We can continue in our very simple common reading of these very simple reflections on the Apostle's Day. But simple reflections in practical order, which nevertheless can highlight our situation. And we are reading together 21 in the English text, 22 in Latin. Celebratio omnibus patens. celebration open for all. And it is not quite evident that the text is speaking so. I remember very well, perhaps in the fifties, before the Council, in my monastery, Maria Lark, nobody could join to the choir of the monks. Aesthetically, because we did not visit. do not destroy our excellent singing. But not only by practical considerations. Somebody, especially the president, Abbot, president of my congregation, Abbot, very important man, Molitor of Gerlache, said our Laus Gewina, our divine opera, is only for monks.

[01:06]

Nobody else is worthy to share in it. And with time only, difficulty, we could move. Now, today, Officially, we must be open to all, and we are doing so, and you have been the first to do so, in the wonderful composition of your chapel, the inner circle and the outer circle, and faithfuls can very easily participate. And I had this morning the feeling, when you said it, the universal church is here represented, and how nice it was that the sisters and all these people immediately were singing together as one church, open to this. We are not privileged class of men, of Christians. But we are all together brothers and sisters. Therefore, at least in the Eucharist, we must be open for everyone. For the worship, for the prayers, for the hours, it's a little bit more difficult. I had yesterday the impression that nobody is singing with you. Perhaps they are invited not to do so. It is a problem, because sometimes there are

[02:10]

falsifying, destroying the rhythms and so on. Nevertheless, at least it is very important to say and to read and to meditate these words, an opening of welcome for others to the heart of the praying community in a line of pastoral adaptation. which is fitting for a monastery that wants to be eleven in its environment. You wish to do so, to be so, therefore you must invite them in a certain way, at least spiritually, so far as possible also practically. But nevertheless, and also that is very important, the text is continuing, this certainly does not mean that the choir, taken in the local, spatial sense, must necessarily be open to all at all times and without discretion. And you must never lose your identity.

[03:12]

You must remain what you are. And if the papers are not able to do that, to conform themselves to you, then it's better that they are remaining in silence. We must find a good middle way here. And then again another point, not only inviting the faithful to join us in our singing and hearing and answering and celebrating, but also we must remain in every case open to the human situations of the present times in our prayers, in our thinking to them when we are praying for all the necessities of the church, of the world, of the day, of our neighborhood and so on, as you are doing it. privately in every psalm, in every prayer, but also explicitly in the intercessions. I think it's quite evident. In the end of this page 17 it will be found the living witness that the prayer coming out of the Word of God

[04:18]

on the objective norm which we appropriate subjectively in our hearts, is capable of creating profound and vital contact with God, because it passes through the eternally new experience of Christ, this openness. And then we go on to 22 in the English text, 22 in Latin. Momentum variorum elementorum officii. the different importance of the paths, of the different paths of the divine worship, principal paths and secondary paths. The principal paths, which can never be lacking if we wish to remain in the tradition of the Church, if we wish to remain the Church, the local Church, representing the universal Church in this place, here and now, today. Principal paths, hymns, psalms, readings, prayer, according to this wonderful text in the letter to the Ephesians,

[05:30]

filled with Holy Spirit, singing in our hearts in hymns, psalms, and cantitas spiritualibus. always giving thanks to God the Father in Christ our Lord. Here are the main elements, hymns, canticles, and psalms. And it may be difficult to explain exegetically what was the meaning of these words in the letter of St. Paul, but for us, after the tradition of a thousand years and more, we know hymns, this possibility to sing in a special musical form, and psalms, the normal psalms of the Psalterium of David, and canticles which are in a more joyful way praising the Lord. But that is evident. The more important part of this number 22 is the insistence on the secondary part. For example, acclamations. how do you say, versicles, responses and greetings.

[06:35]

They are to highlight the communitarian dimension of our community. allowing to penetrate more profoundly in the meaning of all these things. And in the first years after the Council, in the first beginning of our liturgical reform, in many monasteries, all these things have been dropped. No antiphons, no versicles. And perhaps also the acclamations, all changing in a very strange way. I know a monastery in the world, Benedictine Monastery, which was beginning the Divine Office with the words, Benedict Camus Domino, which is possible to say so because an invitation to bless the Lord, to praise the Lord. Nevertheless, it seems to me very strange to do so. Therefore, the right way to do it And here, the last words in this number 22 are important.

[07:47]

They are only secondary parts. It is quite possible to change, to shorten. There are given examples, taken from Saint Benedict himself, who says that the antiphons are omitted when the community is too small, according to the way in which in all times antiphons have been said several times during the Psalms. and on account of problems connected with the timetable. When somebody is rising up in the morning too late, we have no time to see the entire vigil. On the other hand, these elements surely contribute greatly towards inserting the whole prayer mode directly into the mystery of the liturgical time and hour of celebration. We need, therefore, to draw attention to the mistaken sense of simplification and of essentialism, which dispenses with those elements of the celebration too easily. There is a real risk here of impoverishment.

