Now we come to the third point of our considerations. Christ has gone home to his Father, but he has not left us orphans. He has sent us the Spirit of Truth to witness to him in our hearts, first through faith, The same God who made light shine out of darkness has came to lighten our hearts, whose shining is to make known his glory as he has revealed it in the face of Christ Jesus. And then through prayer. I pointed out this afternoon One of the greatest and most important things in our community life at the present time is to counteract the lack of attendance at vigils, which has become a discouraging feature of our life.

[01:09]

And the second point, that connection, is the, I would say, the enlivening of the very process, formal procedure of our liturgical common prayer. When you get together, every one of you has a psalm, he has a word of teaching, he has a revelation, He has a glossary, he has a commentary. But all these things should be done for the edification of all, as St. Paul continues, because God is not a God of dissension but of peace. as I teach, St.

[02:13]

Paul adds so beautifully, as I teach all over in all the churches of the saints. So that concerns the way in which we celebrate the divine office. Now the last part is that of the community life, Caritas, may we follow that word of St. Peter, that we have hospitality, this morning's word from the epistle, that love in that way, that agape starts just as in us, just as it started, so to speak, in our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us when we were still his enemies. who did not come to this earth to pick out the raisins, you know, from this cake of humanity. But he went and he laughed when we were still his enemies.

[03:20]

And so in some way that is also in the monastery. The monastery is a place where love starts. Now one can say from stranger to stranger. It doesn't start from one who is sympathetic to the other is sympathetic. It doesn't start as it starts in the world from husband to wife, brother to brother, friend to friend. It starts from stranger to stranger because then is when we are in the monastery. God has called us together. The Holy Spirit has called us together. We didn't have... any power over this process of getting together, and therefore we are together with all kinds of people, those whom we like and those whom we don't. We must keep that in mind. That's important. Don't take it too seriously.

[04:23]

So, therefore, as our faith is a light out of darkness, a prayer is a word out of weakness, and therefore done in the power of the Holy Spirit, so our love also, because it's love through Christ in the Holy Spirit, starts in that same, one can say, zero point, naturally speaking. Now, in this whole question of the community life, one maybe could speak about just a little in our present situation. The one question, so to speak, is the position of the abbot. And we all agree, and that must be the principle of our community life, that the abbot is not primus in the Paris, but he is truly father. He is source, the source of the community life. Source of the community life as the representative of Christ.

[05:40]

Therefore, he is, in that way, a sacramental tradition. For the community, through their obedience, through their allegiance, they receive the Spirit in a special way, who cries in us, Abba, Father. The difference between a parish and a monastery. We speak of this word about, which is so significant, my home parish. That's exactly true. I mean, in some way, the parish is an organization of various homes around the parish church. But it is a parish, in that way, it's a neighborly organization. and therefore it has a different makeup. The monastery is not that way. The monastery community comes and is formed, the monk answering a special call to leave his home in order to serve God alone who calls him away to a city whose founder and architect is God.

[06:51]

That is the characteristic thing of the monastery, a city whose founder and architect is God. The structure of the world is different. There are many in a parish, and for everyone who lives in a parish, there are many allegiances, many various obligations. There is not that simplicity and unity and clarity that we and that the monk, the monarchos, is striving for. There is a conflict of authorities. There is a civil authority and there is a spiritual authority. And that spiritual authority in many ways may compete or may disagree with the political authority. And then immediately also this spiritual authority, ecclesiastical authority, essentially also an administrative authority, and therefore surrounded with the, you want to say, the dignity and the authority of such of an administrative authority.

[08:00]

And therefore, So much and so often it is darkened by ambiguity. We see the difficulty the church has in this world with her official clerical organization to steer clear of the political situation. And very often, and through long stretches of history, this has not been achieved, and even today is not being achieved. That is one of the reasons for the difficulty of stating anything about freedom of conscience, as we just heard the other day. A monk enters a monastery to, in some way, to make it easier, clearer, that first thing of every Christian, to seek first the kingdom of God. To seek first the kingdom of God.

[09:01]

The monk is a witness to the entire church of a Christian who, through his way of life, wants to escape as much as possible this ambiguity. to seek first the kingdom of God. And therefore, it is necessary, therefore, that the monastic authority, he also, in some ways, steers clear from the political, the splendor and power of political authority, but also from the public character of the legitimate clerical authority of the Church. The abbot, in his whole behavior, in the way in which he exercises his authority, must make it clear that his authority is a spiritual one.

[10:06]

He has an obligation to give witness to the power of the Spirit. And therefore, that is why people come to a monastery. They trust an abbot. That's why an abbot is elected, and why the community elects somebody who is first in the Word of God, who is able to give the example, who is able to give the doctrina, all these things that make the spiritual man. And therefore, base clearly the monastic authority on the spirit and that is true and that is absolutely it follows out seems to me the whole way you know of the of the in which the kingdom of god has been founded here on earth by our lord jesus christ That is, the monastery gives witness to that kind of authority that our Lord exercised over his church and over man in last analysis through his death on the cross, which is the extreme opposite to the way in which any kind of political authority would have asserted itself.

