Yes, the talking about the obedience here Of course, you realize in the Rubriks is really part of the, the basic part of the Converso.

[01:01]

Inversion. Converso is the kind of whole turning upside down. on Versio, like St. Peter. When you're young like Peter, then you went where you wanted to go. But then there comes, when you get older, another will come and he will gird you and lead you where you do not want to go. See that's the, there is a cross there. The Vita dies with this crucifying of the head down and feet up. Somehow that's also a part of the Obedienzia, this churning thing. The head, which is the bone, looks round and round and round. And then the feet kind of, they are holding him.

[02:07]

But they don't have it. Now, Not many facher wolontate miam, sed eius qui me emisit. Voluptas habet purnam et necessitas habet coronam. That was in the code of arms of Herod Ilfons as well. Voluptas habet purnam et necessitas habet coronam. So you realize then that the total giving of one's own will, good or bad, is very important. It doesn't say of one's bad, but of one's will, purely. That's very important. You can see that, the totality, I mean, how seriously that was taken.

[03:13]

You can see that from other things, because here, in this giving up of one's own will, that means, of course, giving it into the hands of Christ. It is not the giving up of one's own will in a kind of suicidal manner. but it's giving it into the hands of Christ, surrendering it to his representative. It's not giving up of initiative or anything like that, you know, you cannot in that way give up oneself without killing oneself, but it is putting oneself under the obedience of Christ. non veni faccio voluntatem meam sed eius primae misi. And of course, again, as we said before, the voluntas, Chris, of Christ is of course not a bad owner.

[04:18]

So what is given up, you know, is really, let us say, all kind of ownership, of owning. Therefore, The vow of obedience is also the root of the poverty. That's why poverty isn't mentioned in these three vows which have become traditional in Benedictine monasticism. Poverty is not mentioned there, because to own something is of course vital. Nobody can own something as long as he has given up his own will. He cannot hope. And again, you know, it shows you it isn't a bad will, because ownership in itself is of course not condemned, you know, by any kind of general Christian moral standards.

[05:22]

It belongs to the basic rights of the person. If you, as a free person, earn something, then you also have the right to own something. But of course, there is in a monastic life, you know, that is eliminated by the vow of poverty. And that vow of poverty, of course, doesn't mean a, let us say, The acceptance, you know, that's of course the difference between the Benedictine concept and the Franciscan concept, of course, but we don't speak about that now. The essence of poverty is really the giving up of the self-will. That's the root of it.

[06:23]

That's the meaning. Therefore it's the giving up of this capacity or tendency of man to have things in his possession. Or let us say, you can also say, under his control. Or you can also say, at his own disposal. At his own disposal. under his control. So, the obedience to it, of course, is giving up, you know, trying to keep things under one's own control. Not owning something. Possessing. Ruling. That is the important thing. Therefore, the vow of obedience, of course, also

[07:25]

includes the attitude one has towards oneself. For example, St. Benedict points that out in the chapter on the artisans in the monastery. Well, somebody has a certain natural talent. First of all, he doesn't own it, but it is left to the abbot's discretion if he can use it or not. And then if he is allowed to use it, still he has to continue that inner attitude, you know, of deep inner detachment. Because so easily, just by exercising a craft in which somebody excels, he wants to have control over it. And therefore, for example, also control the fruits of it. And then, of course, all this kind of natural pride, you know, that immediately comes up.

[08:37]

As soon as I have done something, then one has a kind of inner satisfaction. This is my contribution. Somewhere one delights in that, you know, of course, naturally. But wherever one meets it, whenever one becomes aware of it, there's this inner, supernatural reaction to it, is uluptas habet pröna. This inner delighting in one's own will, habet pröna. Necessitas arigona. Be the serving, be a law, a will which is not one's own, that brings the crown.

[09:38]

So it's there, therefore it isn't, also very often, you know, you can, Saint Benedict also mentioned that in his rule, this kind of ownership God's also is easily extended to the supernatural works. I call your attention to that danger. The more one considers, you know, one's perfection as the result, the fruit of one's own efforts, the more one is in danger. consider this perfection as one's own achievement, and therefore also as one's own right, so to speak, in one sense any interference of things, for example, oh, I could be much more perfect if I had more chance, you know, for example, for fasting.

