isn't it? So, now we can start. That chapter today, you know, is a good kind of confirmation, you know, of what we were talking about yesterday. You know, the monastic life, starting from within me, we call it custodia codis, you know, constant, systematic, renewed attempt at wholeness.

[01:08]

Now, just in that connection, maybe I could make it a little more concrete. I've still thought about it, you know, day after day, hoping to see the difference in how you handle it. There was the basic principle was that it always builds on the distinction between choir monk and lay prophet. Those two together, I mean, make then the whole of the monastic life, but in these two Therefore, the vocation is a different vocation. The vocation of the choir monk is not the same as the vocation of the labourer. I mean, that's de facto.

[02:09]

Therefore, there are two novitiates, and there are two different preparations. The choir monk, of course, is the specific vocation of the choir monk. according to that idea and that teaching is the Opus Dei. There's that famous sentence, nothing should be preferred to the work of God. It really doesn't have that central position in the rule of St. Benedict, but I mean, it's hugely quoted as the heart of the vocation of the choir. the Opus Dei is of course the choir. That is the Opus Dei. That is also in the Solemn Idea, that is the contemplation, the essence of the contemplative life, is that the performance of the liturgical public Opus Dei.

[03:17]

Therefore also with all the external care and magnificence. That's the heart of the vocation of the choir monk. The late brother also did not take part, he assisted, he listened to it. He was not actually performing it. What he performed at my time were They are instead a substitute of our fathers and Henry's. And now in the meantime they have changed, but of course the development is going on. And then for the, therefore that was, you know, as I say, the heart of the, also the ascetical, let's say, effort of the choir monks, spiritual life of the choir of monks is centered and rooted and developed in the public liturgical Opus Dei.

[04:30]

And therefore he has that takes of course in that if you take it in that connection, you consider the great, let us say, the amount also, the external even quantity of that Opus Dei, in the way in which St. Benedict has outlined, you know, in his rule, that of course takes really, in some way, takes the whole man, especially if one goes a step further, And realize, that's of course also in St. Benedict's rule, that the mind should be in harmony with the word. The mind should be in harmony with the word. So that also is of course a law which is imposed upon the choir. It's again not, at least in my time, not for the neighbor.

[05:33]

for the monk it was St. Benedict, for the lay brother it was St. Joseph, the worker. But for the, as I say, for the monk it was the mind should be in harmony with the voice. And since that voice is of course a very difficult voice, therefore the mind of the monk is engaged in seeking this harmony down on the level of the study, down to the level of research. Therefore, this Opus Dei and the understanding of the Opus Dei also takes up the practically, really, the entire work time, what was in the Rule of St.

[06:36]

Benedict is the sign for work. That work time, that was of course the idea also in Maria Love for the choir book, that work is study. And work is study. Every year, doesn't it? We went here and there, you know, to... I told you that. Often, you know, here, there, and so on. Harvest time, you know, to put up the wheat and simply these things, you know. They always, immediately the next morning, passing by again, one could see that they all had fallen. It's because they just didn't know how to approach, you know, so they can't believe it. They thought it's going to come afterwards, and it really did. And thus... And the mentality, therefore, the mentality of the client is really the mentality of a scholar.

[07:38]

and therefore the work also. That is then, of course, the other idea, the idea of work, which is the idea which, of course, today is very widespread. I mean, for the monk in Solem or Maria Love, the work is study, the scholarship. and therefore working in this, therefore that's why he needs a cell, you know, because there he can stack the books, you know, that he needs and there he can make that whole environment which is necessary to continue constantly the study as soon as the, where he is not occupied with the choir, the actual performance of So then, of course, it said, yes, of course, that work, you know, is very, has all the qualities of the, let's say, of renunciation, and it's hard work, and it's a real effort, you know, and all that, but, of course, of the mind, you know, but then, after all, the mind, too, belongs to our body, and using our brains makes us tired, too.

