I want to remind you, you know, as time is now between the transfiguration and the presumption, having us the light, the face of our Lord Jesus Christ, the inner, and say, inner and essential personal manifestation of the Father's glory, the Father's love for us, then is that correspondence that makes the inner mystery of glory between the Father and the Son see one another's faces, as it were, rejoicing in the power, then, of the Holy Spirit. And they are then, and that is, it seems, the face of the Lord that shines from within, the essential glory, figura, substantiaeus.

[01:08]

And then is there the garment, the white garment, white as snow, that is, he's clothed in that. It's part of him, but it's not his very essence. And that cloak, these white garments, that is the external, the outside, the created manifestation and sharing and communication of his glory. And there is the highest of those, the garment, one may say the woman, clothed in the sun, Our Lady, the first of all redeemed and the crown of glory of this creation and in her we rejoice as church belonging to her and she as our mother

[02:19]

as the mother of the humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose body we are, really. And the Feast of the Assumption. And in all that, in this beautiful season of the year, we say, now let us look a little in the light of glory in this deeply and absolutely positive thing, light, you know, the light of the one of whom St. Paul says there is no no in him. He is yes and amen. I think that is so important that we get, I think that's our specific objective, as monks, and meaning of the contemplative life.

[03:25]

And we, too, with Our Lady, who is in some ways the archetype there of the contemplative life as it's lived in the church, the Magnificat, that is the song of her inner glory, the song that she sings and that we sing with her. And she, therefore, as the figure, as the type of the contemplative life, and that's why in the Gospels is Mary sitting at the feet of the Savior, that we, as monks, you know, devoted and pledged, attracted and loving, this inner sanctuary of the church, of Christianity, of the world, that we really, now that we get, that we drink from this fountain, that we let this light into our hearts, so that the concepts that are connected with it as

[04:44]

glory and dignity, light, you know, that they all become living realities in us. That is so important. And that is really the basis of the service of the Spirit, a glorious thing, or the service of the Spirit in glory. That is in a very special way, that is really, that is the service of the Lord in this world, the service of the Spirit in glory. And then naturally that we do that, first of all, we do it in a song of praise. That is the first, Ministry of the Spirit in and for glory.

[05:47]

And I wanted today, I may just try it, you know, I don't know, we have to pray through the Holy Spirit and it goes right, because it's a long song, you know, and so I can of course easily kind of get stuck in it. Psalm 103, you know, is that psalm which, you know, is part, an essential part of our ministry of the Spirit in glory. And it is a psalm in which we really actually take part in the recapitulation of all things in the Father. It is a song which one may call, perhaps, the feast of creation, the feast of creation.

[06:58]

And I think it's good for us to think of creation as a feast. And you know what that means in our Christian sin. Of course, one says the whole life of the Christian is a feast. And it may be just another way of expressing that our life is ministry of the Spirit in glory. That's a feast. A feast, for that matter, is a service. And it is, if you think about it, the feast that we celebrate, as we celebrate it here on earth, as the church celebrates, the feast is an action. It's an event. It is the feast, the archetype of the feast is Easter, Pascha.

[07:59]

And that Pascha, you know, if you think back on Easter, we have this, the feast. And that feast, the Easter night, that's why I took this prayer there that we just said. That is the Easter, the Paschal night. And in this Paschal night, the feast, the celebration, combines, as it were, or takes together. And the night and the day starts in the night and lets the light of faith shine in the night. And then later on we celebrate Easter, the Easter feast, then reaching its climax in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Yeah, there too. which is the Eucharistic celebration, is a sacramental representation of the death and the resurrection of Christ.

[09:09]

Therefore, we are mindful, O Lord, of their life-giving passion and of your resurrection, glorious resurrection. So, a feast for us is not only something which would simply and exclusively move on the line of mere pleasure, of sheer joy, of untroubled and unmixed, how could I call it, triumph, so to speak. But it's always the feast is, or the word triumph, and we express it there, but the feast is a victory.

[10:10]

It's a victory. A victory supposes, of course, also battle. So that every feast, also when it's celebrated as a memorial, It always includes these two things, battle and victory. And I think that is important for us that we keep that in mind, because if one says the whole life of the Christian is a feast, and would then apply that especially to the monk and say the every day of the monk's life is a feast, And then with the word feast, one would only have in his mind eating cake with a big frosting on it. Only, you know, let us say that pleasure element. It's not realistic, it's not so. A feast in our sense is victory.

[11:16]

It is that specific. The joy of the feast is the specific joy which rises out of the battle war. And then I think you must keep that in mind if you, in singing and looking on Psalm 103 and also praying it. Keep that in mind, that it's the feast of creation. But, as you know very well from the Psalms, the act of creation was always, in the Old Testament too, represented as a battle. A battle. And I think that is very important also when we look and determine our relation and our life here in the world. The world is certainly cosmos, and cosmos means a beautiful thing, but the beauty of the cosmos, the beauty of the world, is not sheer beauty, but it is evidently a beauty of contrast.

[12:45]

It's a beauty of battle and victory. And that you, one can only see that, one can realize that here if one reads and pray Psalm 103. Bless the Lord, O my soul, how great you are. Oh, Lord, my God. I take the translation of Mary Perkins. You are clothed. Now then comes in majesty. And majesty, the word, the Hebrew word for that, that really signifies the inner being, the inner substance. You are clothed in majesty. That's the inner being. And in glory, glory is then the outward manifestation of it.

[13:50]

It's the realm of that, the sphere of influence of that pure power. That's the word, the Hebrew equivalent here for splendor expresses. And you are clothed In light you are covered, or you covered yourself with light as a garment. You covered yourself with light as a garment. That refers, of course, to the word, light be made, and light was made. One has always explained that word, we have spoken about that in the past. That light is, and that's expressed in this, is, let us say, the purely obedient creature. That is the creature closest to God.

[14:54]

Therefore, in some way, light is, to the Old Testament, is somewhere wrong and say, the first and basic sacrament. That means the communication there of God's inner glory. So you covered yourself with light as a cloud. You have unfolded the heavens like a tentacle. Build your high hall on the waters above. You have taken the clouds for a chariot. You walk on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers, your servants, fire and flames. That's the heavenly world. And this heavenly world is a world of immediate manifestation, obedience, of immediate contact, intimate contact with God.

[16:06]

So he is... has unfolded the heavens like a tentacle. You build what is really in Hebrew so beautiful too, the associations which come up that the Hebrew word means the upper room. You build the upper room on the waters above. You have, and that is therefore God's dwelling in this whole picture. You have taken the clouds for your chariot. You walk on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messenger, your servants of those fire and flames that mean lightnings. That's the other word, and that's the heavenly word, the word of, one can say, unsullied or untroubled. peaceful manifestation, the realm, the kingdom of God.

[17:11]

But then the next verse comes, that's then the next verse, you founded the earth on its foundation so that it will never be moved. That means you made, that's the expression of God, you founded the earth, you made a covenant with it. You make the earth the expression and a pledge of your unchangeable love. That is, all a firmitas, all stability is based on God's covenant with the creature in Christian. And the earth based firmly on its grounds is the earth in covenant with God, pledged The immobility of the earth is the pledge of the inchangeableness of God's love for the earth, naturally for the earth as the scene of life, as the theater where man, the stage where man will appear.

[18:24]

But then it goes on and it says, you covered it with the deep. The teho, the deep. And that is, of course, the opposite of light. See, there are two parallels. You clothed yourself with light as a garment. And you established the earth. But you cover it with the deep. That means with the waters of chaos. And it's continued like a garment. So the government of the earth are the waters of chaos. There is a different element that comes in it. You can see it. There comes, in some way, there comes the element, you know, that will now somehow lead to battle.

[19:26]

And the water stood higher than the mountains. The flood, you know. But then, at your threat, they fled away. At your thunder, they took to flight. There is the battle. So the earth refers, of course, to the. The whole thing here refers to the first verse of Genesis. God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth then was void and was empty and waters covered the face of the earth. And then it's spoken about now, evidently, this deep, this whole, this kind of, this element which is, let's say, out of control.

[20:31]

God with his power is long. At your threat, they flee away. At your thunder, the waters take flight. And then what happens? They pour down the mountains and they settle in the valleys to the place that you had made for them. You set then bounds for them not to be passed over, and never do they cover the earth again. So that's the victory, and there's the new common. Now in this time with the waters. And the waters then, first this chaotic element, now this becomes, under the victorious power of God, becomes the source of life. You made springs gush out and become rivers, flooring between the mountains.

[21:40]

They give drink for the animals of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst. In nearby nest the birds of the air. Among the trees they pour out their song. From your high walls you water the mountains. and you fill the earth with the fruit of your works. So the battle with the waters of chaos is won, and they also become servants under the dominion of God, the rule of God, and source of blessing. The waters from below, in the springs and in the rivers, and the waters above, They take care of the mountain heights, that are the rains. How well they know it in Judah. And then comes the earth. The description of the earth, which now freed from the dominion of the chaotic.

[22:47]

One can say the tyranny of the Tyrone. The earth, again, you know, comes to new life. or brings forth one. Now the earth is in a position with the waters under control to bring forth the plants, the green things. You make grass, bring up for the beasts and green things for man standing so that bread may be won from the earth and the wine that rejoices man's heart. Oil to make his face bright and bread to give his heart strength. Well fed are the trees of the Lord, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds build their nest, the storks of their house in the cypresses. High mountains are for the wild goats, and the rocks are for shelter to the badgers.

[23:51]

Let me know. the kind of thing that just now nests again under the castle. It's a connection of maybe the final, but Paul, Brother Anthony's attention to that, and every night I hear it, you know, working like chickens. There's a hole, and that seems to get bigger and bigger. So that is, you see, that is the result of this victim. there are the mountains, the waters now become, one can say, reconciled to the earth, you know, in some way they are now at peace, and the two, the earth and the waters together, then they bring forth food, you know, food for life, for all the, of course also for the beasts,

[24:54]

For men, bread may be won from the earth, the wine that rejoices man's heart, oil to make his face bright. The verse that we sang today at Holy Communion. That's, of course, also so. So beautiful, you know. What can constantly refer these things then to Christ and to the Church, you know. The Church is the earth, you know. And every one of us is the earth. And we have been covered in baptism with the waters. And then, rising out of it, we were clothed with light as a garment. And then in the Holy Communion, in the Holy Eucharist, we are fed. We are fed with bread and with wine. All these things are really... Now, that's the tremendous unspeakable beauty of our Christian faith and life of the Church.

[26:09]

So, and then it goes on, you see, now, after this first victory, it's the first victory, in this feast of the creation, which we celebrate, rejoicing in the light, rejoicing in water, thirsty as we are, rejoicing in the bread and wine and oil and the good things of this earth. Then it goes on into history. And that is, of course, another. You see, there comes time, you see, comes in. It's part of the feast of creation. And again, if we look at it, you know, it's in the same way as the earth, you know. We see it right away. You have made the moon to mark the seasons. And the sun knows the hour of its setting.

[27:12]

That is so... It's so beautiful, you know, here that the psalm right away, this new chapter, this hymn, you know, which takes him, which celebrates the feast of the season, takes then and starts from the hour, the sun knows the hour of its setting. Therefore, it right away leads us into the night. And then it is said that, you know, of course, the night is the element which corresponds in time, let us say, to the tohom. What the tohom is in space, the earth, that is the night, the time is concerned. And therefore, the psalm continues and says, you make shadows and night comes on. But you make shadows and night comes on. just as before it was said, and you have clothed the earth in the teho, in these chaotic waters.

[28:18]

Now you make shadows, and night comes on, when all the beasts of the forest prowl about, when young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. At sunrise they disappear, And lie down to sleep in their lair. Then man goes out to his work to toil until the evening. I think that's again such a beautiful strophe. Starts with the setting of the sun, you know, for odd purpose. Introduces then, in the shadow of the night, the rapacious beasts, you know, see, the animals. the animals of prey, they are associated with the night. Therefore, again, the night is, as it were, the enemy, the enemy to be conquered.

[29:25]

The sun sets, and of course, we think about our Lord Jesus Christ, just as we think when we speak about the waters that cover the earth, we think of his baptism, this baptism in the Jordan. And we think of his death, death on the cross. It's the flood, the terror. It's the waters that take over. And therefore, darkness settles, you know, over the earth. And the earth shakes, all that is chaos. And here, it's the night and the birds of twilight. And then sunrise, and they disappear. And they lie down to sleep in their caves. And then man goes out to his work to till until the evening.

