CAPUT LXX. De multiplici officio verae discretionis
Joseph's Watchful Care
Joseph's office is to discern and guard against all hidden evils, and to oversee the discipline and ordering of his brothers.
So it falls to Joseph not only to deal with this vice, but with any lurking evil: even while it's still hidden, to scan for it with foresight, carefully foresee it, shrewdly catch it, uncover it more quickly, and rebuke it more sharply. Joseph's role includes the care and guardianship of all his brothers; to him belongs the discipline of each one, to him the ordering of what must be done, to him foresight about what lies ahead.
Examining the Soul's Progress
Joseph must attentively examine the soul's daily advances and failings, and know both the vices of the heart and the infirmities of the body to apply healing remedies.
His role requires him to pay careful attention and often examine how much the soul advances each day, or how much it falls short—by which thoughts it is more fiercely attacked, and by which affections it is more often stirred. Joseph himself must fully know not only the vices of the heart but also the infirmities of the body, and according to what each one requires, seek remedies for healing and apply what he has found.1
Discerning Gifts and Temptations
Joseph must distinguish natural goods from gifts of grace, and know the engines of temptation and the varied visitations of the divine Spirit.
He needs to know not only his own vices, but also the gifts of the graces and the merits of the virtues—and carefully distinguish even these, and carefully weigh which are goods of nature and which are gifts of grace. He must keep ready at hand knowledge of the engines of temptation by which the evil spirit attacks him, of how great the consolations of spiritual joys with which he abounds, of how often the divine Spirit visits him, and of how—though that Spirit is one—he is not always touched by Him uniformly and in the same way, but is filled now with the spirit of wisdom, now with the spirit of understanding, now with the spirit of counsel, or with any of His other affections.✦
Knowing the Whole Self
Joseph must fully know the state of the inner and outer person, both what he is and what he ought to be.
And to sum it all up briefly: our Joseph here must know as fully as possible the whole state and condition of the inner and outer person—not only what he is, but also carefully seek out and diligently investigate what he ought to be.
Read the original Latin
Pertinet itaque ad Joseph non modo hoc vitium sed quodlibet insidians malum, et latens adhuc provide circumspicere, caute praevidere, callide deprehendere, citius detegere, acerbius arguere. Ad officium Joseph spectat cura, et custodia omnium fratrum suorum, ad ipsum spectat disciplina singulorum, ad ipsum dispositio gerendorum, ad ipsum providentia futurorum. Ad ejus officium pertinet diligenter attendere, frequenter discutere, quantum animus quotidie proficiat, vel quantum forte deficiat, quibus cogitationibus magis incursetur, quibus affectibus frequentius tangatur. Ipse Joseph debet non solum vitia cordis, verum etiam invalitudines corporis perfecte cognoscere, et secundum quod unumquodque exigit, salutis remedia quaerere, quaesita adhibere. Ipsum nosse oportet non solum vitia sua, sed et gratiarum munera et virtutum merita, sed et ipsa diligenter distinguere, et quae sint bona naturae, vel quae dona gratiae subtiliter pensare. Promptum habere debet quibus tentationum machinis malignus eum spiritus impugnet, quantis spiritualium gaudiorum consolationibus abundet, quam frequenter divinus eum spiritus visitet, quomodo ab ipso cum sit unus non tamen uniformiter, eodemque modo semper tangitur, sed nunc spiritu sapientiae, nunc spiritu intellectus, nunc spiritu consilii, vel aliis quibuslibet ejus affectibus repletur. Et ut totum breviter concludam, debet hic noster Joseph totum interioris et exterioris hominis statum et habitum inquantum possibile est, plene cognoscere, nec solum qualis sit, verum etiam qualis esse debeat subtiliter quaerere, diligenter investigare
Scripture echoes
- ↩Isa.11.2 — And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Notes
- 1 ↩Latin invalitudines is a rare/medieval form; rendered as bodily infirmities (paired with vitia cordis). Salutis remedia covers both healing and spiritual remedy for salvation.
Benjamin Minor (The Twelve Patriarchs / Preparation of the Mind for Contemplation) companion
A daily portion of stillness
Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.
Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.
- Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
- A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
- Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent