Breife meditations of the Most Holy Sacrament and of preparation, for receuing the same. And of some other thinges apertaining to the greatnes and deuotion of so worthy a misterie. Composed in Italian by the rev. father Luca Pinelli of the Societie of Iesus.

REMEMBRANCES OF Mother Teresa di Iesu: whoe was foundres of the barefooted Carmelitā Nunnes for her mo∣nasteries translated first out of Spanish into Italian, and now in to English for the profit of euery deuout Soule.

1 THE earth vntilled being neuer so fertil bringeth forth but brambles and thornes: euen so is the vnderstanding of man.

2 To speake well of all spiritual thinges: as of Religious persons and Preists.

3 Emongst a multitud to speke alwaies litle.

4 To be modest in euery thing

which thou shalt doe, or man∣nage.

5 Neuer to be ernest in things of small importance.

6 To reason with euerie one with moderate cheerfulnes.

7 To scoffe or iest at nothing.

8 Not to reprehend any, with∣out discretion humilitie, and thy owne confusion.

9 To accommodate thy selfe to the Complexion of the partie with whom thou hast to deale, for the seruice of God, with the cheerefull to be merrie, with the melancholie, sad; finally to be all, vnto all, to gaine all.

10 Neuer to speke vnles thou hast first well thought of it, and cōmended vnto God our Lord what thou mindest to say, to the entent that thou speakest no∣thing that may offend him.

11 Neuer to excuse thy selfe without very probable cause.

12 Neuer to speake any thing of thy selfe that maye deserue praise, as of thine owne know∣ledge, vertue, linage, vnles thou hast some probable hope to reap therby some commoditie; and then doe it with humilitie, and consideration, because they are gifts which come frō the handes of God.

13 Neuer to amplifie any mat∣ter, but moderatelye to speake what thou thinkest.

14 In all thy conferences and cōuersations, to mingle alwaies some spirituall thing, & so thou shalt auoide many idle wordes, and murmurations.

15 Neuer to affirme any thing before thou knowest well.

16 Neuer to intermedle to giue

thy opinion in any thing, vnles thou art desired: or els charitie requireth it.

17 When as any one speketh of spirituall thinges, to harken vn∣to it with humilitie, and like a scholler to learn that for thy self which he shall speake well and maketh for thy purpose.

18 To discouer and open vnto thy Confessor and Superiour all thy tentations, imperfections & repugnances, that he may giue the remedie and counsaile to o∣uercome them,

19 Neuer to remaine out of the Cell, neither to go forth therof without cause, and when thou goest forth to demaund helpe of Almightie God that thou maiest not offend him.

20 Neuer to eate nor drincke but at thy vsuall times, and then

to geue great thankes vnto Al∣mightie God.

21 To do all thinges as if thou wert in the presence of Almigh∣tie God, and by this means thou shalt gaine much vnto thy soule.

22 Neuer to harken vnto him, which speaketh ill of any one, neither to say euill of any but of thy selfe, and when thou reioi∣cest rhereat, it is a good signe that thou doest profite.

23 To direct euery work which thou shalt do, vnto Almightie God, by offering it vp vnto him, and desiring that it may be to his honour and glory.

24 Let not thy mirth be with immoderate laughing; but with cheerfulnes, that is humble, mo¦dest, affable, and of good edifi∣cation.

25 Alwaies to imagin that thou

art a seruant vnto all men, and in all and euery one to consider the person of Christ our Lord; that therby thou maist beare re∣spect and reuerence towards all.

26 To be alwaies readie to doe obedience, as if Christ Iesus in the person of thy Prior or Prelat should commaund thee.

27 To examine thy conscience in euery worke which thou shalt doe, & in euery hower, & know¦ing thy defects, to procure with the helpe of God, to amend thē, and by this way thou shalt ariue vnto perfection.

28 Not to thinke of others im∣perfections, but to cōsider their vertues, and thy owne defectes.

29 To haue alwaies a great de∣sire to suffer some thing in euery matter & occasion, for the loue of Christ.

30 Euery daye to offer vp thy selfe many times vnto Almigh∣tie God, and this with great fer∣uour and desire of God.

31 That which thou medita∣test on, in the morning to haue it present with thee, the wholle day afterwardes, and to vse all diligence herein, because it is a thing of great profite.

32 To cōserue diligently those good motions which our Lord doth send thee, and to put in ex∣ecution those desires, which he shall giue thee in praier.

33 Flie alwaies singularitie as much as is possible, because it is a great hurt for the whole cō∣munaltie.

34 To read often times the or∣ders and rules of thy Religion, & to be very carefull to obserue them.

35 To consider in all created thinges the prouidence & wis∣dome of God, and in them all to praise him.

36 To seperate thy harte from the loue of all thinges, and to indeuour to find Almighty God

37 Neuer to make shewe out∣wardly of deuotion which thou hast not inwardly: thou maiest very well keepe secrete thy in∣ward deuotion.

