Course XLIV - Teaching 13: The Superior in Recreations and Days Off

A Superior watches not only over the observance of the Regulation, Interpretation and orders of the Knight Great Master, but also over the brother and companion of the Sons. Therefore, his mission becomes more difficult in those acts of Community where the Sons are subject to their free will.
A good recreation and day off depend on Superiors and Directors.
In recreation, when all are together, sympathies, antipathies, imperfections and little defects of the Sons appear. So, if the Superior is not watchful, a recreation becomes something troublesome and even tiresome instead of a healthy expression of happiness in the Sons.
If the Superior sometimes observes that some Sons remain silent, sad or annoyed, this denotes the existence of a friction, of an opinion stubbornly upheld before contrary sayings, or certain improper expression of a Son.
All these things are in charge of the Superior, and just he can transform a day off into a recreation. Certain ladies of society possess an especial art to treat well their guests. They know how to deviate a conversation that may disturb one of their guests, and try to avoid a subject that they know that certain persons prefer to ignore. Certain ladies are masterly in this and converse and avoid a heavy atmosphere. And this occurs many times during days off when there is physical tiredness or certain depression, and expansion disappears.
A good Superior should be tactful, foresee a future event and try to maintain a pleasant conversation to all and of good results.
Certain Superiors approve only spiritual conversations among the Sons.
This is splendid; but in certain persons’ view this is to think too much, and instead of relaxing, your mind becomes more tired. The same subject brings more tiredness instead of expansion.
To speak of spiritual things is to grant shine to all. You cab speak of a plant and to maintain a spiritual conversation.
It is not necessary to speak always of the same subject. It is convenient to change subject during your conversation. A little jest, a wandering is not superfluous; this entertains and is in tune with a spiritual conversation.
Of course, you should avoid falling on the other extreme, with risqué words, because then your conversation can degenerate and be a worldly talk, far from the true mission of the Ordained Son, whose permanent expression has more repercussion where there is more freedom.
The Superior must know the Achilles’ heel of every one, because certain people tend to talk about inconvenient things, about their chances and about themselves. Their conversation should be deviated because otherwise leads to discussions, bother, create frictions, disturb and even can produce certain divergences, even though not all Sons express them.
A day off must be amusing, with changes, lofty spirit, sound joy and expansion.
Sons may recite a fine poem or read the Teaching of a book or take part in contests of conversation. The Superior must know who can do this.
Over all, the Superior must choose several assorted subjects and be able to seek the spiritual aspect in a natural and spontaneous way.
The Superior can choose short subjects and distribute them among those who are ready to expound them during days off. Later, a commentary helps like a stimulus to the Sons and at the same time to explain and correct; so, the Sons learn to speak not only of mortification and observance, but also of general and diverse subjects.
Sometimes these practices produce certain rivalry. Also, perhaps a Son says he cannot do anything of that kind; this means that he feels somewhat zealous or offended. The Superior should not force him to speak, but has to encourage him to do it by himself.
You know the souls in depth during recreations and days off, over all in regard to their negative parts. The Superior must be very watchful because it is very difficult to discover certain defects, but at the end, the human part appears always.
Some Sons are extremely humble during their conversation; they want to be insignificant and try to occupy the last place; any observation will not harm them and they will recognize quickly their faults if they are truly humble.
Certain Sons speak too much, and others ask many questions. These Sons, especially if they are young, wish to learn, ask for love and all of them want to learn through their Superior. This is all right as long as they are in Community, but if they behave in this way with those who are not Ordained, the latter could believe that the former are not educated in regard to the true sense of detachment and inner serenity.
Before many questions asked by the Sons, his Superior responds to one question and discards nine; sometimes responds much, and sometimes nothing.
It is likely that some Sons want to advise his Superior, and continuously say: “Our Observance goes right, but if you made like in such institution, like that other person, it would go very well”.
May the Divine Mother remove those Sons from Communities! These people are little adaptable to the Ordination; they want to give advice and opinion about everything.
The Superior can be complaisant in regard to non-fundamental things, but must put a stop to what is established.
Correction should be made with love, not with harshness during recreations: maintaining the spirit of companionship and avoiding verbal disagreements; so, recreation must become a pleasant time. Sons must desire recreation in order to expound and interchange ideas.
Spiritual expressions refer not only to the Divine Mother, but also certainly beautify innocent things of life.
Sons should not be compelled if they do not wan to speak; they should say what emerges. Sons: do always something for those companions that are disagreeable and persuade them that you sympathize with them Sons: do not make use of nicknames, and instruct to be called always by your name when you took your Vows, and do not sign your writings otherwise.
Sons: do not get used to send telegrams or presents on anniversaries of relatives or acquaintances. Sons: in recreations, neither refer to your work of the day nor express words apparently corrective to other Sons: the Superior must know all this and warn on the greeting time, in the evening.
Never made good or bad references about Sons that did not persevere; this is lack of charity in regard to that Son that failed in his trial.
Lack of charity and consideration is to speak between two during recreations or days off, leaving others outside your conversation.
In those days of festivity in accordance with the Interpretation, Superiors grant day off to the Sons: dispensation of abstinence and silence at the table and dispensation of manual work in the afternoon. Yearly, the Superior can grant just two or three days of extraordinary day off. For instance: head’s day of the House, Superior’s name day, and some great event like Perpetual Vows. Extraordinary day off means that, apart from dispensations for the day off, also there is a dispensation for the Observance of the day. Moreover, as the Interpretation says, the Sons can go out and take a stroll all day. Every year, for Christmas, the Sons will raffle bits of paper containing a sentence that will be subject of meditation and exercise of virtue during all the year.