[08:51]

In nearly all our monasteries, also in my monastery, it happens so. We don't have anymore, in certain hours, vesicles. It's a pity. And especially antiforms. in the Concilio Valle Secundum Constitutionem in Rome, we, the Benedictines especially, Don Cardin of Solemn and many others, we are fighting, defending the Antiphons, because many people, learned people, said Antiphons have a meaning only in music. They give the tone. It's not true, it's not enough. As is well said here, these elements help to insert the whole prayer more directly into the mystery of the liturgical time and hour. It's the same psalm which is said in Christmas, in Epiphany, and in Easter, in Pentecost, and in the Feast of Our Lady, but always in a different way, given by the Antiphons. It is not only a mean to find the tone, the musical tone, but it's also a mean to see

[09:55]

And the meaning of this psalm, the way in which it must be read, it must be sung on this day. And to help in this way in the new liturgia horarum, in the Latin text, they have given three elements. a title which is explaining the literal sense of the Psalms, a mystical word which is explaining the mystical meaning in the light of the New Testament, and finally the Antiphon. All of this helped us to sing, to meditate the Psalms more concretely, to show us this specific aspect of the mystery of Christ celebrated today. The entire mystery of Christ, which is always entirely together, is celebrated under this aspect. The entire mystery of Christ is differently celebrated in Christmas, in Epiphany and Easter. Therefore, the importance of the secondary parts, they are not quite necessary, they can be changed in the right way, but nevertheless we must see this real risk of impoverishment.

[11:04]

And we can understand the necessity perhaps to undergo this risk in the first years, but now with time, where we are accustomed to new forms, we must go back to this rich variations of the secondary part. That is my opinion. You are free to think what you wish to think, because there is a certain liberty. And now we come to a very important number, 20... Let me see. Excuse me. 23 in English, 24 in Latin, Induris monastica celebationis conservande. The monastic form must be retained. Without derogating that the opposite day is regulated according to content and forms that are objectively determinate.

[12:09]

We are following this objective norm of the infinite mystery of Christ. Nevertheless, we must recognize that the celebration of the Apostle's Day and the assembly itself is enriched and integrated in a manner stable and constant that each community wishes for its liturgy. There is a new point. a certain flexibility, a certain possibility to adapt it to the different situations. And the most excellent expression of this, our will, is this book, the entire Thesaurus Liturgia Horare Monastice. The abbots in their congress and the commission, the abbot primate, Rembert Wigland, Nobody wishes to impose a uniform liturgy to the entire order. Also, many monasteries are sticking it, but only possibilities. And every monastery must try to adapt its possibilities to the concrete situation in which they are, and the number, and the way in which they are singing and recitating, and so on, and the election of the readings, and so many more.

[13:24]

Here, we must therefore retain the general ecclesial situation, because we are the church in prayer, but in this place as a local church, and therefore, because we are a local church here in this monastery, as a monastic church. That means not a debt uniformity, but we are fighting against a merely juridical consideration. who has a breviary which must be absolved by everyone. We must seek a true integration of liturgy, of our prayer, and community. And therefore, in the last lines he said, there is that community, and therefore there is that apostate. Not in absolute liberty, we must follow some structures. Structures of the church, structures also given in this Thesaurus. Certain hours, we shall speak about them.

[14:32]

A certain structure of every hour. Beginning, acclamation, God come to haste to help me. hymn, psalms, reading, prayer, or psalms, reading, hymn, prayer, and so on. There are some possibilities to change, but nevertheless a common structure. We could not, as we said already, we could not make a structure only readings, only prayers without readings. At least that is my opinion, that is the meaning of the thesaurus, the meaning of the constitution generalis in liturgia horarum, and the meaning of the reform. Also in Sancta Anselmo, and also elsewhere, sometimes there are hours without any real reading. In Sancta Anselmo, for example, in the company, we don't have a reading. It is a short word of God, as you have it in the Minor Hours. But we must arrange these traditional forms given by the church also according to our monastic tradition.

[15:43]

And then finally also to the renewed spirit of the Vatican too. which is corresponding to a pneumatic revitalization of our ecclesial prior life. And as we have said it already sometimes, we can do that more easily because this renovation of the liturgical constitution itself and then the general institution to the liturgy of ours is made in great part by monks, and both the liturgical constitution and the new liturgia horarum, liturgy of the hours, the last coronation of an apostolic work which has been given especially by the monks, by Benedictine monks in France, in Germany, in the United States, and so on. Therefore, if we are conforming ourselves to the spiritual principles of the Vatican Council and of the reform after the Council, following our own tradition,

[16:49]

But he must do it. And now, in English text number 24, 25 in Latin, the numero horarum, the number of the horrors. And here, evidently, they give the citation of the rule of St. Benedict seven times in the day and once in the night. But then, this old numeration, seven and one, wonderful mystical a sense, seven is a sacred number, plus one gives the perfection, eight. A wonderful idea. But nevertheless, this old numeration was only one possible way to help the monks to respond to the command of our Lord, the apostles, for tireless, insistent, continuous prayer to which the monk is called. You can do it seven times and once a night, and you can do it also in other numbers.

[17:56]

Only if all these possibilities can help us to pray always. Everything you enumerate, therefore, must guide us to the same end, that in consideration of our concrete situation, And that we can find also in it a living prayer of an even better quality. And here is the reason because we were changing this position of St. Benedict. For our situation of today, in nearly all the monasteries, seven times a day and once a night is too much. We can do it only if many don't come to the house. For example, in my monastery, we were assisting Fr. Riffoel very strongly in the vigils at 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock in the morning, with the consequence that at least a third, if not half of the community was not coming, but sleeping. one came only every second day.