[30:28]

See, that, of course, right away reminds us then again of Christ our Lord, the man, second Adam, who goes out. the day of his resurrection, to till, see, like a gardener who appears as the gardener, and his garden then, again, the church. So, after the sinner in this way has given us a picture of this, the feast of creation, And the Feast of Creation not as unmixed joy. That's what I would like to bring in here. It is not what the psalm expresses or the Holy Scripture expresses in our attitude to the world. It is not, you know, an absolute optimism. It's realism. And it's an optimism which rises above the powers of evil, recognizing.

[31:34]

And so then, you know, with this beautiful thing, that man goes out to his work and to toil, to tear until the evening. Then comes another strophe. I read it. How many are your works, O Lord, all made with wisdom? And I would say that it seems to me that in Holy Scripture that that wisdom is is that power, I mean, that, I'll just say, power which balances and governs things, you know, through the course and through the battle and through the ups and downs of history, through day and night, through the earth is full of your creatures.

[32:37]

And then it goes, that's it, that is the, let us say, the transition then. And see the ocean, so great and widespread, as we say in the Latin text, so beautiful, swarming with living creatures unnumbered, great and small, Where the ships go sailing on is always man's work, always the indication of civilizations, always taken into these things. And Leviathan that you made to play there. Now Leviathan, of course, is not such a completely sympathetic picture. But Leviathan is something that is threatening. And there, but then, you know, at Leviathan, in the center of the ocean, you see, it's like, always reminds me of that Loch Ness beast.

[33:45]

It appears, you know, at Hall of Fame, and they see it, maybe it isn't there, but Pastor Bassett. He's on a roll, a sober man. And not given too much to the play of the imagination. Since those sailing, he buyeth them. It's got to be wired, you see. And then the keeps continue. that you might to play there, to play there. It's true, you know, only scripture very often when touching on these, let's just say, the threatening things, you know, that are sources of fear for man, for anxiety, you see, always very often with a touch of irony, just to make us feel, make us realize, you know, the tremendous

[34:53]

Goodness, the omnipotent love of God. Leviathan is there to play for a little play. All and then, so that, but I want to point out, there is again that same note, you see, there in the description of the ocean. Before, that threatening note. But under control, it's not out of control, it's under control. Part of the works of God. That is the thing. All look to you. All look to you. I mean all these creatures. See, all these things. The table has to be set for them. And now in this verse here, then, God is the house father. The house acts as the father. All look to you, just like the children look to the father.

[35:55]

He has to take care of the nourishment, of food, you know, for his family. To give them food in due season. And when you give, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good things. But there comes the other element. And this time, I think it is kind of explained. When you hide your face, they are troubled. When you take away their spirit, they die and return to dust. When you send out your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. So again, in this beautiful picture which kind of crowns this, by giving us the picture of the meal. Just as in the Eucharist, you know, after indicating and speaking, you know, about the blessed passion, the glorious resurrection, and the first in the canon, you see, then comes the meal.

[37:09]

So here too. And the meal is the crowning of the feast. But of course the psalmist cannot, you know, and remembers that when we live here on earth, that there is also famine, and there is also death. And here, as it were, one can say the mystery of famine and the mystery of death is touched upon and revealed. When you open your head, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, then they are troubled. When you take away their spirit, they die and return to death. And when you send your spirit, they are created in you and you renew the face of the earth. So it's here, you know, as we realize that too, don't we, I mean, here we live in the country and living from.

[38:15]

And there is, you know, the clouds don't come, the rain doesn't come, and there we are, and we see that the fields are thirsty, and we see that there is no second growth, you know, or pay, or whatever it is, you know, it doesn't come up. See, though we feel the pinch, you see, and you hide your face, you know, then we are troubled. And then you send out your spirit, and the whole earth is created again. So it is, therefore, when this withdrawing of God, you know, it's what the, what I say, yes, the prophet says, this withdrawal of God. For a little moment you withdraw, and then for all eternity you are with us. So that is here indicated, you see that. God's attitude towards the world is not only one of constant now, let us say, perfection.

[39:19]

This is not in that way a mechanically constructed and qualitatively and qualitatively figured out optimum of world. Where there is absolutely nothing, you see, that would not be perfect. That would not be the right idea of of the Old Testament, the Christian cosmos, and it would not be realistic because it isn't that way. And I think even sometimes, you know, the doctors tell one now man could have been created a little better, you see, this and this and this. Maybe one could have left out the appendix in that way, just avoided much trouble. I mean, I don't understand anything about it, but... I mean, sometimes I hear, you know, that if people say everything created by God has gone through the wisdom and whatever he did, you know, that's good, you know, and then some scientists, you know, and maybe just also doctors say, you know, wait a moment, I think it could also be a little better.