[08:54]

So there was it, of course, in our day, and the priest monk is there in order to teach, and therefore his work is teaching. That is the famous thesis, you know, that Albert Butler in his study on Benedictinism always proposes. He says that the monk, of course, should work and should have that the hardships of work, but of course for the choir monk and for the priest, who after all has studied for six years and all the investment has been made in order to prepare his mind. It would be foolish not to use that investment, you know. And after all, teaching boys in a class, you know, is also hard work. And therefore, that simply in our days takes the part of what we call manual labor.

[09:58]

And that was the idea there, too. I mean, as I say, you know, the monk is essentially concerned with the work of God, and therefore it takes his entire mind to be in harmony with the world. In order to accomplish that, he needs study, and he needs all the time he has also for research, you know, or, as the Marianas for preaching in retreats, you know, also that in any way proposed the liturgical movement. See, that was of course the big thing in my love, that Abbot Ildefons always emphasized so much. See, that a Benedictine herbie, the choir monks and the line of the choir monks based on the liturgy, then also the

[11:04]

radiation of that life should be, of course, the propagation of the spirit of the liturgy. And therefore, when there is any outside activity or retreats, anything either inside the Abbey or outside the Abbey should reflect that essence of the Benedictine monk as dedicated to the liturgy. And therefore should be born and should carry and should convey what we call the liturgical spirit. And therefore should promote in that way the liturgical movement, the liturgical awakening. And that was the way which St. Robert Ildefonso conceived it. It was very good at the time, very good because a great unity, you know, to the community and a great power of radiation. Because there was this whole group of people who were united, you know, in that same thing, you know, to pre-research and to preach and say that's the classical spirit of the liturgy, you know, as the form of piety, also for the lay.

[12:24]

But in all this, as I say, the lay brothers did not have any part, because their realm was that of manual labor. From that, the monk was, for this reason, for the higher reason of this choir, that the mind should be in harmony with the work, the choir monk was acceptable, practically acceptable. But, of course, he should not be idle. I mean, there was, especially for Harvard uniforms, he couldn't stand, you know, I mean, this big monastic flower dance, you know, I mean, kind of, you know, music, as we say in Germany, you know, just, you know, kind of sit in there, spiritual factors, their spiritual factors. something going on, I mean a more dynamic approach to things and therefore not this solemn idleness, you know.

[13:32]

no dominus, you know, in the Italian Casimese monasticism, but hard work, but scholarly work, that was his idea. Intellectual work, but of course not intellectual, but serving the… and then of course, and then also as the, let us say, as the form of the inner life of the monk. which of course all is very good. From this start, out of this approach, we have of course, we take that over and we cultivate that, try to cultivate that here too. Realization that the mold, the form of our inner spiritual life as monks certainly is the sacramental world of the church, the sacraments of the church.

[14:37]

That's of course, that's very important. You know, we, I spoke yesterday, I spoke about this custodia coris and the essence, you know, of it as the death that I'm a worm and no matter what we call the zero point. That's of course absolutely true. But that is of course, that must be seen together and I think you realize that. It doesn't mean, you see, that now the individual enters the monastery and says, oh my gosh, I have to die, I have to die, I have to die, you see, or something like that. It's not in that way a kind of, how could I say, a very good, a very positive, you know, approach. And it is, of course, also not the whole thing. All when we speak about dying, we speak about dying in Christ. We do not speak about dying outside of Christ, you know, but dying in Christ.

[15:40]

That's, of course, the whole matter of the sacrament. The sacrament of baptism doesn't mean, you see, that the priest kills the infant. That's not the meaning. He doesn't go there with a slaughter knife, you see. But he immerses it into the spiritual reality of Christ's death. And that's, of course, the death of the agape, you see, of the love and secret not of home. and that has to be, absolutely has to be seen. Now, you see, in Maria Love, of course, then that, I think, has to be, again, it's a very decisive point and you must realize that and know that. Maria Love, the sacramental, the sacramental foundation of our life, you know,

[16:41]

emphasize in this way, we are through the sacraments, we are habitually rooted in Christ through the sacraments. Therefore, the main accent in our life is on this, one can say, ontological, I don't know if you understand what I mean by ontological, is the ontological sanctity that we have as Christians. The realization that we are branches of the vine. That is the important thing. We are branches of the vine through baptism. In other words, the accent in Maria Lach was, in speaking about sanctity, personal The accent was on the ontological endowment that we have through the sacraments and not through our own efforts.

