Garcia Moreno – Model of a Catholic Statesman. Gabriel Garcia Moreno, President of Ecuador (1861-1865, 1869-1875)
The “rule” of Garcia Moreno found after his death in his pocket.
The discipline and piety that governed the life of Gabriel Garcia Moreno is best revealed in the brief rule of life he wrote on the last page of his Imitation of Christ, a book he always kept with him. It was found in his pocket after his death. The rule reads:
1.“Every morning when saying my prayers I will ask especially for humility. Every day I will hear Mass, say the Rosary and will read, besides, a chapter from the Imitation, this Rule and the instruction added to it.
2.“I will endeavor to keep myself as much as possible in the presence of God, especially during conversations that I might not exceed in words. I will often offer my heart to God, principally before beginning any actions.
3.“Every hour I will say to myself: ‘I am worse than a demon and hell should be my dwelling place.’ In temptations I will add: ‘What would I think of this in my last agony?’
4.“In my room, never to pray sitting when I can do so on my knees or standing.
5.“Practice daily little acts of humility, as kissing the ground.
6.“To rejoice when I or my actions are censured. Never to speak of myself except to avow my faults or defects.
7.“To make efforts, by thinking of Jesus and Mary, to restrain my impatience and go against my natural inclinations. 8.“To be kind to all, even with the importunate, and never to speak ill of my enemies.
9.“Every morning before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business, and to continue it with zeal and perseverance.
10.“I will scrupulously observe the law of justice and truth, and have no intentions in all my actions save the greater glory of God…
11.“I will go to confession every week…
12.“I will never pass more than an hour in any amusement, and in general never before 8 o’clock in the evening.”
All who knew him affirmed how conscientiously and scrupulously Garcia Moreno followed these resolutions.
The “rule” of Garcia Moreno found after his death in his pocket.
The discipline and piety that governed the life of Gabriel Garcia Moreno is best revealed in the brief rule of life he wrote on the last page of his Imitation of Christ, a book he always kept with him. It was found in his pocket after his death. The rule reads:
1.“Every morning when saying my prayers I will ask especially for humility. Every day I will hear Mass, say the Rosary and will read, besides, a chapter from the Imitation, this Rule and the instruction added to it.
2.“I will endeavor to keep myself as much as possible in the presence of God, especially during conversations that I might not exceed in words. I will often offer my heart to God, principally before beginning any actions.
3.“Every hour I will say to myself: ‘I am worse than a demon and hell should be my dwelling place.’ In temptations I will add: ‘What would I think of this in my last agony?’
4.“In my room, never to pray sitting when I can do so on my knees or standing.
5.“Practice daily little acts of humility, as kissing the ground.
6.“To rejoice when I or my actions are censured. Never to speak of myself except to avow my faults or defects.
7.“To make efforts, by thinking of Jesus and Mary, to restrain my impatience and go against my natural inclinations. 8.“To be kind to all, even with the importunate, and never to speak ill of my enemies.
9.“Every morning before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business, and to continue it with zeal and perseverance.
10.“I will scrupulously observe the law of justice and truth, and have no intentions in all my actions save the greater glory of God…
11.“I will go to confession every week…
12.“I will never pass more than an hour in any amusement, and in general never before 8 o’clock in the evening.”
All who knew him affirmed how conscientiously and scrupulously Garcia Moreno followed these resolutions.