[40:33]

So why isn't it all perfect? I mean, it's for this, you know, because For us as human beings too, it is the course of development, course of time is day and night. Our food, our daily life, you know, it's up and down. And of course, all that then in last analysis points, first of all, to our, it is a school of our absolute dependence on God. Only when we realize the difference between God hiding his face, withdrawing his presence, and then his manifestation again, his coming again, a new outpouring of the Spirit, you know. Only then really do we enter into the feast, you know, of creation. And then at the end, the last things, then glory be the Lord

[41:39]

Now he takes the whole, he has the whole picture, not only white, but black and white, and need and riches. And the sum total is for all this, glory be the Lord's forever. May the Lord have joy in his works. The Jewish interpretation makes much of it that there is a difference between these two things. Glory be the Lord's forever. And it's an exclamation as a fact. He is the creator. May the Lord have joy in his works. That's a wish. And, of course, then wish can be spoiled by God's works. And, of course, the work of God's works is math.

[42:40]

And man has a free will. And man can naturally withdraw and not respond to God's lordship, to God's creation. He who looks down on the earth and he trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. That is the threat again. That is as it were judgment. May he have joy in his works. But that is, of course, a matter which is given to the freedom of man. He, you see, is the one who can give joy to God. Let God marry joy in his works. He who looks down on the earth and trembles, who touches the mountains and the smoke, Of course, this Lord at the same time, while giving freedom to man, is also the one who, of course, with his tremendous power, you know, maybe a good force.

[43:52]

Therefore, it's always the element there of the fear of the Lord, you know, that comes in. But then in that, on my life long, I will sing to the Lord. And that is then the inner personal decision that comes. That's the personal decision. After the whole cosmos, and also with that possibility of disobedience and judgments and threat, you know, as envisaged, all my life long, I will sing to the Lord. While I have life, I will praise my God. May my song be pleasing to him. May I find joy in the Lord. Let sinners be taken away from the earth and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah. Some people, you know, think that this here, let the sinners be taken away from and let the wicked be no more, just absolutely have no place in this poem and therefore should be dropped properly and interpolated or didn't understand the whole thing.

[45:10]

So it seems to me it belongs in there, you know. Belongs in there is the judgment. There is then, you see, the last, you know, the, let's say, the root, you know. And there is what everything else in the picture and the prophecy of the cosmos and the black and the white point to this reality, to the reality of sin. And therefore, that is the terrible possibility of the world, of the cosmos, that it may turn away from God. And it really did, you know, in the crucifixion of Christ. Another two echoed sermons this morning on the Sunday of choice and the, indeed, you know, the big choice that is constantly before us, not only as one, but as a repeated one and constantly becoming that way deeper. between Mabon and Christ, between the world and the kingdom of God, and the hour to see our call, ask questions, to live from God but not like God.

[46:30]

That is so true. That is the the choice, that's the way that we have to walk. These things were put before us also so clearly. I wanted to ask all, you know, I mean if you realize that in these days and years not only individuals are always put before that But sometimes it seems as the consolation, political consolation, may lead sometimes to something that is at least somewhat analogous to this choice. I say analogous, it isn't certainly the same thing. But I wanted to remind you that in these days and weeks it's one nation that

[47:35]

and in South America and that is Chile and as you know the situation down there is extremely critical and it is really in some way it's a choice between the communist regime which of course presents itself as very tolerant and understanding of its religion and then what is the other. What is the other choice? So I say it isn't exactly choosing between Christ or Satan, you know, for Chile, but it certainly is a tremendously important situation. It would be then, in case that, as many people expect, that the elections would go the wrong way, it would be the first country in South America that would, on and in the course of legal election, That is, of course, would be a tremendous fact, not only for South America, but actually for other countries, too.

[48:43]

Among them, first of all, as you know, is Italy. So I wanted to recommend that to your players, because these are the last, I think, two weeks before these elections take place, if I'm not mistaken. And to take that very much into your... Mm-hmm.

[49:06]

@Transcribed_UNK
@Text_v005
@Score_93.36