Course XLV - Teaching 11: Perfect Observance

When the Son arrives at the Seminary, he finds a method that is entirely new and different, even on its formal aspect, from that that he used to follow.
It is convenient for the Son to adapt himself to this new life and to acquire a habitual and strict Observance. Perfect Observance in Community should not be an acquired virtue because in this case the Son follows a trajectory to reach a virtue that always is something different from him. On the contrary, Observance has to be his own state, intimate and expansive, of internal Renunciation. A Son that achieves a perfect external Observance does not possess it entirely if it is not closely united with internal Observance.
A Son in contact with life in Community faces a radical change of spiritual methods and even in apparent contradiction with rules established and formerly practiced rules Cafh. It is as if one said to him: “All your exercises and practices of spiritual progress that you made so far are useless now; throw all away”.
The Son had to make his best in his spiritual life to achieve an end that he gradually reached. It was an effort to achieve objectives and a stable psychical position. The Son updated this effort by practices of spiritual life, weekly meetings, where the Teachings were particularly explained, by periods of exercises of meditation and by contact with his Superiors.
But from the beginning, the Son refuses this effort to achieve something internal, which is almost external, when he comes in contact through his Ordination, as if one wore the glove of life inside out. In fact, the soul has to dispose of any objective, any achievement and any effort to become negatively a realization.
The souls dispose of all; all becomes unimportant; no exercise is more important than other; neither to possess certain capacity, nor certain virtue.
In this sense, in Community, perfect Observance is the only real value, which is a flower than comes spontaneously into being in the soul and is not a good that one has reached.
The Son can perform this perfect inner Observance by identifying himself with the Mystical Body of the Community.
The Community is a living being, more living than any other, because its compounds have sacrificed their personality and their own identification to fuse themselves and to become one being.
Denial of one’s personality facilitates the formation of bodies of Fire in the Sons, where diversities disappear, and the Sons identify one another by similitude. Without this internal state, of unification, the Son may be very respectful of the rules, but his Observance will be ever something different, a drop of slippery oil in a jar of water.
“Yours” o “Mine”, “More” or “Less”, and “Better” or “Worse” disappear by means of this concept, because all is a simple unity.
In fact, a perfect Observance can be achieved just by this unity of compounds in the Community.
All are responsible for taking care of a good progress in the House, of a strict fulfillment of any duty, and of the perfection of the Sons.
For instance, if a Son broke a plate, all other Sons have to feel internally guilty and responsible, and if another Son gains a prize, all have to experience the joy of victory.
Whenever a Son witnesses a negligence of another Son, he has to correct it, if possible, because the fault of the one is also the fault of the other.
If in Community all goes right, all have to feel wellbeing, and if something goes wrong, all have to feel that burden.
Because of this feeling, Observance is not something abstract, but a result of a state of mind of all Sons in Community, like a general perfume in a room is a result of a flower that is present therein. It is not question that the Son follows the Observance, but that the Community achieves its inherent characteristic.
So, a perfect Observance is a result of an inner state of the soul, conquered by Ascetic Renunciation and Mystique of the Heart.
The outer change of procedures that a Son finds when he enters the Seminary should be followed by a whole inner change. This is work of the Son guided by his Director, because without the latter, Observance will be non-existent or something entirely external and deprived of any value.
Of course, the Son reached through his Ordination the culminating point where the Ascetic Renunciation has to come true.
So, he must abandon any value, sentimental, educational, ideal, and even in certain sense, spiritual. Humanitarian tendencies, experiences, studies, titles and social expectations have to disappear. Even successes in psychical practices and in exercises of meditation may disappear totally because the soul has to be deprived of all.
Mystique of the Heart is water and fire that destroy and purify all to achieve Perfect Simplicity, which is indispensable to Divine Union.
If the Son is not liberated from all these values, then the latter become counter-producing surges that affect the wellbeing in the Community and the development of a perfect Observance.
If a Son is identified with this life that he embraced, then any hope of future disappears: dreams and illusions of conquest and utopian joys vanish because he already possesses his end and knows beforehand which labor expects him in life.