[18:57]

Today, we have our vigil later, the consequence that the entire community is there, present. It's better to do so. Therefore, change the disposition of all times to be able to call together the entire community Here we are insisting on the principle given by the good and holy Abbot Emanuel Heufelder of Niederalltag in Bavaria. Minus oretur ut melius oretur. It is better to change the old disposition and to be humble in being content with not so great number, but to do it better. To do it more slowly. To do it with better quality singing. We said it already, in Sancta Anselmo for many years, for 50 years and so on, we were praying the entire office, singing nothing. And today we don't say such a large, great office, but we are singing every day Vespers.

[19:58]

Sancta Anselmo is quite extraordinary, a new thing, a new reality. And so in many monasteries, But all his new disposition is made according to the principles of the Vatican II. There are Hore Cardinales, a very important house, two lords and Vespers. Then still, the Hora Lectiunis, according to the Vatican II, our vigils, Hora Minoris, and also Tucana. pray better. It was said it is possible to extend the recitation of the entire Psalterium no more, according to the rule of the old monks, for every week, but for a greater time.

[21:13]

The Council did not say for what time, but then, in the reform after the Council, we said four weeks for the secular priests and Bonini and the congregation then was insisting for monks to few, at least the entire Psalter, 150 Psalms in two weeks. All this means the sincere will to insert the prayer into the reality of the community's life, to give a strong time to these hours, that there can be a strong time, that we are really praying in the different hours, so far as possible, the entire community together, the church in this place. All must be able to be present, more or less. Therefore, sometimes we are not saying some of the hours, for example, only one hour, minor, not three, and so on.

[22:18]

but a minor number only to improve the quality of the remaining hours. As it is said in page 21, first, the reduction of the times of the celebration of the hours must not end up in a diminution of the time of prayer and much less of its quality. This is what happens when we make every celebration a real strong time of the Opus Dei, even in its form. We listen in the few hours which are remaining more attentively, calmly, relaxedly to the readings. There is silence of the prayer, more prolonged, more interior. There is more, I cannot read it, leeway for song, more variety in celebration, etc. This is a game, and you are doing so, and most of the monasteries are doing so. It would be a terrible force to diminish the number of hours to gain time for work.

[23:26]

We are diminishing the number of hours to save the remaining hours more excellently. Having diminished the number of celebrations, it would be natural and laudable to wish to prolong those which remain. But you must never put together two or more hours as it was done also in the beginning. Many monasteries who were not able to say Thursday in the morning, six at noon, and noon in the afternoon, were combining the three hours in one hour. It's terrible, not right. and therefore not bring together nine psalms in one or a media. We must make a new disposition of the psalms, therefore, and it would be more tolerable to combine all the hours with three hymns at the same time. It would be again a juridical interpretation against the real meaning of the hours, which must be celebrated in their true time.

[24:33]

Okay, that's quite evident. And now we come to 25. Horae principuae, the chief hours. Yeah, it's quite evident according to the Council. These chief hours are Lourdes and Vespers. In order to underline the chief nature of these two celebrations, we should remind ourselves especially of the fact that they are the memorial of the Resurrection, Lords, and of the death of Christ, Presbos, or more or less, respectively. As such, they should be considered very close to the memorial of the Eucharist. So we could have a threefold memorial Eucharistic celebration, where death and Resurrection are celebrated together, and in the Lords, more or less, according to St. Cyprian, Resurrection in Vespers afternoon, our Lord was dying but going through the death to resurrection. I would not like to see in the Vespers only the death of our Lord, the entire Paschal mystery.

[25:37]

But there is another terrible point in this number. Before I come to this terrible point, and the text says very well, it would be convenient to give some symbolic expression to this celebration. Incense in the West Post, as you are doing it on Sundays, and light in the morning. You can do it. It's possible. Suggestion, but not necessary. But then the text is finishing, and in Latin it does not finish. Again, a terrible abbreviation. And I don't see the reason, or I see the reason, because the people is against the text which was given in Latin. And the Latin text is so. In the monastic tradition, there is a Hora Indignissima, most important, the vigils. He did not take this text, inviting the Benedictine monks to no more insist in the vigils.

[26:56]

This is incredible, incredible. Because of the eschatological meaning, which is specific for the vigils, where we are waiting for the coming of the Lord during night. During night would be at evening, very early in the evening, anticipating, or in the morning. Father Osterkassel and also Abbot Herbergen liked very much to insist in the possibility of celebrating the visitors in the evening. Especially Osterkassel, they have been people, men of night work. Therefore, in the evening. And Abbot Herbergen could come when we, during the war, in consequence of the air war, were anticipating the visitors tonight. He could not come in consequence of his health in the morning. But nevertheless, our community was against it. We wished to have it in the morning. Also for modern people, more expressive.

[27:58]

In the morning, when the entire world is in silence, we are praising the Lord and reading His Word and so on. It is said here, and the celebration of the vigils is eminent not only because the external solemnity in certain times given to it in the wonderful invitatorium and so on, and the way to sing the readings sometimes or the songs. But more propped up in Duren Suam, because of its characteristic elements, because it is a prayer contemplative, peaceful, and prolonged. Entire text is taken away. Contemplativa, pacifically sitting, hearing the word of God.

