Benedict introduces the voice of God who invites and entails those who follow the invitation what to do in order to dwell in the tabernacle, in the temple, in the temple. And those two things, those two paragraphs, are the hocks, the center of the pot. There is experience dominum in the Lord seeking his workmen. And on the multitudes to whom he has cried, says again, what man is he that desires life, and would fain see good days? Well, that is the voice of divine wisdom, voice of the Father who goes out into the marketplace and the multitude, and there he sends out this basic invitation, this universal invitation in order to make the net as large as possible.

[01:19]

There we go. What man is he that desires life? and would fain see good days. Of course, everybody, wide away, responds in a positive way to that, because who would not want to see good days? So that is the voice which addresses itself to the multitude, to all men outside the marketplace. And then comes the invitation if thou wilt have true and everlasting life keep thy tongue from evil that if they speak no guy turn away from evil and too good do good then seek after peace and pursue it that is the quintessence i can say of psalm 33. I think the prologue, one can truly say, is essentially nothing but an introducing and putting into evidence the two Psalms, Psalm 33 and Psalm 40.

[02:37]

These two Psalms, it seems to me, the whole prologue is built. And the one, the Psalm 33, is this common, universal invitation in the outside world. And the Psalm 14 is then the question and answer for those who then have gathered. Following the invitation, they have gathered at the entrance of the tabernacles the entrance of the temple, or in our case, at the entrance of the kingdom of God, at the entrance of the monastery. Just then they are, that is the second paragraph, Psalm 14 answers then, now what do you have to do in order to dwell in the tabernacle, in the temple?

[03:39]

That is a, as you know, From the antiquity, that's a very common custom that we find everywhere. The temple can be approached and can be entered into only on certain conditions. And people, when they come to the temple, are being asked, their attention is called to the fact that they can enter only under those conditions. Else, then, the voice of the priest, the divine voice, makes those conditions clear. For example, in pagan, in the Hellenistic age, you have at the entrance of, for example, the mystery cult place, you have a tablet. And on that tablet, then, the rules and the conditions are written under which Somebody can enter into this holy assembly.

[04:43]

Those who do not fulfill these conditions, they are the pain of death, are not allowed to enter. You know that the same thing also is in Jerusalem, where the court of the heathen is separated from the court of the Israelites, and also in other pagan cults. And in the Psalms, we have not only in Psalm 14, but also in other Psalms in different forms, that basic question and answer. Who can enter into the tabernacle? and then the priestly answer, the one who does this and this. And the answer of Psalm 14 now is the shortest, most succinct of those answers in the Psalter, and the most essential one that really reads right into the center of the thing.

[05:47]

There are no external requirements. Washing your hands or washing your feet or anything like that. But what is demanded is the inner washing. And the inner washing which ends or which means and ends up constitutes the, as it is said here, He that speaketh truth in his heart. He that speaketh truth in his heart. That is the, that's the essence of it. It's what we would call the puritas coris, which is the, that inner and that constitutes the inner unity, harmony, the inner unity, harmony, truthfulness and of the monk. the puritas cordis. And that constitutes, actually, the inner peace. Seek after peace and pursue it.

[06:49]

But what is this peace? Now that's exactly what is said here. As far as the individual and his life is concerned, it all culminates in this inner, complete truthfulness of puritas cordis. But that is not. All we know that, of course, the peace of the kingdom of God is not an individual peace, but it is a social peace. Therefore, it takes the relation, embraces comprehensively the relation to others, those who dwell with the individual monk in the tabernacle, and therefore wears use no deceit. in his tongue, not on evil to his neighbor, and nor believe ill of his neighbor, proximity. So that is the essence, the inner peace, inner truthfulness, and the fraternal charity, the peace with the proximus, with the neighbor.

[07:54]

That is the essential condition for the one who enters and dwells in the tabernacle. Added to that are then two other, and again, you know, they are taken essentially from the psalm. It's good to kind of reconstruct the whole process in which the prologue was conceived by Saint Benedict on the lines and really as beginning with the Word of God. Here the prologue has been, it seems to me, conceived in its inner heart, on the and through the Word of God as it stands. It's not Saint Benedict's, as I say, own indentive spirit, who would sit down and would say, now what can I now say to make this really an effective introduction to the rule?