[10:41]

Or, for example, if somebody, you know, is it's intent upon modification and so on, and poverty else then sets interiorly certain standards. How this poverty now that he wants, you know, how that should look, you know. And then there come the problems, you know. Maybe it's always one extent. Usually the individual very often is then in the, let's say, in the the head of the others, whoever these others are, the head of the others. And there comes then immediately also the question, why the way of comparing? Then one compares. Whenever one puts one's trust to speak consciously or unconsciously, On one's own contribution, one compares.

[11:45]

And a comparison is very often favorable with judgment for the other. It seems to me, if I compare myself to Brother So-and-So, First of all, one can only compare, again, if one considers oneself, one's own position. If one has the spirit of poverty, the spirit of poverty, yeah, that's it, Benedict is aiming at, then one doesn't compare. You can think about yourself, you know, in your own spiritual mind, in this whole field of comparisons. It's a field in which all devils die. It's really true. Kierkegaard has written very beautifully just on that, on that thing.

[12:47]

Comparison. Comparing destroys your peace. By the way, destroys your peace. You get into all kinds of turmoil. And usually it ends up in bitterness. What we call the bitter sea. And the bitter zeal, of course, is that zeal that insists on one's own thing. So there is that whole field of poverty, you know, which is, of course, is rooted, which is part of this vow of obedience. Therefore you must also see right away that your inner tendency or your practical ideas about poverty but have to be put under obedience. I don't know if I'm clear enough, if you understand, if I express myself clear enough.

[13:51]

As soon as, for example, in this whole thing of poverty, the same is also the case, of course, for example, for standards of discipline. who are in all these things, observances, mortification, etc., etc. All these things, of course, serve the overcoming of one's own self-will. But the devil will, of course, immediately come in and say, Bound your holy will, you know, that you want more than The other, you know, the poor average, you know, monk in this community is able to do. I thought that they are constantly. And then one says, yes, that's true. Of course, I'm much more radical in my, you know, attitudes, you know, and so on. And then that's God's will.

[14:54]

And before you know it, you have your own little kingdom. And you have your own standards and your own poverty, and that poverty is really your possession. That's then your little idol. There are people, of course, there are many idols. For example, poverty can be one of those things. It usually gets hooked on something external. Not so easily on something internal. But poverty is one of these things. But poverty is simply, it isn't poverty anymore, as soon as it causes you to think, oh my, this isn't right, this is too much, this should be cut out, that should be cut out, oh my, then you really own, you know, and you glory in your poverty.

[15:56]

There comes the other things, for example, which is in the other vow, the vow of chastity, vow of dignity, celibacy, which is of course also in our, it is not expressed in our vows, not made an expressed vow, but it is included in the idea of obedience, the giving up of one's own will. Why was the Lord not married? Nun vemi facere voluntate meam, sed eius quibisit me. Because he was exclusively the instrument of that love which seeketh not hope. And that is of course the meaning. It lived in the form of Virgin. because agility and agility are weaker.

[17:00]

Well, that matter, you know, marriage and the married state, you know, is rooted, really, rooted in what shouldn't be. There are illusions about it, you know. It's rooted in the self-will. This certainly leads to that, you know. It cannot be done. It's voluntas carnis. the will of the flesh, leads to marriage. Again, you know, of course, you have to settle, you have to say, you see, clearly that is not a voluntas mala. It's nothing bad. That's what I say, the obedience in a monastery is not something that prevents you from doing or wanting bad things. the giving up of God, which is so important. It's the essence even of it. It's the voluntas carni, voluntas viri, man.

[18:06]

Man has, in the natural order, yesterday we read that, we heard that in this very interesting book that we are reading at the table. Who is it? Jardin. Jardin. Of course, every man also has a woman in him, so to speak. It's of course, clearly, as soon as he enters into the realm, the orbit of the Agape. You cannot do that without, in that way, now giving up. But man is, of course, created as the crown and as the prince, you know, of this creation. Then it is man on whom the woman is taken. Therefore, man is naturally the head of the woman. And of course, then when he marries, he is, of course, the woman is his glory.

[19:12]

They are all very good, you know. But of course it is not on this line, where our Lord says, and again I emphasize it, our Lord, because he could not see it. But of the one who said, So, there is the man, of course, he continues, everyone who enters marriage continues as if he works at the continuation and expansion of himself in his children. So, that, of course, is not possible either. without the right of command. If somebody is a father, he has responsibility for his children.