[29:01]

answering to it in silence. Pacifica. There's no disturbation. And we have time. We have time, really. Because it's outside of the time of work, in the morning, before we are beginning to work. More or less. Of course, there are other causes, too. Therefore, it is enough to insist in this point. Vigilis. There is also a certain inconsequence in the text of the liturgical constitution. Due Hore Catinales and Hora Lectionis. Hora Lectionis is very important for the secular priests. Hora Lectionis, the name was taken, we could not find a better name to take away any relation to time. You are invited, you are able to say this hour according to the necessity of a pastor in the time in which you are free. You are no more obliged to anticipate at two o'clock. You can say it at eleven, or at two, or at four, when you are free.

[30:06]

The other hours are related to time. The Horadiction is not. Nevertheless, for us, it must be related to night, and not taken another time. So, and then, come, in Latin, number 27 cantos in celebration and the entire number is not given. Again, why? Because it seems monks of today are not obliged to sing anymore in the office. Oh, we are not obliged, yes, but we must be invited, we could not forget it. It's not given, it's terrible. And it's well said, with the help of the modulation of our song, a monastic community which has established permanent ecclesial communities can give greater importance, first, for the degree of celebration of solemnity, of feast, of memoria, of weekdays.

[31:17]

You can change. You must not change always all the things, but you can change the entire office in the solemnity. Some elements in feasts, and at least somewhat also in every day. You are free to do that. You can distinguish by the way to sing or not to sing the different hours of the day. And sometimes, in every day, in every hour, give importance to some elements. For example, in my monasteries, we are singing always the first beginning, in Latin still, in every hour. And so on. You are free to do that as you like to do, but it is necessary to see these possibilities. The great thing is the most important thing is to sing. And especially the monks must with special preoccupation dedicate themselves to sing well, because it is a medium aptissimum expressionis laudative contemplative, che maxime propria est monasticis et opationis.

[32:24]

It is the most convenient mean for the expressions of praise, of contemplation. which is in the greatest way specific for monastic celebration. We, as monks, we are celebrating in cantices, singing, praising and so on. And it is convenient to sing more or to sing in a more solemn way in the Sundays, in the feast days, and also according to the capacity, to the possibilities of every congregation, there is liberty. You are not obliged to do it, but it would be convenient to show at least the ideal. Not for you, you do it, but for the entire Benedictine Confederation. I cannot understand the people who are to meet this terrible arrangement. And so the most important hours, Laws and Vespers,

[33:28]

If they are celebrated in solemn song, Really, Rerum Veritate can be regarded as the most eminent hours of the day, as we are doing in San Tanselmo, where we have a very simple office, but the entire community of San Tanselmo in Rome, every day, notwithstanding all our scientific work, all our occupations, are singing the Vespers. And also in the morning office, where we have linguistic groups Every group, the American, English groups, and the French group, and the Italian group, and the Latin group, try to sing as far as possible. Also, if we in the Latin group are sometimes only four or five old people, Cipriano Pagazzini, Johannes Muller, and I. I'm not against the modern language, but nevertheless, not forget also the possibilities of, the easy possibilities to sing in Latin, because it's very difficult to sing in Italian. And also for English melodies in Rome, we are not very... No, the English makes it very well.

[34:39]

Nevertheless, it's sometimes very difficult to find the convenient melodies. Let us say already. Echo. So, 27. And now we come to... 26 in English, yes. It's the last. Actores celebrationis, the performers of the celebration. And here it said all the members of the community are the performers. But there are special performers, deputed, and to be the animators. There is the president, the abbot, and it is well said that the abbot can be the animator for the entire community to begin, to start, to explain by himself or by the hebdomadarius, which is doing in his authority.

[35:39]

There are the readers, the cantor, the psalmist, and the monitor, in English, the announcers. which is a custom taken from the parochial liturgy where we had animators, announcers, commentators for many things for the monastic community, I think it is not necessary. But it is possible, you can do that. If somebody is saying we are now doing so and so and so, there are possibilities, yes. There is the Schola Cantorum, the assembly. And then in the end they are insisting here, in the end of page 22, it would be necessary that the heroes will be edified if the assigned office is done with humility, gravity and reverence, but also with competence. The principle so common in monasteries, according to which everybody must take his turn at doing a certain job in the community, cannot be applied to the celebration of the Opus Dei if we are trying for, as it should be, an edification from competence.

[36:49]

And we had formally this custom that everyone must do the office of the head domada, and then the poor man must try to sing, and he could not. It was terrible. The most excellent example of such an impossible form was the good, pious and holy Abbot Primate Friedrich von Stotzingen. He was incapable to sing one note rightly. And nevertheless, he was singing the great gospel of Christmas night. And he was exercising with humility and with zeal for hours and hours to do it rightly. And the more he exercised, the more it became terrible false. It's better not to do it and to invite some other to do it. And also, we changed in my monastery. Everyone can be the first president of the celebration as septumata, but then he must not give the intonations, the cantor is doing it.

[37:53]

All is done with competence and therefore for the edification of the community. And then here the English text is going on giving a good commentary, a good end, which is not found in the Latin text. That is strange. Finally, those who perform special roles in the celebration are set a place. It's very good, very well set within the assembly that is suitable for their task. the canto, you can say, must stay in the center or in the front of us. And also the next, number two, is not in the Latin text. With regard to the words in which the interior dialogue is expressed, they cannot be all recited uniformly, but must correspond in expression to the diverse roles they have in the celebration. Here, perhaps, we could have more fantasy to find the possibility convenient to the different forms.

