Course XLIV - Teaching 4: Dignity of the Superiors

The Sons will be the Image of the Divine Mother in their Superiors.
Truly, the Superior is neither man nor woman, but the Divine Mother who lives and acts by this means among the Sons, and they must respect and love them as such.
The Regulation determines how the Sons must behave with their Superiors, but also the Sons must adapt themselves to customary acts of veneration.
When a Superior enters a common place or dependency, all the present will stand up, doing the same when the Superior leaves.
The Sons do not stand up if other Superior of lower category enters when a Superior is present.
In the morning and at night, all the Community assembles and asks of the Superior his blessing saying: Bless us.
When the Sons meet a Superior, they greet with his corresponding verse and receive his blessing.
When the Superior, if he is a Knight Master, is out or returns to the House after a stay outside the Community, the Sons that meet him request his Blessing Ired.
The entire Community asks of the Superior his Blessing Ired during festivities. If blessing is requested in common, the Son of lowest category in the Community makes this request.
The Ired Blessing is made by bending the left knee and by kissing the Perpetual Vows’ Ring of the Superior, while the latter touches the head of the Sons with his right hand.
Just the Knights Masters impart the Ired Blessing.
When the Sons are before their Superior, they will ever remain standing until they are invited to sit down.
By honoring his Superiors, the Son not only reveres the Divine Mother, but also recognizes that he can communicate with his Superiors in a personal way.
Besides, any irreverence or mistrust to the Superior, however light it may be, becomes a cunning attempt of the world to recover the Son who escaped from it.
In the event that a Superior comes to the House of Community from the world, they request his blessing just when he introduces himself as such, or when the Superior of Community introduces him.
In the event that certain Son has to assist him, this Son will request his blessing the first and the last time that he sees him, and nothing more. The Son will do the same with all Superiors.
The worthy demeanor of the Son attests his veneration to his Superiors and to the Divine Mother. Hymns must be sung in accordance with related tone, pauses and unified voices, as much as possible. The Sons must ever revere, with total solemnity and love, the image that represents to the Divine Mother.
Sons: revere the image of the Divine Mother in the center of the room and with total devotion.
She does not respond to the call of the image, but to the call of love. Through his devout prayer, the Son spiritualizes the image and transforms it into a receptacle of the Divinity.
So, the Image is not a dead form: it lives through the reverence and Renunciation of the Son, and the real presence of the Divine Mother sanctifies it.
So, over all in the hall of prayer, the demeanor of the Sons must be perfect. Sitting, standing or on adamantine posture, remain motionless and with your spine erected, and do not turn from one side to the other; remain immobile, whatever happens.
When the Sons enter a Temple of whatever religion or revered place, they must maintain a very respectful and reverent attitude in accordance with the use in that temple or place, and remember always Ramakrishna’s words: “It is convenient to kneel where others have knelt, because God is present where others have knelt”.
Superior of Community, Assistants, Directors, Vice-Directors and Directors of Cafh’s Works will not remain in the same charge more than two years, but can be chosen for another charge; or for the same charge in another Community. They can be re-chosen after two years. These changes will be made for Christmas’ festivities.