[20:20]

That is, of course, his natural, secondary essence of his state. In that way, in this way in which the monastic Spirituality sees it, you know, he cannot give up his own will. Of course, as a father, he has to do many things, you know, he has to take care of the of the maintenance, of the upkeep, or the education and everything of his children. For that he has to work, and maybe he has to work on things, on good things, or on the conditions that he doesn't like at all. But of course that is always the, in some ways, the purna which is connected with the Of course, the married man has not taken a vow, you know, to resign his own will.

[21:21]

And if he takes a job that really isn't, you know, what he likes, he does it. Why? Because he loves his children. What does he love in his children? He loves his own flesh in his children, just as he loves his own flesh in his wife. So, in that way, everything is the works of the different Jehovah. It is true, married life can be tremendous, you know, a tremendous sacrifice. Of course, it isn't by nature, it is essential character intended to be a sacrifice. While, of course, the monastic life indeed is intended But again, you know, of course it is with chastity, it is the same as with poverty.

[22:30]

Virginity can also be used by the devil. It can be used by the devil, for example, again, just as poverty, It's a matter of pride, of personal achievement. As soon as the Virgin begins to compare, here I am, you know, with this poor married people, you know, and so on, and all this kind of condescending attitude. That's, of course, again, absolutely wrong. It's against the inner nature of the genie, because at that very moment, one considers virginity as one's own achievement. It doesn't say that everything that is good in me comes from God, I don't own. Well, what is bad in me, that's the only thing that I own. And I have to get rid of it. That's the meaning of obedience.

[23:36]

So, therefore, the celibacy too is rooted in this. One doesn't have power over one's own body. And that is, again, you see, for that reason too, in the monastic order, this power over one's body was always expressed in the necessity for the monk of value labor, in that he accepts value labor under obedience. That is the power which Christ exercises over his body. And that simply is not done in the same way in any kind of intellectual work or labor.

[24:39]

You see, there is a whole field, you can see that very often, where the intellectual thing, the intellectual activity prevails or eliminates any form of granularity. There is tremendous danger right away. There is a whole round, round on the body, which then the activity of the body, which is then withdrawn from the law of peace. Therefore then, one has to have for the things, you know, the ordinary things, the maintenance things, the struggle with the daily dusk, you know, one has to other people, lay brothers or servants who take care of it.

[25:49]

That's the great danger of that situation. So there is the virginity also as heart of a bee, of the father bee. And then, if you go one step further, then of course you also realize, you know, that This vow of obedience, you know, is the putting at the disposal of God, you know, the surrendering not only one's body, you know, but also, of course, these, let's say, intellectual endowments. all that, the education and so on. And then you also see that there is the root for the lay character, you know, of Buddhists.

[26:52]

monasticism is and about is, it is essentially a label. There is an inner resistance, you know, which was there in monasticism against the priesthood. Not because of any sectarian, heretical tendencies of not recognizing, refusing to recognize the dignity of the priesthood, or of considering, for that matter, The monk, you know, superior to the priest, that may be here and there, you know, something like that, may have played a role, but then monasticism on the whole is not the case. That way monasticism always has recognized the sacramental, objective sacramental, dignity and power of the priesthood.

[27:55]

I wouldn't know of any example in the whole monastic movement where, for example, monks, after having attained a certain degree of sanctity, you know, would have declared, now we can celebrate mass, you know, celebrate Holy Sacrament. Never. To my, I've never, I've never come across that, any. in any monastic writings or nepotism. Because all of a sudden there is, that is a matter of the order which is given, the priestly character which is given through the authority, the imposition of hands, you know, which is the expression of that authority, the part of a bishop. That's what the monks have always recognized. And if they refused the priesthood, it was first of all because their initial through the framework of their goal, what they are aiming at, the conversion, this turning upside down, this resigning.

[29:14]

Once, still, we'll end. And even in good things, One is simply God's poor one. And one has not in that way any kinds of claims or desires. And the priesthood of God is essentially a dignity and is a position of authority. It cannot be separated from authority. It's just, if you're a priest, You get, in the bishopry, you get a ring. And that ring means that you are here wedded, married to this parish, to this diocese, and that's your bride. But you are there the representative of Christ. You are the Adam, the new Adam for your church. And therefore you also, you know, in that matter, have the authority over your church.

