

Blessed is that brother who would love his brother as much when he is ill and not able to assist him as he loves him when he is well and able to assist him.
Blessed is the brother who would love and fear his brother as much when he is far from him as he would when with him, and who would not say anything about him Behind his back that he could not with charity say in his presence.

26. That the Servants of God should honour Clerics.

Blessed is the servant of God who exhibits confidence in clerics who live uprightly according to the form of the holy Roman Church.
And woe to those who despise them: for even though he clerics may be sinners, nevertheless no one ought to judge them, because the Lord Himself reserves to Himself alone the right of judging them.
For as the administration with which they are charged, to wit, of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they receive and which they alone administer to others—is greater than all others, even so the sin of those who offend against them is greater than any against all the other men in this world.

27. Of the Virtues putting Vices to flight.

Where there is charity and wisdom there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility there is neither anger nor worry.
Where there is poverty and joy there is neither cupidity nor avarice.
Where there is quiet and meditation there is neither solicitude nor dissipation
Where there is the fear of the Lord to guard the house the enemy cannot find a way to enter.
Where there is mercy and discretion there is neither superfluity nor hard-heartedness.

28. Of hiding Good lest it be lost.

Blessed is the servant who treasures up in heaven the good things which the Lord shows him and who does not wish to manifest them to men through the hope of reward, for the Most High will Himself manifest his works to whomsoever He may please.
Blessed is the servant who keeps the secrets of the Lord in his heart.