[11:31]

So there is therefore deeply embedded in the life of the monastery the vertical line of the obedience of the Son. But of course the Son is a person, and as a person the Son therefore has a dignity of his own. Father, let this chalice pass. but not my will, but thy will be done. That is the classical clear expression of filial obedience and of that obedience which is irreplaceable and lives as long as this church stands and for which all Christians have to be witnesses, but in a very It's clear why the monks have to be witnesses to that. And therefore that in the rule, the chapter on if a monk is confronted with impossible orders is a translation into practical monastic term of this prayer of our Lord.

[12:50]

We have spoken about that. already very often, but still we have constantly come to be back to us. Therefore, again I say, the authority of the abbot of a spiritual kind therefore does not have either in his external expression the trimmings of political power or glory. and because his authority is essentially spiritual and paternal and demanding filial appeal. That means practically, and that are the things that we have been discussing also in the circle of the solemnly professed, the problem how to express also in the external way that closeness which the abbot has and which unites him to the monastic family.

[13:53]

For example, very evident becomes very evident in the seating arrangements and in the refectory and in the chapel. We have just the other day spoken about that and the possibilities how to do that here in a practical way, but there are also the seating arrangement in the chapel. We are still, I mean, thinking and working on that. Now, I would say this, if it comes out, turns out that way, that, for example, In the chapel, perhaps the necessities and needs of a reasonable arrangement with a community and with the lay people present and the question of their receiving community and so on, you see, would... would make it desirable that the abbot goes to where, for example, takes his seat on the right side, you know, and that the center thing would be left open, then I would say don't immediately interpret that in the wrong way and say there goes the authority of the abbot.

[15:06]

It only is now that people say, look, don't say that. That's not the question. It is that our simple thing in all practical things, and especially there in the chapel, there are so many different points of views and needs that go together, and it is difficult to find an arrangement that is really satisfactory. And we do that, but not at the expense of principle, not at the expense of the spirit. Then the other question is, and that is so important, you know, In connection with this closeness, it is, I think, very important that we see that the special way in which authority is handled in a spiritual community, that not only in the external seating arrangement, there is a kind of, how would I say, central position but still closeness expressed.

[16:18]

But then this closeness is also expressed in some way in the spiritual seating arrangement, you know, of a community. And that, to my mind, is the reason why St Benedict, in the 21st chapter, speaks about the deans, speaks about it, you know, that the abbot has those who cooperate with him, and in that way, are those who, say, bring about, or are the transition, are the bridge between the abbot and the community, bring about that closeness. Now, the strange thing is really that in points, for example, like this, as far as I can see, from a historical point of view, The rule of St. Benedict, not only in this point, but to other respects too, seems to me never had a chance in the history, the development of Western monasticism, as strange as that may sound, but still it is a fact.

[17:31]

For example, there's a range of our deans, there was that, because there might be something true to it. The position of the prior, you know, and so on, was maybe firmly established already in monasteries when the rule of St. Benedict was brought in. As you know, there are not many monasteries that really were based on the rule of St. Benedict and founded on the rule of St. Benedict. The great majority of all monasteries in the West were not founded on the rule of St. Benedict. but the role of Saint Ben was introduced in an already existing organism, in an already existing order, as one element, but together with many other elements. And if you go later on into history, after once, let us say, the mess has started in that way, it never ended, you know. It was always another difficult situation to meet, and that always was one of the things

[18:34]

which encouraged and made me interior still, makes me interiorly so happy with regard, for example, to Mount Seville. There is a possibility, you know, of really kind of giving the rule of St. Wendig in its essential aspects, you know, for example, also in this Act of Dean, a possibility, a chance, you know, and here's a community. who is willing to do that, and young enough to do that. Deo gratias. And then there is, outside of the Deans, there are the Endless Return in Chapter 27. There are those, St. Benedict speaks about, seasoned monks, you know, wise monks, who, for example, if a difficulty arises between the abbot and one of the subjects, and maybe there is a kind of estrangement or something like that, but there they are, you know, as kind of people who will restore and make the connection and act as ambassadors of goodwill, you see, in both.