[30:19]

And therefore the authority and the exercise of authority is inherent in the very dignity of the people. And therefore also the the conflict, you know, which there arises with this idea of the giving of one's own will through obedience. But, of course, in Benedict, throughout the line, you know, he says, now, if a monk, you know, is disobedience, you know, told, gets that, you know, he has to be a monk, to be a priest, then he shouldn't make any fuss about it. Then he should in all humility accept it. Of course, it would be good if he said, oh, dear Father Habert, I'm not worthy.

[31:23]

Of course, that is what would be expected, you know, kind of, of the, from the, from the monk. And so, in that way, you see, truly, the idea is only logical, because as soon as you, if it's set right at the beginning of your entire career, that you are going to become a priest because you have that and that education and you know your Latin and everything and you have, you know, gifts, you know, for studies. You see, then the entire life, you know, is taken kind of, taken out of the obedience. You kind of not only expect, you're absolutely sure, it's a matter of, it's understood, and after you initiate, you start your studies.

[32:30]

The whole field, you know, that you do, then after the studies, then you come, all the other things follow automatically. And so, in that way, by the way, there's a whole field which is taken away and eliminated out of the range of the actual obedience. And that, of course, very much kind of blunts, you know, the whole edge, so to speak, of which the Abraham, you know, is ready to kill his eyes out. So, uh, and, and, uh, you know, just, uh, puts, you know, really then, right from the beginning, you know, kind of, the crown on its own track.

[33:32]

Of course, that is, it is true that, uh, The one who comes to the monastery in that way, often he comes in an attitude, the will of the Avatar, I simply obey and I become a priest. And his attitude may not be that, you know, of claiming the priesthood for him. So, you know, one must be just to see those things as they are. People enter into the monastery and then are being told, of course, that if you don't preach for them, then now everything is connected with the priesthood. True is formalitarian under the line of obedience. So, of course, true, but therefore There are many holy choir monks who have grown up under these conditions.

[34:42]

They are now really and truly monks, there is no doubt about it. But the old traditional monasticism, also the rule of St. Benedict, did not accept that. And what I wanted to point out is only you see the reason why. because Saint Benedict in his summary of the whole monastic life, he said, through the sloth of disobedience, we turned away from God. Now what is the meaning of the conversion? That through obedience we return. That's the whole theology of it. Can you do that, of course? The monk enters to that conversion. And into that conversion he enters without any conditions, without any reservations of slave.

[35:50]

With that also, as I've said, that surrender conserves everything. and therefore also the good will, and therefore also the vocation to the priesthood, that the individual may feel, may think he has, at the moment of entering the monastery, all that is put upon the altar. And that's very important also, of course, candidate, every postulant and novice, you know, and especially in a monastery like this. It must be clear, you know, that also this one feels a vocation to the priesthood. That also belongs to these good things, you know, that nevertheless have to be put upon the altar.

[36:55]

Because otherwise of course one with the priesthood is given the authority and with the priesthood also one can say is given the family because the priest is a bridegroom and he has a bride and his bride is his community and so on and all of these. So he has authority, then he has a field where he exercises that authority. So in that way, if he would conceive of his vocation to the priesthood completely independently of his vocation to the monastic life, Then there would be a conflict, you know, why they were next to each other, right? Every Trappist monastery truly gets their money and so on, because the Trappists want to keep the rule, you see, that's the meaning.

[37:58]

And therefore, everybody who makes stolen vows, you know, writes it down in scriptures, I herewith acknowledge and recognize and so on. My receiving, you see, the monastic consecration does not constitute any right on my part to become a priest. So that is clearly seen. And therefore, of course, you know very well that the entire, you know, of course, idea of the priesthood in the church as a whole, nobody can go and say I call to the priesthood, I feel it and I know it, you know, and therefore you have to audit. It's of course not the case. Everybody... There are two things which belong to the priesthood. Two things belong to the priesthood. The one is the, you know, calling, and the other one is the official recognition of the, let us say,

[39:04]

authenticity of their calling by the church. Where that element is not, there is no vocation to the priesthood. So, and that's of course, is he in a monastic life, if everyone who enters a seminary, cannot enter a seminary and say, here, I want to become a priest, before he knows it, he may be told, you know, my dear man, I saw it, but So that is the same also in the monastery, also in a higher degree, in a deeper way. There too, he has to put these things on the order. He cannot say, yes, of course, I want to become a monk, of course, but God tells me I have to be a priest. Nobody can tell me, you know, if that isn't so. That's not true.

