In the treatise of the Father Carlatti, by the way, the Camaldolese and St. Peter Damian, the great fathers of the Camaldolese orders, it may be the day today also to remember the two foundations that have been made in this country recently of the Italian Camaldolese. Now, in developing this theme that monastic spirituality is the spirituality of scripture. The spirituality of scripture is the divine economy or that dispensation. through which our Heavenly Father leads mankind into the eschatological fullness of the last days. And he applies this principle then first to monastic hagiography.

[01:07]

shows how in the vitae of the monk saints this basic pattern of the divine economy is followed and when we look at the for example the dialogues of Gregory the Great right see the description of the life of saint benedict also that of saint equizio this abbot who were or monk who lived near northshire in that laura which i told you before visited this fall They are a simple pattern. It's evident that the individual enters into that divine economy first by following the call. That is the obedience here, following the call, listening to the call as the first act of which God's doings, saving doings with man start.

[02:18]

We have in Holy Scripture, we have evidently right in the first pages too, on the call is this, which the supernatural life for the first time gets a foothold in the soul, is the creation of Adam, but then also, later on, the call of Abraham. These two things that we have seen in the past are always already by the rabbis, always put into paradise. The call which is directed to Abraham, the moment he follows it, that is again a new creation. So the creation of Adam is being brought into paradise. There is Abraham leaving the pagan night and following the call into the promised land. And then after the call follows the second and the decisive period, and that is the period of temptation.

[03:28]

Everyone who follows the divine call is first exposed to their testing, the temptation. And this temptation is in the case of Adam, the third chapter of Genesis. In the case of Abraham, his offering Isaac. And then after the period of temptation, when that is successfully overcome, then comes the period in which the spirit has taken root, the period of stability. or the period of spiritual fatherhood. So this basic pattern that we can see developed in the lives of the saints, that is the framework in which the monastic spirituality develops.

[04:33]

And it is interesting if we apply that principle to an understanding of the product of the rule of St. Benedict, because there we can immediately see how this, at least seems to me, how this pattern there is clearly followed. If you look at the Prologue, maybe in these days, and talking about these things would be good for you also to read it and to think about it. I think in the Prologue we can distinguish three, let us say, main parts. And I distinguish them merely, and again under this, our following, our basic thought. That's the rule of Saint Benedict is in itself the mold which the Word of God has offered to him and which he hands down to every one of his followers.

[05:39]

Now, there are three, it seems to me, the paragraphs, because there are many ways in which that could be divided. I only suggest here one thing, and that is, you see, if you take the first paragraph of the Prologue, what we read on January 1st, a very external side you can see there that there are in that paragraph are no direct direct quotations from Holy Scripture but it is are the words of the author of Saint Benedict himself then also if you look at the end of the follow again what we read in January 6th and January 7th Again, you have a paragraph which consists exclusively, again, of the words of the author.

[06:42]

But then, in between these two, you have a whole series of quotations of Holy Scripture. You can say that in the central part of the prologue is a mosaic. of quotations from Holy Scripture, one after the other, so that really the Word of God itself is introduced as speaking and as acting. And the message or the way in which the Word of God speaks to us in this central part, the heart, of the product is essentially seems to me this follows the same pattern that I have just briefly outlined because if you take what we read on January 2nd there is that call that is in this way the first stage of the call which is arousing us from sleep wake up that is always in all

[07:50]

We have seen that in the past too. In every education of the human heart, the first thing is the awakening, the rousing us from sleep. Up with us then at last, for the scripture arouses us, saying, now is the hour for us to rise from sleep. That is the first, and then comes in the second paragraph of this arousing, after the arousing, after the trumpet call, after the bugle has been heard, comes then the vox invitantis, the sweet invitation to the one who has wakes up and now he is invited seek after peace and which is what is more sweet than the voice this inviting voice of the Lord so there is the keeper first rousing secondly inviting and there is the call then comes

[09:02]

in the following paragraph, what we read on January 4th. Then, to me is then, and explains now, when you have followed the voice of the Lord who invites you and who promises you his presence, constant presence, then what is the law of life when you are in the tabernacle, in the kingdom, in that place where you now begin to live, and to live naturally again according to the will of God, according to the Word. And there is in that chapter, which we read on Saturday the 4th, seems to me that there the key word is really that of temptation, because there it is. He that taketh the evil spirit that tempteth him and casteth him and his temptation from the side of his heart, bringeth him to naught, rasps his evil suggestion as they arise and douse them to pieces on the rock that is Christ.

[10:12]

That is the, one can say, negative temptation, the basic temptation. The one who has followed the call and settles down in the tent of the kingdom, he is first exposed to the desires of the flesh. That is, say, the most primitive form of temptation. But then is the other, even more decisive, more critical form of temptation, that is, that when he follows the Word of God, he begins to become proud of his achievement, of his good observance. So let the second essential temptation, it's not that anymore of carnal desires, but it is the temptation of pride. Pride in our good works, the good observance. After these two essential temptations then comes the third, and that is the man builds his house.