[19:47]

So we can see that the rule of Zen being does not consider the authority of the habit of something that remains somewhere high above in a vacuum, but is a living thing that has its roots and has its kind of spiritual structure through the whole thing. But what I wanted to talk about tonight in a special way is that mutual relation to one another, you see, which I think, which we, I speak about it because we have started some of these things. We have started this kind of attempt, you know, in this direction of the Révision de Vie. Why have we started this? Because this law of the spirit that is expressed so clearly in various texts, and I just would like to read them to you, is not only something that is an ideal for the early church, but also for the monastic life, because the monastic life is a definite and deliberate attempt

[21:15]

to maintain the spirit of the apostolic church, that specific witness of the apostolic church. And if you look there into the apostolic church, then you see that constantly there's one to another, one another, you see, that mutuality of relations. What is to be done then, brethren, St. Paul says in the first Corinthians, when you assemble, I read this already to you, each one has a psalm, or he has an instruction, or a revelation, or a language of his own, or an interpretation. Now let everything be done for edification. That's there. There is that mutual, you see, that mutual activity. And then you take Colossians 11, 17. And that starts with that basic sentence, which also has a great influence on the rule of St.

[22:24]

Benedict. In it there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, or foreigners, or Scythians, or slave, or free man, But Christ is all in all. Put on, therefore, as chosen ones of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, mildness, long-suffering. Bear with one another, forgive one another, if one has complained against anybody. Just as the Lord forgave you, so you also should do. And over all these put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Let the peace of Christ, to which also you are called in one body, be supreme controller in your hearts, and be grateful. Let the word of the Christ dwell in you in rich abundance with all wisdom. while you teach and admonish one another in psalms, in hymns, spiritual canticles, singing with grace in your hearts to God.

[23:34]

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Or take the epistle of today, 1 Peter 4, 7 to 11. 1 Peter 4, 7 to 11. But the end of all is approaching. That is the eschatological situation. That's our situation. Be prudent, therefore, and vigilant in prayer. That's vigilant, what we spoke about. But before everything, have earnest love among yourselves. For love covers a multitude of sins. That means be hospitable to one another without grumbling. According as each has received a gift employed for the benefit of one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

[24:36]

See, that's a very important sentence. According as each has received a gift employed for the benefit of one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. It's about that charism that we mentioned this afternoon. If anyone speaks, let him speak as delivering prophecies of God. If anyone ministers, let it be as by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to him be glory and empire throughout the eternal ages. Amen. Now, there are Now, that's a beautiful thing of Philippians. Maybe we take that for the end. But there is that maturity, and that is what I think is, it is not so as if the rule of St.

[25:39]

Benedict would be in that way as some people mentioned just not long ago in talking about these things. Yes, the Holy Spirit and so on, that's in Eastern monasticism. In Western monasticism, it is more the Father. Now, I would say that because that was done and that was mentioned in relation with the problem of the revision of the V. And you remember that we came a while in talking about it, we came across this problem. Should the superior be there or should he not be there? Now, I came there to the conclusion, it may be good sometimes if he is not there, it may be good sometimes if he is there. That is, now the ideal, the ideal state of things, I would say, is that if people get together in this way, that the abbot is there.

[26:39]

But sometimes the abbot may be not, you see, I mean, have certain limitations that, let's say, who say, make people reticent or something like that, you know, however you want to interpret it, you know. But in that way, the abbot simply should be there for the greater common good. The spirit of the thing is clear. Spiritually, and let us say essentially in the inner order of things, the abbot should be there, you see, in spirit. I mean, in the attitude of his sons, he should be there, you see. But it might be good, you know, too, if he is there in the body. And maybe we come to the point where there is absolutely not an obstacle for anybody, you see, for a group. So then this, if I would say, the Eastern monasticism, the Western monasticism, or the abbot, but certainly in Western monasticism,

[27:50]

the avid not, let us say, at the exclusion of this one another relation that so clearly characterizes the early apostolic communities, of which also Saint Benedict wanted his community of monks to be an imitation. And therefore St. Benedict, in chapter 71, speaks that this whole thing of obedience should not be a thing that is only between the brethren and the abbot, but also from brother to brother. And in chapter 72, to my mind, is a clear reflection. It simply is a way in which St. Benedict tries to catch the spirit of just these various quotations from Saint-Paul that I have given you a moment before. Catch that spirit.

[28:53]

The zelus bonus is the perfect bond, the bond of perfection. And therefore that mutual relation in that way also is there. But it should be then practiced in groups, in the various groups, among the novices, among the children, among the solemnly professed, in a meeting in which people have an admonition for one another, in which people have a word of edification for one another, in which people face certain problems of their spiritual progress as a group and as a body. To my mind, that is a thing which can be of great value. You know that, for example, I'm so often confronted, and I told you before, where this whole business of the vertical and the horizontal comes so much into play, and that is the question of correction, the question of correction.

[29:59]

Now there is, for example, there is that I always go across it in my perspective that people tell me about this or that without mentioning names. Then, of course, the next thing is one gives a general admonition. but this general admonition is then maybe not, you know, heeded by those who may most need it, you know, they may not apply it to themselves. So, outside of general admonitions, certainly individual admonitions are needed. The rule prescribes it in this way. First, the average should one or twice, you know, confront the individual with this. If the individual doesn't react, he should bring the thing before the whole community. If he then doesn't react, then there must be some kind of excommunication. That would be then the logical conclusion.