[40:09]

One cannot do that. Nobody, as the epistle to the Hebrews says, nobody has ever become a priest on his own will. But he is ex hominibus assumptus. He is picked out of man, not by himself, but by God through his instruments. And he is constituted then, for men. For men. That's also very important. He is constituted for men, the priesthood. And of course, in monastic ideas, that is not... Monastic ideas, first of all, is that of obedience, through obedience we reach. to the one whom we have lost through disobedience. That complete and also, as it's said here, not being in touch or voluntarily have not come to do my own will, but the will of the one who sins me.

[41:18]

Yes, of course, in that way the representative is Christ, representative of Christ in the monastery. In that way that is part of it. So there is the lay character of monasticism, basically. Monasticism is essentially on the line of the spirit. The priesthood is essentially on the sacramental line. that the two would in the priesthood be kind of separated, you know, but the main thing in the priesthood is the ordination. This ordination comes to him through the church, and through the bishop, and is given to him. And that is what the priesthood is a stance on.

[42:20]

Of course monasticism not. Monasticism, for that matter, is a the manner of the spirit. Of course, you can see there right away, you know, that it is, of course, really a misconception, you know, to... In that way one can even say monasticism is much freer than the priesthood. Much freer. Much more a matter of personal initiative. Not initiative which is God's based on the Spirit, not on the imposition of hands on the part of the authority of the church. It comes from within. Why does the candidate come to the gates of the monastery? He comes there in order to absolutely be impaled by the Spirit.

[43:26]

in order to serve that inner and to fulfill that inner impulse that he realizes in himself. While, for example, in the priesthood it was very often, you know, the case, and it's one of the reasons why the priesthood was considered compatible with marriage. I know that Rabbi Kleber still told me, you know, that Bishop Hakeem, you know, the dear Bishop Hakeem, who was in Israel with the Arabs, you know, a very kind bishop, he would go to a village and there he would see in this village the priest had died and he looks around, you know, now who is in this village the best Christian, you know? Then he takes him on and says, here now, we have no priest, you should become a priest here. Married or not, you should become a priest.

[44:29]

And then he was told to become a priest. So you see there, on the other hand, the priesthood, you know, sometimes we forget that in our western world, everything starts from within. The priesthood is the charge. The charge. Monasticism for that matter is not a charge. And therefore nobody can be told to enter a monastery. But he can be told to become a priest. For example, in Milan, you know, That's the question of the Bishop, and then the whole corps should have simply shouted on and said, we want Ambrose. And Ambrose was the carriage human. We didn't even bat an eye. We... [...]

[45:40]

the Conversation in Morum Svorum. The expression is taken from the chapter 58 of the Rule of St. Benedict. Conversation in Morum Svorum. He says in connection with that, it's the seventh appearance of the word Conversation. And it's the most important For those who hold, as does Hermit Butler, that kongya-samptu in the rule has but one meaning and signifies vita monastica. You see, kongya-samptu, of course, in that way could be also hermits, you know, in the It's a translation at least, in the Vulgate, a translation of the royalists in court, commersatio mea insulicest, you know, commersatio nostra insulicest, which means there, a translation of the Greek politroima, politroima, and that means really, their citizenship, you know, it means our, our,

[46:57]

whole conversation should exist, our citizenship is in heaven. There we have our, in German we would say, Heimat. There is our home country. There we are, of course the home country always means, therefore takes, and walk according to the customs and the laws of one's own country. Here the conversatio monastica or conversatio among Belongs, you know, in monastic circles, the word conversatio simply means the fact that one is and belongs to the monastic order, to the ordo monasticus.

[47:59]

One is there, then one observes and is taken into the ordo monasticus. And in that way it's true conversatio and certainly among the monastic literature there was very often just means the Vita Monastica and our belonging to it, our right as citizens of a monastic community or of the Ordo Monasticum. belongs to that status of the monastic life, the monastic observance. But of course it is true if you, for example, profess, you know, the promise, conversazione morum meorum. Conversazione morum meorum.