[17:50]

I say it in a motion. This is what we call sanctifying grace. Every Christian has ontologically, he is another Christ. He is another Christ. And that was very much the practical accent that was put on the fact that we are on the prize, habitually. And that is, of course, in itself is very good, very true. And we have to realize that really, that our inner contact with Christ is not something that we have laboriously to kind of create out of our own nothingness. It would be impossible. No. It is, as it is said here in this marvelous prologue, which has the entire doctrine, there it says,

[18:52]

for we must always so serve him with the gifts which he has given us." With the gifts which he has given us. Now, of course, the greatest gift he has given us, the greatest gifts he always gives us, are the sacraments. It's baptism. confirmation in baptism, where the rebirth is given to us, sanctifying grace is given to us, this new inner form, Christ-likeness, a habitual Christ-likeness, beyond our actual psychological experience, because after all it's done with the children. The children have no psychological experience. The cry of the child is called, after baptism, a Christian. Therefore, something habitual, what we call habitual, something rooted in our very being, if it is psychologically experienced or not, that is secular.

[20:00]

Yet there is of course what the Adventist, of course the same with the Eucharist, the Holy Eucharist. It's the same with confirmation. Confirmation, the fullness of the Holy Spirit, is given to us as a gift. And it is from that moment on, just as we carry in us the baptismal character, what we call baptismal character, we are signati, we are signed, you know, in the likeness of Christ, interially in our being, not in our, first of all, in our experience. So also the fullness of the Holy Spirit, character of confirmation, the character of the priesthood of all the faithful also, of course, is a habit. It is something ontological. And if you consider and study the doctrine of the Church about the Eucharist, the Holy Eucharist, yes, because Holy Communion, what is Holy Communion?

[21:12]

Essentially, first of all, it's a nourishment But what is nourishment? Nourishment means adding to our substance. What is the essence of the Eucharist? It is the inner augmentation of sanctifying grace. It's the increase of sanctifying grace. And that is of course something that is beyond our, it's simply something that happens in us. It happens in us through the external act of receiving the body of Christ, the external act of communion, assisting at the sacrifice. Therefore, there is that habitual increase, you know, of me.

[22:14]

But of course, you know, there is, as much as that is true, as much as that is also, let us say, a great, gives a great consolation and assurance, you know, to the question also to the monk. Still, of course, the danger is that somebody, you know, is tempted to kind of rest on this nice pillow of his habits, you see. This pillow of sanctifying grace grows bigger and bigger just by the performance, you know, of the sacramental worship of the church. And there is, of course, the danger that it becomes something which is, because it is habitual and because our whole confidence is in our habit, you know, in sanctifying grace, our inner being, more than in our actions or in our experience,

[23:20]

There comes that danger of what, for example, Pius XII, you know, saw himself obliged, you know, to point out that the, what we call, you know, in the Maria Lager, in the liturgical movement, the terminology of the liturgical movement, this was called objectifyity, you see, in some way, objectifyity. An objective piety, that means a piety which is interiorly, habitually rooted. It does not have to be accompanied by great, you know, sentimental experiences. But of course, there is a danger. Then I say, why am I right? Because I have that objective piety. And that is, of course, the critical point, you know, for the monk, because the monk, of course, it's absolutely evident, you know, that for the Christian in the world,

[24:34]

The habitual piety, let us say, the objective piety, that means the habitual, the sanctifying grace, his ontological union with Christ, is a tremendous consolation and is a tremendous need. But monasticism, of course, you know, is on another level. Monasticism is on the level of actuation, you see, not on the level of the habitual. But it is absolutely, it stands on the actuation. For the monk, you know, the monk, it has to be actual. That is the fullness of the spirit. If you read that here, you know, the Prologue, then you can see that right away. He that walketh without blindness, that means has this constant, what we call custodia codis, the custody of the heart, and which is then, for which the external sign, for example, is the custody of the eyes.