[38:57]

Acclamations, proclamations, song. In fact, each one of these forms is intended to interpret the interior meaning of the formula that is spoken. and is intended also to create or solicit a corresponding attitude in the participants. Only thus does the celebration become alive within all tools present and provoke a living and truly responsive dialogue in the heart of the Assembly, for each of these forms become different moments of celebration. To make living our office, here also I think in the first beginning in the years after the Council we became too simple and now again we could find variation forms, find new melodies for the acclamations and proclamations. Yes, you are doing it for the Amen after the Canon in the Mass and the Amen after the Gospel in the vigils and so on.

[40:04]

And so far I have finished my humble commentary to this, I must say again, wonderful document, the directory, which is only an introduction, a theological and practical introduction to this Thesaurus, and it would be convenient to study it too, with the wonderful, great possibilities where all these elements, all the secondary elements, are given in a great abundance, little chapters for the different weeks of the entire year, for all the festivities and the versicles and so on, and the possibility to show the different forms of the disposition of the Psalter in the end. With the clear intention, they are giving only examples. You are free to make others. But it is difficult to find a good disposition ideally.

[41:07]

Therefore, in a certain way, for many communities, it would be better to take one of these possibilities, to Rudolph and Benedict, or Christorganer's Waddle, or Cheyenne, or Nostradamus, or Emanuel Heufelder, or, I don't know, your own way, and so on. You are free. And all that because we are trying to realize the worth of the liturgical constitution, In the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, but not only in the Eucharist, the work of salvation is actualized according to these wonderful words of the old secret on the ninth Sunday after Pentecost. All the times where we are celebrating this work of anamnesis, The work of salvation is actualized. This is really true, especially for the Eucharist.

[42:09]

But it is also true in the entire Constitution and the documents after the Council, and the Pope himself is insisting on this point. All these forms give a real actualization, presence of the work of salvation, in different forms. And when we speak of the reality of the Eucharistic presence, this does not mean that the upper reality would not be there. Only the Eucharist has a more intensive, more substantial presence of work and person and body and blood of our Lord. But this presence is spiritually given, really, also spiritually, in the other hours about which we are speaking here. And in all these hours is true also the wonderful words of number seven of the Church Constitution. Christ is present to his Church in every liturgical action, especially in the Eucharist, but then also when in every sacramental celebration, and then more when the Holy Scriptures are solemnly read in the assembly, and when a community, two or three and more, are gathering together, then He, the Lord, is present in our midst.

[43:21]

We must see this reality, insist in it, and therefore celebrate so that the Lord is present in our midst in this wonderful high way, in this great form, that then after these high points of liturgical hours, where the church is really in a strong way together, our entire life could be continued in Christ our Lord. The entire, not only liturgy. Liturgy alone, we must say it very strongly, would be that. Liturgy is the highest point to continue in the entire life. Therefore, liturgy does not exhaust the activity of the church. But nevertheless, number 10, it remains Kuhlmann at once, the highest summit to which we are always going, and the source from which comes all our activity. And I wish you that your culture continue in the way in which you are celebrating your liturgy to be in your entire life in Christ Jesus. Now we can still discuss if you like.

[44:25]

You are right. You can do so. And so far as I remember, That is the old custom in the Italian monasteries. In the Italian monasteries, acolytes were saying the Antiphon, not the community. You can do it, yes. And then the antiphon is not a melodical, musical element, but it's only a motif to say the chant. And it's not important, not necessary that the community is saying it. Nevertheless, as you are doing it in the big antiphons, vespers and glocks, you are speaking solemnly together, singing solemnly together in a very simple way, the antiphons is also very fine.

[45:33]

But you must not do it every day, for every psalm. In a certain way, it would be nice, I am from this opinion, more or less, it would be nice to have an antiphon for every psalm, as it is in the new liturgy of the hours of the Roman Rite. St. Benedict does not have it so. He has only an antiphon for some psalms. And we must confess, he did it not very well. because the antiphons don't correspond to the content of the psalms in no way. They are only taken one verse which is corresponding to the first psalm, the second or third it does not correspond. And therefore in the new liturgy, and we must do more or less the same, we must show our antiphons so that they are really adapting the psalms in its meaning to the concrete situation of today, as it is made very well in the old liturgy in the Great Solemnities. And there must be more or less antiphons normally, which are not histories of the saints, as we have it in St.

[46:34]

Benedict's Feast and so on, but taken from the psalm. But there are many possibilities to do it. to give the tone. Here I find it as just the opposite. It ruins the sounds. It ruins? Yeah. But you have another way to sing your antiphons. You are no more in the old form with the antiphon as it was in the old antiphonarius. It's really giving one of the eight tones. And it was impossible to sing a psalm in another tone than the antiphon. You are outside of this form. For you, the antiphon more or less is only a more or less solemn recitation of an antiphon to give a motif. But there is a possibility, yes. If the antiphon could be a psalm with regular tonal, then the antiphon was a psalm tonal.

[47:43]

I don't understand. You can say the antiphon is in rectotone, yes? And then? And then pick up on, say, the solemn tone or whatever. No, yes, yes, OK. I said it already sometimes in Italy to some congregations. If you don't have melodies, speak in a certain solemn way the antiphon. Not too simply, at least as you are doing it for Vespers and Laws, and then freely you continue with your example as you like to do it. There is no real connection between the two. I think the difference is true for the cascading. One is taking the adamant as a musical information, and the other is taking the adamant as a, you know, a measure of beat or sound. I think that's one work or two. One of the understandings we have of the anathema these days is that it's an introduction to the theme of health.

