The Rule of Life

reproofs, injuries, calumnies, labors, pains, destitution, auster- ity, and other situations like these. Out of the love of God you will carry out in a most perfect way your exercises, duties, jobs entrusted to you, and whatever concerns your state and voca- tion. You will consecrate to divine Love all of your entire life, daily actions and sufferings, and each and every moment, par- ticulars, circumstances, changes. Each and every action and suffering by due submission, confidence, and piety [will be consecrated] for all eternity on the altar of love, by a pure heart joined to the merits of Christ the Lord, His Immaculate Mo- ther, all of the Saints, and the universal Church. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength“ (cf. Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37) This, which Divine Wisdom wanted to be most recommended in both [Old and New] Testaments, (cf. Mk 12:30, Lk 10:27) should be your common rule and the safest way to heaven. 4. Concerning mutual love: let it be known that the one who excels in mutual love is more dear to the Divine Majesty. Each of you should keep in mind that the soul of his Institute is love, and to the extent that he withdraws from love, he with- draws from life. Therefore, even as he will promote the good, reputation, integrity and holiness of the whole Congregation, so he will render to the individual members of this same Congre- gation all those things, which he would wish for himself. And so he will avoid this contagious disease very opposed to love: envy, hatred, rancor, rivalry, suspicion, calumny, exclusive at- tachment, antipathy, jealousy, secret accusation, jeering, whis- pering, verbal abuse, annoyance, ambition, contempt for others, disturbances, agitations, quarrels, contentions. As he will watch over the tranquility of his own spirit, so the zealous guardian of love will also give great care to guarding the tranquility of oth- ers and of the whole house. He will suitably drive away any evil both from the whole Congregation and from each of its mem- bers. Call to mind the love of the early Church, about which the writer of the Acts of the Apostles says, “The community of believers were of one heart and one mind” (cf. Acts 4:32). 15