The external result of perfection in Ascetic Renunciation and Mystique of the Heart is always and systematically: health for sick people, providence for the needy, and guide for the souls.
From the moment when the Mother receives his child in her arms, knows how difficult will be his growth and, since She decided it, She knows that Her mission is to be a mother and nothing else, and this feeling will lead Her mission with dignity and will lead Her to fulfill all Her duties perfectly. So, the Son that knows the external result of his mission already possesses a reserve of possibilities to perform it, and this is revealed in him through a quiet and perfect Observance.
Observance is not only to obey strictly the schedule and to perform offices of the Community, but also to be responsible for any need and any useful element to prepare the Community for this purpose. Observance is love of Radius of Stability, usual reserve of Cloister, updated Providential Economy, reservoir of energies deposited in a common reservoir and, over all, intimate permanence with the Divine Mother for identification with daily practices and works.
The Son knows that a result of his internal Renunciation has to be healing of evils and diseases in the world.
Any significant disease is the fruit of continuous and uncontrolled exhaustion that occurs in human beings.
The parable of the Prodigal Son repeats constantly.
Certain energies should be recovered to remove basic diseases from the world, and here is one of the highest tasks of the Sons.
Practice of chastity, modesty in the eyes, continuous exercise to control inner impulses, and void of mind and heart, would be just practical virtues if the Son did not leave their fruit to store and later distribute them among sick people of the world by means of their prayers.
Sometimes this labor even is direct and the Sons must attend and care for sick people through a more effective help, which is magnetic and curative.
So, perfect and true Observance is to avoid any exhaustion of energies.
Perfect Observance is apparent in an updated Providential Economy.
One knows that there are numberless needy people in the world and that economic problems should be solved as soon as possible, and the Work of Cafh strives after these basic results. Also one knows that the above mentioned evil is, over all, a result of human incomprehension and selfishness.
Humans make use of everything and everybody to the full. Every thing that one uses directly or indirectly, did not cost one life but many lives, and all beings are indebted to mankind for all those things that they posses and use so indifferently and continuously.
The Son must be conscious of this selfishness and thoughtlessness to feel indebted to mankind and to be ready to contribute effectively to meet needs.
The Son understands this and strives after the application of the Providential Economy even in Community, and he works for the sake of work. So, the economy of the Community is transferred to the Divine Plan and its performance increases enormously.
On the basis of this concept, a Son delivers not only his work, his unselfishness and his application to the work, but also achieves maximum performance and does not tire.
An unselfish work becomes light and multiple.
This is more apparent through union and impersonality of the Sons in Community, and the external miracle of helping the needy becomes effective.
First, through the spiritual encompassing power of the Sons who turn over the world their result mentally; second, through their sentiment and contact with any humanitarian movement of different institutions; and third, through the tasks of the Sons by means of Cafh’s Works.
Cafh’s Works are a miracle because, without any outer possession, but with the offering of the Sons and practices of Providential Economy, Cafh can support works but without certain incomes.
Perfect Observance contributes to store great reserves of energy.
As a result of Perfect Observance, also there is a continuous union with the Divine Mother and, in due time, Power to Direct the souls.
If a Son believes that Divine Union is bliss and ecstasy, he does not fulfill properly his Observance. If his state of mind is good and fervent, he fulfills all right any act in Community; but if internally he is despondent and dry, then one sees him sad, emaciated, bad-tempered and even indifferent in his Observance.
Union, which is a divine fruit of Renunciation and true Mystique of the Heart, is luminous participation in any act of Observance.
Happiness is not bliss, but fulfillment and vivid desire of a proper and perfect Observance in all your activities.
Here bliss or dryness is out of question, except perfection that through right intention becomes Observance and Divinity.
When in Community there his full spiritual life, the intimate and deep peace permeates the soul along with so inalterable certainty of the Divine Presence that all this remains in the depth of the soul, even and despite distractions, mistakes, spiritual dryness and pious bliss.
In short: Perfect Observance is not a mere external and mechanic fulfillment of any act in Community: Perfect Observance is a permanent state of the soul and a living result of the Ordained Son’s idiosyncrasy.