[48:48]

It's more important, yes. That's why I feel it should be well-recited, instead of trying to stain the novelty and then change it. Yes, well recited, you are right, well recited, but at least well recited. Otherwise, I have personally the feeling if you are reciting it only and you come with a wonderful sound tone, there is too big a difference. At least as you are doing it, for my judgment, very well in Lourdes and Lesbos on Sunday, you are reciting in a certain solemnity. reciting it, but with some variations, with a second voice. The antiphon, and then very well the magnificato benedictus is following. You must not do it every day. Every day it would be possible to give only a recitation, a simple recitation, and then follow the sounds. Also here, at least in the beginning, for example for lords,

[49:49]

it would be more easy to take antiphons and speak them. And then the psalm is given in song. But with time, perhaps it would be possible for some experts to find again melodies that we don't undergo the risk of this impoverishment, which is really the case after the Council. And we must remember, the old wonderful melodies have been created during 100, 200, 300 years. And we cannot do the same in 10 years. But at least remain open to the possibility to give some solemnity, a certain solemnity, in certain days at least, musically, to the antiphons. I would say the tendency to try to go back to the end of the finale, which was, I feel, too loaded with all the versicles.

[50:52]

Perhaps it was a little bit too much, you are right, and nevertheless, some of these elements would not be met. We were instructed as novices, as young monks, by Abbot Helwegen, the versiculus is a signal. The entire community now is changing from the first nocturne to the readings. You have a signal, the benediction, the blessing, yeah, you can do it, but nevertheless, especially if you sing the verticulus, for example, with certain musical intonation. I don't know the versical, yes. Very simple in a normal day, whenever there is a certain signal, in festivities of festum,

[51:54]

Record artists' dominoes must be recorded as well. Is this certain? Attention, please. Dynamis, Solomon's Octoves according to the Greek liturgy. It's possible, not necessary. But here, the directory wishes only to insist we must be prudent not to lose everything of the tradition. in the tendency, a very good tendency, to become more simple. We must find also our way, this way to give the versicle with the melody on the last syllable is perhaps possible in Latin, but not in English and German. In German, impossible. In English, too, I think. Yes, yes, yes, yes. as you are doing it.

[53:22]

That does not mean that in visuals there could be some solemn element. For example, the Invitatorium, which you are singing it. But it was not right as we did it in Rome and in Maria Laga, in all our monasteries, in the great festivities. We were reciting without any melody, the sounds, and singing in the most solemn way the readings, which are not made to sing. It was very nice. It was very nice and very difficult, too, for some people. Therefore, today it's better to sing the Psalms in greater solemnities and to read the readings. It's corresponding to the Word of God. It must be read. On another side, also, there is a very big problem discussed now also in Germany. Gospel readings could be sung or must be proclaimed.

[54:27]

Especially, it's a problem for gospel. It was very nice to sing at once. Could we do the same in English and in German? And many are against it. No, we must proclaim it. In that time, Jesus has said to his disciples. In a certain way, it's more expressive. But nevertheless, great German authors is Bach. You remember, you know the passion of Matthew and of John, of Johann Sebastian Bach. He had a wonderful way to sing the German text. And therefore, today we are trying to find new melodies, not so rich as the melodies of Bach, but new melodies which are proclaiming the truth of the Gospel also in this melodical way. So that it can go in our hearts more deeper.

[55:31]

Meanings are different. In a certain way, it's better to speak it well than to sing it badly. as it sometimes was said by some priests, who were not able to do it. But, Burkhard, you could take the last sentence in number 22, where it says there is a... In the English text, 22. ...a real risk of impoverishment, meaning not only impoverishment for the people, but it impoverishes the... Yes, yes, yes, we are losing. The office doesn't signify what time of day and also what time of the year the church is celebrating. You can't publish a sign and there's a responsibility to have the best sign that you can have. We must think to this danger for ourselves, that our offices are really with this smaller Secondary elements are really good offices. But it seems like if you just had the primary parts only, it would be very hard to tell if the psalms are, you know, you could go to the psalms and you don't know if it's an evening one, if the windows are a morning one, or afternoon, there's no way to tell what time it is when you're celebrating.

[56:50]

No, but you could say you come to Westpost knowing very well it's the evening. Therefore, I am singing this psalm in the context of evening. But it's also convenient to have some expressions, yes, in the sign, in the antiphon, in the texts. Therefore, sometimes we are choosing also psalms according to the situation of evening in the Vespers. But then we are singing Christmas not only for evening, but sometimes also in the Thanksgiving for the mystery of the day, in Christmas day, or in Novel Solemnity. Singing the Psalms to praise God because he has given us his mystery in such a way, Assumption of Our Lady, and so on. When we have a solemnity, we have a motif anthem. I found that hard in some ways with the introduction.

[57:51]

Then we have another introduction with the incense. We have a nice little melody to the incense with my prayer rising. And another introduction of an antiphon, you know, this is the beast of so-and-so. Nevertheless, you have three psalms, and perhaps, according to the ideal, you would have three antiphons. We are singing this psalm to see the eschatological glory of our Lord. And then we are singing in the kismet, the second psalm, He is great in His mercy. We are singing the Psalm de Profundis on Christmas. And if we are taking this antiphon, then the entire atmosphere of this Psalm is changed.

