Regulae ad Ordinandum se in Cibo

Regulae ad Ordinandum se in Cibo

You should also take care with repetitions and your senses according to your usual practice. In the middle of the night, we will contemplate the very progress of the Passion, from the sentence of Pilate to the Crucifixion; from dawn onward, we will reflect from the elevation of the cross to the expiration of Christ. Repetitions and the exercise of the senses, as mentioned above. Just as the Lord was dead when He was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb: early in the morning, after He had been buried, until the blessed Virgin took Him into some house. Between night and morning, we will reflect on the entire Passion. Afterward, instead of sensory experiences, we will consider throughout the whole day, as often as we can, how the most holy body of Jesus Christ remained separated from the soul: and where, or how it was buried: also what the solitude and desolation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, was like, and what great affliction the disciples experienced. It's worth noting that if anyone wishes to dwell longer on the Passion of Christ, they should reflect on each individual contemplation along with fewer mysteries, so that the first one only includes the Last Supper, the second the washing of the feet, the third the institution of the holy Eucharist, the fourth the sermon that followed, and so on with the others. In addition, after going through the entire Passion, you can repeat half of it the day after, and the rest the following day; on the third day, you can go through it all again at once. On the contrary, if someone prefers to spend time in contemplation, they should reflect on the Lord's Supper during the night, on the Garden at dawn, on Anna's house around Mass, at Vespers from Caiaphas's house, and from Pilate's praetorium before dinner; and thus, by continuing this way each day, they will fulfill various exercises over five days, while setting aside repetitions and the use of the senses. After going through the Passion, it would be worthwhile to reflect on the whole thing in one day, whether in a single exercise or distributed over several, as one finds more conducive to their own practice. Here are some guidelines for moderating your eating habits. The first rule is that you should abstain more from other foods than from bread, since it neither provokes the appetite as much nor makes us as susceptible to temptation. Second, you should pay more attention to moderation in drinking than in eating bread: carefully observing what amount of drink is beneficial, so that it is always taken; and what is harmful, so that it is avoided. Third, the focus should be on moderation regarding food and drink, since through these, both the desire to sin and the temptation from the enemy are greatly increased. Therefore, moderation is necessary to avoid excess, which happens in two ways: either by indulging in coarser foods or by becoming accustomed to them, or by using delicate foods sparingly. The fourth point is that the more someone limits their intake of suitable food (while avoiding the serious danger of poor health), the quicker they'll find the right measure of food and drink: for by doing this, they will better prepare themselves and more earnestly strive for perfection, occasionally sensing some rays of inner knowledge and comforting movements sent to them from above, through which they can easily discern a more suitable way of eating; and if someone, by abstaining in this way, realizes they are weaker than they should be to carry out their spiritual exercises comfortably, they will easily notice what measure of food their nature requires. Fifth, it's helpful to imagine, while eating, that we see Jesus Christ our Lord dining with His disciples, observing how He conducts Himself in eating, drinking, looking, and speaking, and proposing Him as an example for us to imitate. For it will happen that, when our minds are more occupied with such meditation than with physical food, we will learn more easily how to moderate our eating. Sixth, it's important to recognize that various meditations can be applied while eating, such as those about the lives of the saints, some pious teaching, or engaging in some spiritual work, so that, with the mind abstracted in this way, the food itself and the pleasure of eating are felt less. Seventh, you should especially be careful not to let your mind become completely absorbed in the food you’re about to eat, and not to eat greedily or in haste; rather, always keep your appetites in check, and temper both the amount of food and the manner in which you eat it. The eighth rule is that it greatly helps to eliminate the excess of food and drink if we determine beforehand, with careful consideration, the amount we will eat at meals, whether before lunch or dinner, and at any hour when we feel no hunger; and that we should never exceed this amount due to our own greed or the instigation of the enemy. Instead, we should strive to overcome both causes by reducing our intake somewhat.