[09:00]

No, this way of thinking starts from the Psalms, the doctrine of the Psalms, the doctrine of the divine word which guides. So to this then, to this essential condition and law of those who dwell in the tabernacle is then added to other words of the Psalms. And one is from the Psalm 36, the behavior and our attitude against the inner enemy of the soul, the inner enemy of the soul. And the evil thoughts, as they are the usual patristic explanation of Psalm 136, is the children of the enemies that are dashed against the stone are the thoughts that come flooding out in the soul

[10:11]

They are still small, they are not grown, but right away, when they are still children, when they are still in the beginning, Why do I dash them against the stone, against the stone that is Christ? So that is the first addition. The one who dwells in the tabernacle will be attacked by these inner temptations, the thoughts that rise in his heart, evil thoughts that he writes and begins still in the infant stage, they should be gashed on the rock that is Christ. And then the other one, if things, you know, go well, if the bona observantia has been established, then, of course, the other great danger and temptation that comes is then that I attribute that to myself.

[11:12]

And instead of giving glory to God, I become proud, I am a good monk, I'm firmly established, nothing can happen to me, how poor are the others, you know, they are by far not progressed as I am, and so on, and again, you see, the fruits of the good conversation, monastic conversation, is stolen by the devil, and therefore the other word of the psalm, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the glory. And there is then, that's the real end of the teaching of Apollo. And then it is concluded in the next paragraph, again, completely logical, introducing then the Lord again, speaking. He that heareth these my words and does them shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock.

[12:19]

So that corresponds exactly to the introductory paragraph. In the first introduction to the word of God we heard, and this whole uh uh Always forget that word, you know. And that culminates then in the word, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Taken from Psalm 33. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. And then at the end of the teaching, Boris introduced itself as actually teaching. It's the wonderful, I'm going to say, mystery character of the prologue.

[13:22]

It's the presence of the Lord, which is introduced, actually speaking to us. And then it's then again concluded with the words, He that heareth these my words and doth them shall be likened to a wise man. That is then the one who has followed the invitation, who dwells in the tabernacle, he has heard, he constantly hears, but he is agnostic, he is a wise man. He is then established in peace, in the reason of the supernatural life. So in that way, he said the parable is established really the whole intention of Saint Benedict is to disappear completely behind the words of the voice of the Lord and introduce him as actually speaking to us so that the whole

[14:25]

The authority of God is behind this invitation. And the fact that this division is there, sometimes people say when they read and compare, for example, the first paragraph of the invitation with the second paragraph, they say, oh my God, isn't that really a repetition? of the same thought, but it is not. And you will see that if you take Psalm 33, then Psalm 14, if they are characteristic, one is the voice of one who goes out to the marketplace and invites And therefore, it's also so precisely and definitely stated, you know, that this is the Vox Domini Invitandis. That is really what Psalm 33 is.

[15:27]

And then the other voice, Psalm 14, the next paragraph, that is the voice which is addressed from inside the sanctuary, the temples, to those who are waiting outside at the gates, ready to enter in. And they are to then, then is proclaimed what we call in the Hebrew thing, the law of the sanctuary. The law of the sanctuary. And that is that. And then comes the end. Now, those who hear these my words, they then also, they will then be freely wise men. They will have reached then the perfection of the Gnostic. It's also beautiful that here St. Benedict takes it completely for granted that the words of the psalm, Psalm 33 and Psalm 14, are both the words of the Lord, the words of the second person of the divine Trinity.

[16:40]

he is the one, as it were, who goes out, he leaves his father's glory, he becomes man, and he goes among the multitude in the marketplace, and there he addresses his invitation. And at the same time, the same Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, he is the high priest, and as the high priest he always builds in the sanctuary and then out from the sanctuary he answers to those who want to enter and he gives them and makes known to them the law of the sanctuary what those have to do who want to enter and live

[17:20]

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