38 Neuer to shew but in case of necessitie thy internall deuotion because as S. Frances and S. Ber¦nard do say, Secretū meum mihis My secret is to my selfe.

39 Not to cōplaine if thy meat be not well dressed, rembringe the gall and viniger of CHRIST IESVS.

40 Sitting at the Table not to speake to any person, neither to

lift vp thy eies to behold others.

41 To consider the table of hea¦uen and the meat therof, which is Almightie God, & the guests which are holy Saintes and An∣gels, to cast vp thy eies vnto this table and earnestly desire for to sitte therat.

42 In the presence of thy Supe∣riour (in whome thou oughtest to consider Christ Iesus) not to speake, but for necessitie, and with great reuerence.

43 Neuer to doe any thinge, which may not be done before all men.

44 Not to make comparison be¦twixt this man, & that man, be∣cause comparisons are odious.

45 When thou shalt be repre∣hended by any: to harken vnto him with humilitie both inter∣nally & externally, and to pray

for him that hath reprehended thee.

46 When one Superiour com¦maundeth any thinge, not to say that an other hath comman∣ded the contrarie, but to thinke that both of them haue good in∣tentions, and obey them both as much as thou canst.

47 Not to be curious in speak∣ing or demaundinge of thinges which belong not vnto thee.

48 Let thy life passed be present before thy eies, for to lament it, and also thy present coldnes, & how much thou wantest to be fitte for to go to heauē, because these are causes of great good∣nes.

49 To doe alwaies what those of the house shall require thee; so that it be not against obedi∣ence; and to answere them al∣waies

with humilitie and meek∣nes.

50 Neuer to demaund without greate necessitie, any perticuler thinges, either in eating or clo∣thing.

51 Neuer to cease from hum∣bling and mortifyinge thy selfe in all thinges vntill death.

52 To get a custome to do ma∣me actes of loue towardes thy Neighbour and God, because they inflame and make tender thy hart, and to do the like of all other vertues.

53 To offer vp all thinges vnto the eternall Father, in vnion of the merittes of Iesus Christ, his onely begotten sonne.

54 To be meeke and courteous with all others, and sharpe and rigourous vnto thy selfe.

55 In the feastes of Saintes to

consider theire vertues, and in grace to demaund thē at Gods hand.

56 To haue greate care euery euening to examine well thine owne conscience.

57 The praier which thou hast to make the morninge before that thou receauest, shall be to consider how that thou which art a most vile & miserable crea∣ture, hast neuertheles to receaue thy God: and the night folow∣ing it shall be to remember how that thou hast receiued thy Lord and maker.

58 If thou art a Superiour ne∣uer reprehend any one in choler but when as it shall be past, and by this meanes thy reprehensiō will be profitable.

59 Earnestly to procure to get perfection & deuotion, & ther∣with

to dispatch all affaires.

60 To exercise much thy selfe in the feare of God, and it will bring thy soule to compunction and humilitie.

61 To consider well how soone mens mindes are changed, and how litle thou oughtest to trust vnto them, and therfore to haue great confidence in God, who is neuer changed.

62 To deale those things which belong vnto thy soule, with thy Spirituall and learned Confessor and to communicate with him all: folowing his aduise & coun∣faile in all thinges.

63 Euery time that thou doest communicate to demaunde of God some gift, for that his great mercies sake wherwith he vout∣safe to come vnto thy soule.

64 Albeit thou hast many ho∣ly

Saintes for thy Aduocates, yet in perticuler be thou deuo∣ted vnto S. Ioseph who will ob∣taine of God great grace for the

65 In time of melancholines & perturbation, neuer to leaue of thy accustomed good workes of penance & praier and such like: because the Deuill will disquiet thee to thentent that thou shoul¦dest leaue them: wherfore fol∣low them more at such times, & thou shalt see that our Lord will soone fauour thee.

66 Not to communicate or im∣parte thy temptations and im∣perfections with weaklings and imperfect persons in the house; because it will harme thy selfe and hurt others, but with those which are the most perfect.

67 Remember that thou hast but one soule, that thou art to

die but once, that thou hast but one short life and that perticu∣ler to thy selfe, neither is there more then one glorie, which is eternall.

68 Thy desire shall be to see God; thy feare shall be to loose him; thy greife shalbe that thou doest not possesse him: and thy ioy in that which bringeth thee vnto God; and so thou shalt liue in great peace.

He that will reape fruite by these Documentes, must read them once ouer euery weeke.