[25:45]

You see? That is an act. That is an actual effort. You can't do it while you're sleeping. Then for that you simply have, and that's the whole thing here of Saint Benedict, you know, that he says, you know, now it's the hour for us to rise from sleep. Now what is that sleep? That sleep is of course the trust in our habitual equipment, you know, of grace that we get through the sacrament. But the monk rises from that sleep, you know. He goes, his whole thing is As long as the day lasts, and even in the night, actually the attention to the love of Christ, the actual attention, that's the very ideal of monastic perfection. And therefore that is, you see, the important thing to know also for us.

[26:56]

That's the... Of course, in Marianna you must say that too. It's a very important thing, of course, that we consider and it's a very important step into the direction of actuation that in Marianna the sacrament was always considered as a Mysterium. Now, what is a Mysterium? A Mysterium is an action, a sacred action. Therefore, for example, the accent is not on the, for example, in the Holy Eucharist, the accent is not on the sacramental presence. That is the one kind of inner thing and inner difficulty I had, you know, with the little brothers of Jesus. thing, and he explained that certainly this whole thing, that movement of the little brothers of Jesus, is an actuation.

[28:07]

There's no doubt about it. It's a witness, a real witness. These people cannot sleep on the pillow, on the cushion of their habits. but they really go out into action. But somehow, you know, unfortunately, it's all centered on the sacramental practices. Of course, that was, in my line, of course, the whole liturgical movement. Unfortunately, I think that really the church as a whole, you know, because the accent on the on the sacramental presence was developed in this, let us say, critical way in the Western Church, not in the Eastern Church. You notice that there too, you see that the little brothers, you know, take the, say, yes, in every country we take the right of the country. Therefore in Pakistan we take the Malabar right.

[29:10]

But the first thing they do is, what the Malabar Rite does not have, put the tabernacle on the altar, which doesn't belong to the Rite. The typical Western, you know, Latin attitude, you know, that, oh, we have made big progress, I mean, since maybe the Eastern Breton years. Fine, you know, we take the right of the people and so on, we are, but of course they missed up on this cult of the sacramental presence. They missed up on that. They didn't get the whole door. we have now to bring it to them. Therefore, we have the little chapel and a little chapel, a little hole, and in front of that hole, there is the preacher with the book, you see, so that you have the book and at the same time you can look and walk at the tabernacle. Of course, that's not the meaning, I mean, of the tabernacle at all. I mean, in all honor and glory, you see, but

[30:15]

because the sacrament of the Eucharist was not instituted for the sacramental presence, but it was instituted for the action, and it culminates in a meal. Our Lord said not, look at this, because this is my body, but he said, eat this, because it's my body. It's the only thing that makes sense. You don't see anything anyhow there. So, the That's the difficulty, and that I must say, of course, in my life for that reason was the accent was not on the sacramental presence. Why? Because the sacramental presence then, you see, is there he is, and here am I, and now I adore him, or I speak to him in prayer. But of course, that's not. The Blessed Sacrament is instituted, you know, in the two species of body and blood.

[31:16]

For what reason, you see? Because it is the making present again of the death of Christ. So it's an action. It's an action. Of course, to my mind, nothing has done more to alienate, especially in those countries where the sacramental presence is the whole Eucharist. to alienate the male part of the congregation, the mid, because the men are not made for this kind of kneeling down and the doorway. But the men are always in that way out for action, naturally. This is of course the very nature of our And therefore the fact, you know, that in Loyola, by the whole liturgical movement, what we call the mystery aspect of the sacraments was so emphasized.

[32:17]

In this way to say, a sacrament is a sacred action. Therefore it is something where you have to cooperate. efforts of the rhetorical movement, for example, the emphasis on the offertory that the people comments and offer, that they take a part in it. Of course, the offering is not really the essential part, but I mean it's a preparation for it. Of course, why is the sacramental action of the sacrifice preceded by the word? to mobilize the mind, but for the action, because what is announced in the Gospels, if not the actions of Christ? So, in every miracle of Christ, what is it? It's an anticipated resurrection, every miracle, the meaning of it.