[58:54]

Some priests said, how could you say the Psalm de Profundis on Christmas? He said only for that. It's awful, because we are singing the psalms not so much with the insistence of the profundis clamorat Dominum, from the deeps I call to you, but we are insisting in this other point, Lord is great in his mercy, copiosa apodiam redemptio, it's a redemption, he is redeeming us. He has redeemed us. Therefore, the Antiphons, the different Antiphons, are good introductions after the general introductions that the Lord has to help us in the evening time with the incense, sacrifice of praise in the evening, and then the Antiphons and the Psalms in their specific meaning for this feast. I would not have any difficulty. And remember, all these are suggestions.

[60:01]

You are free. But nevertheless, let us think about it. We are already more than 10 years after the Council. A very short time, but nevertheless. still. And here, there is a book given last year, and I would say every community, also the communities which are already accustomed to have their own office for many years as you, are invited to think again about the possibilities given here. For example, there is a wonderful work done especially by Father, I can't find the name of one of these monasteries in Italy, for every reading in the year, a responsorium which is corresponding to the reading itself. Enormous work. Yes. And formally, it was not so.

[61:06]

You remember, we have set the same responsoria for three, four, five weeks with quite different readings, more or less adapted, but never corresponding to the precise text. And enormous work, every reading with its own responsoria. I wonder, why do you insist so much, not only with people, that there could not be a common reverie? Say, for example, I don't care, it's actually interesting. Supposing we had one for the confederate sylph, and with the individual monasteries with supplemental or supplemental? You are right. It would have been possible. But it was not possible because and we were fearing it. The entire confederation, especially some congregations, some others, would have been furious if we would have imposed it.

[62:11]

The other primate, Rembrandt Wigland, would have been, how do you say, lapidated, stoned, if he would have made a bravery. We, Henry Ashworth and I, we were hoping we make this work hoping that with time, by itself, there will come a common form, by itself, by the perfection, by the qualities of this treasure. And so it is better. There was so much, how do you say, aim, desire for spontaneity, for liberty, for the liturgy of the local church, that a liturgy for the entire Confederation would have been impossible. They would have taken it immediately here in fire. And all were feeling that the upper primate would impose it, or the congregation, but in upper primate and congregation they were from the same opinion, or a certain liberty, but in, how do you say, inside the framework of these structures.

[63:24]

And therefore, with time, perhaps, and so on. For example, you can arrange your office as you wish, but nevertheless, for a Benedictine monastery, it would be necessary, convenient, that in the visions of Sunday, the end is the Gospel. And it would be also necessary, convenient, that for Benedictine monks, the Gospel would be finished by Amen. And to do it, you must find some possibility, because formerly it was so, we were singing There was a final conclusion, and all have known, and all have known, no, we can't say Amen. Today is impossible. You are finishing, nobody knows when is coming the end. And therefore, in my monastery, we do it so. The abbot says, after the reading, these are wars of life. Or on Sundays we say, the Lord is risen.

[64:32]

Amen. And I would find it very strange if we would lose completely this acclamation after the Gospels and the Vigils. We hope there are possibilities to change. You can change. You are free. Our intention was, if it is possible, let us retain the words, the letter of the rule. If it's possible. If it's not possible, we can change our liberty. As St. Benedict himself has said it. I don't know how you do it. Have you the tradition or still? Okay, fine. We say this is the Gospel of the Lord. Okay, then you can answer. Only you must find a word which is not identical with the words after the Gospel in the Mass. Because with time, everyone after a certain formula is answering immediately in the form he knows.

[65:36]

And therefore it must be a form different from the Mass. Please. Just a little bit longer. So it's not very good. So then the counter. Okay. Just a point. I don't think there's that have reduced the number of hours. Is there any evidence that it has? Volunteer. In a certain way, yes, at least officially, because they are singing these hours better. For example, I don't know it precisely, but so far as I see the situation, in monasteries where, in consequence of the enormous burden of work, they never have sung the office. No, having only two hours a day, they can sing it in the morning, sing it in the evening, with greater perfection.

[66:39]

If the prayer life really has grown, I don't know. Well, I think the diminution of... We made this experience. We have not so many hours anymore. We lost, under Abbot Basil Abel, first, before the council already, the prime. It was allowed to us. We have obtained the permission not to say the prime. Therefore, we had time to pray in the morning. Somebody had time also to sleep, you know. but then you could not hinder that. At least there was the opportunity to pray. In my monastery we have the morning office with the combination of vigils and lords, six stars, Vespers and Compline, and the Mass. for more or less uh... five times if the mess and uh... uh... or six in because we did the morning of his how to uh... i was impacted together and suppose you are free not to work and to play if you don't do it you must say again in a certain way it's not important to change

[68:08]

texts, numbers, hours, but to change the spirit. If you don't change the spirit, you change everything, and it's the same as before. And there's a great danger, and for many it is so. They change the altar, they change the language, they change the readings, and they are doing the same mechanism as before, without breaking anything. And therefore, always again, these wonderful words in the instruction of 64, the intention of the reform is not so much to change, but to realize this pastoral action in which liturgy is culminant for us, ut mysterium pascale vivendo exprimato, that the paschal mystery could be expressed in the life, in the living celebration of liturgy and in our entire life. If you don't intend to that, it's nothing. It is difficult to do it during the entire life.