[49:01]

And of course the difficulty arises. How would one translate it? What does it mean there? There's a genitivus, you know. more or more, which evidently is the object of this conversation, is the kind of reactive way of handling or dealing with one's worries. And there the difficulty comes in conversationum morum. Here, this Paulus Hörgler, who enlists them here to meet some conversationis, tries to analyze the genitive moris. What are the moris? Mores then, he says, are simply the, again, you know, the kind of... Mores are the, again, an observance, a way of life, my way of life.

[50:17]

Whereas the Mores then would here be, again, you know, the monastic way of life. But then, of course, you have the kind of expressing the same thing with two words. Conversatio would mean the monastic way of life, and immores, again, you know, would mean a monastic way of life. So, all that seems to me is very difficult, at least as far as the vow is concerned. What do I say when I say, por mito, conversazione? It seems to me that this conversatio here has just two meanings. One can see that conversatio and one can say an intensification of conversio, conversatio.

[51:24]

Conversio in itself, you know, it is of course and always has the meaning of a, let us say, of one act, of one moment. We speak about the Conversio Sancti Paoli, the conversion of St. Paul. We speak sometimes in relation to ourselves, we speak sometimes, we say, you know, Conversio. I had a conversion, or when I had my conversion, that is then a moment in one's life in which, say, God, you know, took in a special way possession of us, in which we turned to Him in a new way, which means the beginning of a new life. And the act of conversio is the beginning of a new conversatio, of a new way of life.

[52:30]

And that conversatio then is in some way the status which is initiated by and which is brought about by the act of conversio. Because if somebody in the, at the moment in which he is received, you know, into the monastic life, in which he then speaks about the conversatio, conversio modum, you know, because it is important here to notice what Justin McCann, you know, he noticed that Paul the Deacon, who is really Paulus Diaconus, is really the first commentator about the rule of St. Benedict. In his profession formula, which is of course a profession formula, you know how things developed in Monte Cassino.

[53:35]

Unfortunately, Monte Cassino was destroyed very soon after St. Benedict's death. Of course they are then, the monks have to leave Monte Cassano if there's a kind of a vacuum. There is a break in the tradition. And then, only about a hundred years later, the mobs came back, you know, to Monte Cassino. Among them, there was then Paulus Diaconus, one of the, let us say, most conspicuous persons, in which then the monastic life, you know, was re-established at Monte Cassino. And there, we know, the formula was, I commit my destability, and the conversion of the dead, of the living, of the secular, and of the obedience of the Lord God and of the Holy Ghost. That formula is the formula that we have, that has come down to us from Paulus Diaconus.

[54:42]

And of course it therefore has a great antiquity. To my mind it's one of the really authentic, the most authentic interpretations that we have. Conversione morum leorum secularum. And that, means to me, is very important here, because it really says we have, we don't have the word secularium, but we have the word conversio or conversatio morum meorum. Now, what are these mores me? I can't see for the world of me that these mores, mores may, could be, and mean in any way, the mores which are established, the way of life that is established in a monastic community. But they are the mores way. That means that kind of conversatio, that kind of life, which I have, and which I have, let us say, by nature.

[55:46]

which is constituted by my character and all these things. Yes, they are. Of course, the more is made than are the, in some way you can say, the old man. And the old man is the material. Who was this Converzium? To my mind, it seems that the vowel of the Converzionem, and of course you know that you must always think that word, Converzium, has been used. in the entire monastic tradition, from Paulus Diaconus down to, as Justin McClellan rightly says, down to yesterday. Yesterday, of course, is the day when Deus Vult in Häusler, and Butler, and so on. Then Emmett Chapman, the Lord Chapman,

[56:48]

came with the thesis, you know, that better original expression used here really is conversatio and not conversi. Of course it is true here that we have to We have in some way, we have of course here inherent difficulty, which to my mind is easy to explain, you know, one can if you say, committo conversione morum meorum. That is of course in some way, one doesn't, one doesn't promise, let us say, one act of conversion. Because this here is a kind of lifelong business. This promise here is the beginning of a new way of life. And in that way, of course, also another aspect, what is promised here is a, what I say, a continuous conversion.

[57:57]

Or if you want to know what is promised here, it's a conversio, which develops and which is lived as a conversatio. There is something that is simply constant. You can say the constant basic undertone of the entire monastic life. Something that is not only But one cannot, of course, in that way, not vouch for the prosperity of one time act. But one, with what vouch this conveys you, that simply means, you know, that one engages upon, is that the right word? Engages upon a way of life in which one constantly works at the conversion of one's morals.