[33:19]

Therefore, it's all geared, the cult of the church is geared to action, to the redemptive action of Christ and the participation in Christ's redemptive action. That means that the heart of sacramental worship is sacrifice. That is the reason why here we stand around the altar. And the altar as such, not with a tabernacle on it, Because then they would distract the attention of the fact that the altar is a place, it's not complete without the action. It's there waiting for the sacrament. That's the altar. But if you put the tabernacle on it, then of course the altar is filled, so to speak, with the sacramental priest. I mean, you don't misunderstand me, I don't deny, you know, the fact of the sacramental presence at all.

[34:25]

But the question is, what is the practical role of the sacrament in the lives of Christians? And it is not there for adoration, but it is there for co-sacrificing. That's why we speak of the Christian as a priest. And then, of course, I say that because you can see from that, you see that already in the saying, the tendency, the approach to the sacramental sphere, to the sacramental world, was on the line of action, not on the line simply of contemplation. The line of action, the con, the co-sacrifice, entering into the sacrifice of Christ. Therefore, through death into life.

[35:26]

And in that way, the sacraments are then the form of our ascetical life. And of course also of the life of God. It is important, just for the monk it is important, to recognize and to see this actual character of the sacraments. Yes. Dying with Christ and rising with Christ. Offering with Christ and reigning with And that is the essence of our monastic life. But, then of course, you know, that leads also to, for the monk, every moment of his life in the monastery should be, that's the aim, that's the goal, should be the actual participation in Christ's death and resurrection.

[36:34]

There is space, absolutely. And so, therefore, the important question then, you see, Yes, and that is, of course, that is the thing that I would like so much, and I think that every novice here who enters into life absolutely has to learn. He doesn't, you know, he's not, he's just caught for life. That's the, that he does, you know, that is where the school comes in, you know, the school He does constantly, for example, as soon as he realizes that he is thrown off, you know, that he is out on the periphery, you see, that he has lost the contact, the actual contact with the altar, you know, that he returns.

[37:37]

Of course, you see, that is the reason, you see, why we say, what is this return? What is this? And there, we put it this way, it's a return into Christ's love for me. And that is of course, if you notice there, that is the positive formula, you see, for I am a worm, you see, and not man. I am a beast, you know, because it clearly indicates here what is the only way of entering into the peace of Christ, you know, is stop worrying yourself, you know, stop, you know, kind of, you know, try to do it all yourself. entering into the peace of Christ is simply here that my whole strength lies in the fact that Christ has taken me on. That is the picture of that is St.

[38:40]

John the Evangelist at the first Mass that our Lord celebrates there at the Last Supper to rest at the rest of the Lord there, you know, to marvel at the fact that I am the disciple whom the Lord loves. I couldn't tell why, because I don't see in me, you know, I mean, I see in me a thousand reasons for the Lord not loving Although I do not see any reason why he loves me, I know I am a thief, he loves me. He loves me. And of course, his answer is, he said, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. Therefore, they are not puffed up on account of their good works, but judging that they can do no good of themselves.

[39:47]

You see, that is the death. Then is that becoming the world. And that all comes from God. That's the resurrection in faith. Can't do anything of myself. All comes from God. And then they really magnify the Lord's work in them. Magnify the Lord's work in them. To thy name give glory and not unto us. of God. Then you see the circle and then you have also the praises of God. But of course the difficulty is, you know, of the need is absolute necessity is that the monk who sees these connections, that he really

[40:50]

takes his monastic life in that way from, I can say, from day to day, from hour to hour, from minute to minute, you know, there I would say systematically train himself to die to himself and to rise to Christ. And that means to return into the peace of Christ. And anyway he gets excited and a storm rises on the lake, you know, No more gets panicky. And for heaven's sake, don't improvise now. Don't improvise. Don't just, you know, kind of work around it on any system. But be absolutely clear what's the first step to do. Leave all the difficulties and all the old panic, you know, and go and rest at the, just at the breast of the Lord. in this absolutely, you love me.