[31:00]

And so there is a certain, let us say, certain steps. I would say, in the spirit of what we have talked about, you know, it would, because the abbot doesn't know very often, you see, I mean, especially if he lives in a chicken coop. LAUGHTER No, you see, then he faces this thing, nobody tells him any names. Why? Well, that's the noble spirit of avoiding tattletailing. And I respect that. It's a good thing, you see. But if you don't want to do that, and I can understand why you don't want to do it, absolutely. then you have the obligation to confront your brother, you see, in private first, let us say, with a thing that you see, you know, and that you think is important. Therefore, to act for every individual monk, I told you that very often in the past, according to the word of St.

[32:09]

Paul again, loquimor veritatem unus quisque comproximo sur, Let us speak the truth, every one with his neighbor. Why? Because we are members to one another. And that is necessary, that the whole spirit of the monastery may be pervaded, you know, with the spirit of truth. The cooperation of every single member of the monastery is needed. If you want the superior to speak the truth to one another, to certain brothers, you must have the courage, too, to speak the truth to one another. And maybe that, in many cases, is much better, if you speak the truth to one another. If you don't get anywhere that way, you see, then to think that what is in question is an important business for the entire community and the brother to whom you have spoken doesn't give you anything, then to my mind you are absolutely justified, just as the abbot is justified to bring a name into public if he has spoken to a brother and he has gotten no response.

[33:29]

So I think in that way then, too, a brother in the community is perfectly justified, is not tattletailing, is after he has made on his level, on the level of mutual charity and fraternal correction, his efforts, but hasn't reached anywhere, you see, not to make a dent. Then to go to the superiors and say, now, I have tried to do something. I think this is an important thing, you see, for the whole community, and therefore I bring it to your attention. I think that is not tabloiding. That is simply going through the organic process, you know, and helping the life of truth in a conflict. And that is what I would very much recommend, really, to you to act accordingly, because you cannot allow and let the superior move constantly and only in an atmosphere of, let us say, anxiously protected anonymity.

[34:39]

That is not possible. And on the other hand, you see, you cannot, of course, not do this tattletailing. You see something, then right away you run to the superior. You shouldn't do that either. That's no good. But what you should do is, if you see something, then act in your own spiritual responsibility right on the spot in fraternal charity. If it doesn't, after two attempts, doesn't help, you know, and the thing remains the same, then to my mind you are absolutely justified. If it is in your opinion and your responsible judgment an important thing to bring it to the attention of the superior, and in that way let it go, then it's ordered way. But it seems to me it's still... In some way, maybe still more important, you know, to continue in some way this mutual confrontation in community.

[35:49]

I would really recommend that still. It is not something that is, let us say, against the superior and against the authority of the abbot, I'm absolutely ready, for example, a group, you know, expresses the desire, now you do that, you know, like to do that, in your presence, or in the presence of the junior master, or the novice, fine, there will be no, there's no difficulty, see, because that's a service that then the authority gives, an obligation, you know, to do it, to do it that way, and it might be a good thing, and certainly is in the spirit of the ruler. But still, I think that this, what we call the Eurovision, will be this kind of a mutual talking over certain things, you know, in peace that seem to impede or be obstacles for the spiritual.

[36:59]

Progress seems to be a good thing. So let us realize, and I think we realize that also together in connection with this little day of recollection, let us realize that again we are We live as one. We are one family, you know. We live together. We die together. We conquer together. We are defeated together. We rise and we fall together. and we have realised that so much and in the future we'll still realise it more. But I think it's at the same time it gives us a feeling of tremendous strength and of great joy if that common spirit on this level of mutual service through the good word, through the word of admonition, All the good gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us, the readiness to serve, the mutual service.

[38:03]

And we said the other day, for example, that readiness to serve, to volunteer, for example, in the kitchen and dishwashing and things like that. All that is of enormous importance. But we are simply here together to help one another to salvation. That is a beautiful little word. I haven't given it to you before, but one cannot have it often enough. That let us close then. If then, St. Paul says in his epistle to the Philippians, and as you know, the Philippians were the ones whom he loved so dearly. in the second chapter, if then you wish to give me any consolation in Christ, if any solace of charity, if any fellowship in the Spirit, if any tender heartedness and pity, fill up my joy by being one in thought, one in heart, one in soul, one in mind.

[39:16]

Do nothing through party spirit or through vain glory. On the contrary, let each with humility consider the other as better than himself, and let each have in view not only his own interests, but also those of others. I'm closing the little prayer and just somebody putting to...

[39:49]

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