[11:21]

That is the wise architect, that is the spiritual father, that is the one who has his house built on the firm ground. So, in this way, I just give that as a suggestion. It seems to be, again, as St. Danny has, in a beautiful way, right from the beginning, following bit by bit, step by step, the word of Holy Scripture outlines the essence of the spiritual life of the monk, according to That pattern which the divine economy shows to us. Now, I think we are all very pleased with yesterday's report on the scheme. leading what we call the East-West scheme, and now we must, in these days to follow, I hope that people really think about us, formulate their terms.

[12:29]

also objections to it or difficulties which it may this scheme may raise and then we must also consider the south-north approach and in that way then come to a decision which way we want to follow and we want to really come to a detailed study of the practical layout of it. So let us do it this way and formulate your things again on these fish, I mean on these we then can put also into order and so have them accessible to everyone. But in all these things, you know, so well that brings us back to the theme that we were talking about in these conferences on the body rule that the building is one frame, it's an external thing, it gives the

[13:48]

body, so to speak, the visible body to the order of our life, but naturally the inner order, the order of the heart is the first thing. The Mahaskeri is being built in the hearts of the monks. And that is right away so and so. clearly in the Prologue to the Whole, as St. Benedict addresses it to us. And I've pointed out in the past and just repeated to bring it again to mind to those maybe who haven't heard it or are not aware of it, that the Prologue of the Whole is couched in a form, a rhetorical, rhetoric form, which belongs to a definite category of announcing the word, preaching the word.

[14:53]

It is what we call the exhortatio, or the admonition. That kind of preaching which is intended to pierce the heart, to produce compunction and in that way to bring about and help in the first step of any spiritual life in the step of the conversion repentance conversion metanoia the change of mind which is you know is one of several others leads them those who respond to it leads to the instruction. The instruction gives what we call catechetical teaching, gives and leads systematically into the elements of the Christian life and of the Christian faith.

[16:12]

Catechism, catechetical teaching. And then that again leads to the new, another step, another, let's say, depth, dimension. of christian preaching and that is the homily the homily which is the friendly intimate intercourse in which the individual that has followed the first admonition that has been instructed in the elementary, the elements of the faith, then penetrates, is led more deeply into the intimate knowledge, into what we call the Gnosis, the intimate knowledge, inner knowledge, the intelligentsia of the things of the faith.

[17:18]

And in the rule, the rule is addressed to, as Benedict expresses that, to beginners. Therefore, the rule essentially moves, let us say, on the elementary level. And to this elementary level belong these two things, admonition, the exhortatio, the trumpet call, which earns the instructions in the simple elements of the, in our case here, of the monastic, that means of the perfect life, striving after perfection. While the third degree, that intimate conversation with God, the whole wide realm of what later Cashin calls the Caritas, the field of the Agape, that is not expressly treated in the Rule.

[18:35]

But for that, St. Benedict points to a higher teachers than he is to Cassian to Saint Basil and so on so the inner let us say secrets one may say of the mystical life of the let us say contemplative life in the stricter meaning stricter meaning of the word they are not contained in the regular In fact, in some way, in a very deep sense, that realm, which is the realm of union, is not subject to irregular. That is beyond the realm, just as the aramidical life is not anymore under irregular. So these two stages we are concerned with because he writes for those who begin.

[19:43]

And this is so beautiful that the prologue is prefixed too because that keeps once and forever the idea that first of all The rule is addressed to the individual, aus Kulta, of Feel, Receptor, Magister. Every conversion, every life of perfection starts from the own personal self. And that is a principle which we have to consider every day and every day. It is the salvation of our self. It is the person who is involved in this business without the total surrender of the own self, the own person, without the heart,

[20:46]

Nothing can be achieved in the whole life of perfection. And we must take that into account every day when we wake up, when we start a new day. It is the own self which is confronted with the Thou, the Thou of the Father who meets us. before under whose eyes we live. But at the same time, we also realize that the one whom we meet is the Father. Therefore, it is basic a matter of love, naturally, because the human heart is involved, engaged, one can say, essentially in the things of love, not in the things of external force, violence, and so on, not external content.

[22:02]

I would say constriction but it is only the inner conviction and that inner conviction is brought about only by the vibe love and therefore it is the father who addresses us and that is also so beautiful that here in this connection that the father addresses the son that His father may be, and by the way, we feel there, what is it, not a difficulty, but a wonderful depth, various dimensions again. The father may be Saint Benedict, the author of the rule, who is our father and addresses us. And we are taken into that. We are part of that dialogue. that St. Benedict during his lifetime was leading every one of his disciples.

[23:06]

For this Father is, as other commentators wanted, is Christ himself, who is our Father, because he, through the power of his word, through his own sufferings, he has brought us to life. But of course Christ is Father because he is the face of the Father. Behind him, as it were, we see the Father, the first person of the Holy Trinity. So right away this first sentence of the Holy Rule leads us into a living contact, into the inner conversatio of the divine persons. and therefore characterizes the beginning as well as the end of the perfect life, the participation in the inner life of the Holy Trinity.

[24:08]

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