[41:51]

That is my own security. You see, that is of course, that's a real death, but it isn't a suicide, you know. That isn't cutting your throat, you know. That's only shedding the old man, thank God, you know, if something right away, something new is there. It's like the, like the, the butterfly that comes out of the, what is it? Cuckoo. Cuckoo. Out of the cuckoo. And therefore it's so important, for example, that if somebody, these things, of course, go and are, They are practical, of course. The monastic life as such, you know, constantly offers these instances. For example, one instance is Correction.

[42:53]

That's why St. Benedict says if somebody comes to the monastery, the first thing is, hit him over the head. But for God's reason does he do that, because he says, I got this, it's the beginning of the whole business. This beginning has to have the whole thing in it, you know. Of course, what is the whole thing? That somebody really is able to die in taking Correction. Because if somebody else tells you, you see, you are wrong in that, then really the death of the old fellow becomes actual. Otherwise, you can die a thousand deaths, you know, let us say, for yourself, and still be quite pleased, quite happy. But if somebody else, you know, You really are faced with it. That's the full square gospel. We had a tremendous thing with the Action Française.

[44:21]

And the Action Française, you know, was that ultra-French nationalist, monarchist movement, you know, extreme conservative, but really a predecessor of fascism. And the whole community of Sorrento was deeply involved, you know, in that, when the pious, at every level, you know, Obey the action of ourselves, you know. And the church was great to us. We represented, you know, surrender sometimes, left Rome, together with others. You know, Cardinal Bido, for example, too. That was the end. So, I mean, one can see there is that, and I don't think that every monastery in the congregation surrenders. There are many shades, too. But on the whole, that is the line. That's on the whole is the line. Of course, that's again, you know, evidence in the Council today. The two, and we have the Council there, and we have the Foyle, and we are the two who, without any compromise, you know, absolutely keep the lack there.

[45:34]

Just as is. Why? Because otherwise the glory and charm goes to waste. So, I mean, not only that, but also the unity of the The Roman church is bound up with that performance of the public prayer of the church. And that public prayer of the church has to be removed, you know, really, from the laity. It cannot go into the everyday life, you see. It would lose life. It would be diluted and it would, you know, in the end, you know, kind of, you know, get all mixed up with the world. And all that, therefore, the puritas, you know, of that liturgy that breeds also the puritas and stability absolutely of the Latin language. Now, those two were the main defenders, you know, of the Latin language.

[46:37]

Why, of course, the bishops were, for example, the German bishops as embodied, completely united against it. Why? Because they are there are completely different tendencies. There is the realization why we are all the people of God, for belief takes part in the divine. The divine is mostly of such a kind that the deity can take Because it's against the, you see, all these abstractions, you know. I guess there is, for example, there is an abbey, you know, that's solemn, you see, there are 80 priests. 80. Don't do a thing in that, I mean, in a funeral, I don't know. In the way, you see, of life. And because we are people, we don't have to pay anybody for a dozen cents.

[47:37]

Because here, we do this thing here in the name of the churches. And this choir, you see this work, you know. And they speak to the poor by offering this service, you see, than they would do if they would speak, you know, to a beggar. And that is, of course, you know, today, the whole idea, of course, which we are moving in that direction, is not yet in that way, but the Jewish bishops, of course, what they want, they say, it's nonsense to say that the priest, you know, who sits in a dirty chair in a rectory, between 11 and 12 o'clock at night and with this briefer and read it and that is the official preamble. Nobody in the parish has any interest or knowledge about it, and there he sits and produces the official stamp, which we don't have a terrible time doing, because it's in an admirable standard.

[48:54]

And instead of that, you know, they get together in the morning with the priest and the people, get together perhaps again at noon, Again, you know, those who are today will be a master and get together in the evening and have that in the church and give the people an opportunity to take part in it. That is the direction which, so to say, the Nordic mind is working these days.

[49:25]

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