[69:12]

I have the impression that in history, one of the distortions of solemnity became, you know, for people, solemnity means singing. And for me, singing can be a very, you know, a real distraction if it's done badly. I don't know where he got the principle, but for him the reference had to be solved. And he was there, you know. He could not, yes, I know, I know. Here, again, the Council was insisting, if you cannot sing the Mass, the High Mass, the Pontifical Mass, say it. It is better, yes. And nevertheless, we come to preach the Orat, says St. Augustine, who is singing, is praying twice. Per se, to sing, to sing with the angels, it is better to sing. Excuse me, here I don't agree with you.

[70:14]

It is wonderful that in every mass, and in our Latin mass in Rome, every day we are doing it, we cannot sing the intro, we cannot sing the offertorium, but we sing in every mass, every day, Preface, Sanctus, and Pater Nostrum. Also with all the other things that are not said, not in song. Song is, I would say, pragmatic. the Holy Spirit. But you are right, sometimes it's more difficult, it's a burden, it's too difficult, and it's distraction and so on. But it's the same, if you say it badly, it's also a distraction. Yes, this was something that, you know, some people talk about singing here, you know, about improving the liturgy, and it's always in terms of singing, and I have difficulty with that. because I think you can improve the liturgy if you introduce a reading or if you introduce something like that. Here, I don't agree totally.

[71:19]

You are right. In introducing readings, we can promote the liturgy. But at the same time, we must not forget that liturgy is not only an intellectual thing. It is also an expression of the entire man. And the entire man is expressing himself joyfully, praising when he is singing. We cannot praise in the eminent sense when we don't sing. If we wish to praise the Lord, then we must sing. This is one of the elements which we have seen in our times in the youth movement, to stay in a mountain and to see the beautifulness of the world and then to shout out in a hymn, but in a singing hymn. And so in liturgy too. And as he said in the psalms, in Timbalese, that if you are doing with the harp and so on, for me it is marvelous. I found that we have a book of hymns. We have 220 some antiphons and hymns and all that.

[72:20]

And then after we all know it, we sing them a few times, and then, you know... In a certain way it is true, all things become common, but nevertheless I must say, at least in the old liturgy, every year again, the same melodies for Christmas, for Easter, for Ascension of Our Lady, and every year again. Wonderful. And it never became too much. If we find, and here is our difficulty, if we find in our modern languages, excellent melodies, they will not be noisy, will not become noisy. The difficulty is our melodies today are still very simple, sometimes not well made. And one of the reasons, because our Abbot Urban Baum is so against German Gregorian chant, he says, things are not well made. It's an adaption of German language to Gregorian chant, which does not function.

[73:32]

You can do it for some days. You are enthusiastic because it's a new thing. After a certain time, you are realizing it is badly made. Then things are lost. But we must try to make it so well that we are convinced by the melody. That is difficult. Therefore, we must make some experience. We must begin to do it, and with time you find... And I have the impression you have some melodies which are well made. For example, the melody of the incense is, from my judgments, well made. And other melodies too. But nevertheless, we did not yet find, not in German, not in English, not in French, not in Italian, melodies which have the same powerful expression as the old Latin Gregorian chant melodies. Ecce adveni dominata dominus. What can we say in English and German? Instead of that, speaking strongly also to the people who don't understand Latin.

[74:35]

or in the old Sunday of Sextagissima, Exurge Domine, Athesic in Terra Venta Nostra, Exurge, Exurge Nerepelas in Finum. You have some application to it in English, but in Latin, yeah, the melody is still there. But in Latin, some melodies are not translated. Perhaps you have all of them translated. Okay, fine, then they are still there, and I am enjoying it to hear the old melodies. And so on. But the thesaurus, the directorium, again, according to my judgments, excellently has spoken about strong, they can too. And new difficulties are expressed here, they did not bring it. You are right.

[75:44]

There is a difficulty, but nevertheless we must overcome this difficulty. And therefore also it is necessary to be competent to exercise. Without the exercise, and also this insistence of the Kantor, and our Kantor is insisting very much indeed, in the last days you have already, you are for half a tone. This is our fault. We must retain in the entire office the same tone, and not falling. Not, how do you say, declining. It's difficult, and we need always again, and Abbot Urban, our former cantor, said, it is only an element of attention, sometimes of tiredness. But especially if you are present with body and spirit, you must not fall down. To stay in the presence of God is difficult.

[76:55]

It's not easy. We are tired, nevertheless. And therefore, in a certain way, we must become independent from certain difficulties which are in every community. There are days where the entire community is... Nevertheless, because although the most perfect melody cannot realize the greatness of the presence of the mystery of Christ, which is greater than every human beautiful melody, I thank you for the opportunity you have given to me.

[78:01]

Also for me I must say it is after 50 years and after more than 50 years always the same. According to these words which has been written here in the cake so far as I remember, according to the words of the hymn of St. Ambrose of the Outlaws of Monday, and citated by Romano Guardini in his book of the Spirit of Liturgy. Laeti bibamus sobrium ebriatatem spiritus. Joyfully we wish to drink the sober ebriatus. Drunkenness. Drunkenness of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we need some, we need movement. Overcoming all the difficulties of the years, of the weather and so on.

[78:53]

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