[59:04]

Moral may all. And that is of course the way of life which has been, one can say, which is innate in me. The natural, what is dictated by character, what is dictated by background, you know, by all these things that we have received from this world. In that way, of course, moro meorum secudarium, it seems to me, is a legitimate, used by Paulus Diaconus, a legitimate interpretation of this moro meorum. that is, it's in some way the way of life of the old man, which is now supplanted by the way of life of the monastery, the monastic community. So that now the rule, the regula, that regula which Saint Benedict gives here,

[60:09]

is from now on constitutes the more ways, that means the way of life of the new, of the monk. And in that way one can say that of course this vow conversion, committo conversione, To all of my own ears, as many people say, life is simply the acceptance of the regular. The monastic rule has the basic, basic, you know, for and the norm for the way of life of the new man. But of course, you know very well that the rule of St. Benedict is, as he says, Initium Conversation. Initium Conversation. That means a beginning.

[61:12]

It is therefore in some way the rule. It's a means, you know, for a constant conversion. for a life in the spirit of conversion. And that's what St. Benedict always emphasizes. This is for beginners. The rule is, as we said, maybe it's the introduction, the catechetical instruction in the basic rudiments of the monastic life. It wants to be written for disciples. It is the law of a skola. And of course a skola is, as you know very well in the antiquity, the skola is a gathering, is an organization of people who profess and practice a craft, you know, scholar.

[62:22]

That's what we later on in German, we call it, you know, not in German, young young, that's not gilt, you know, gilt, a gilt. It struck me for years, you know, coming to Rome as an alumnus, you know, from going to Southern Senegal, coming back there from the North. And then there was one always passed by, going by train to Rome, and always passed by this school there, and it was all broken down. building, you know, really looked terrible, you know, and it was the schola, the school, for the, um, for the, for the, uh, drivers. Of course, it was a buggy. The drivers, how would you call them, these people who sit there, you know, and give lectures and

[63:24]

Carriage driver. Carriage driver. See? The scholar of the carriage driver. Now what is the scholar of the carriage driver? Of course, that place where they get together, where they discuss, you know, a question of their métier, you know, of their craft. And, you know, where they instruct the young. the scroller of the cabbage lines. And so on. So the monastic, the monastery is a scroller. It means it is a place, you know, where the professionals of the conversion, get together and learn the rules of the trail. The rules of the trade are put together in the irregular. So in that way, this profession is, you know, in that way, a profession.

[64:34]

But, of course, I would say here, also, especially, you know, this profession and the powerhouse for its immediate objective and content, of course, those chapters of the rule which really and truly constitute the basic elements of the Correia Satio, and that is chapter 4 to 7. That's the object, the first immediate object of this vow. Possibly, you know, because there is a great, and we do, of course, too, and that is important, you know, to remember that what we have today now, what appears to us as one book, because it was not originally one book.

[65:37]

Originally, for example, we know, we are aware that, for example, all the chapters, you know, from chapter 8, you know, down to chapter 19, or 18, are, for example, where a book, a separate book, which really was there for the use and as a norm for the superior. Which chapters, what do they treat? These chapters 8 and 18. Would you know? They are about, you know, would you know chapter 8 and 18? Stephen 8 through 18. What is chapter 7 then? 7. What is it? Oh, 7th chapter.

[66:40]

You got it? Then chapter 8. The Ophiuchus divinis, the divine office. You see? And then these chapters, which are therefore regulation of the divine office, are 18. Of course, it is pretty much impossible to think that they would be the object in that way of a vow. Especially because Saint Benedict says that if somebody finds a better way of doing it, You know, they couldn't be the object of a solemn vow, you see.

[67:44]

Christ expresses. Christ too. Because today, you know, when all these things of kinds change, you know, the 8 to 18 are the thing, you know, that should be kept first of all. But, you see, that is not true. And, of course, here, also later on in the rule, you see, it has been, for example, there is one who dictates, let us say, what we call vinicentiales, that means those chapters which which constitute, what would you say, constitute the rules for punishment. You see? The penal code. You see? Of course, again, that's kind of difficult to take a bow on the penal code, you know.

[68:52]

So, those things, you know, are not generally agreed. And in that way, I would say, because if you say that this vow, you know, of conversion of mortals simply takes in, it is the vow on the whole of the rule, and then you think that the rule is this here, what we have now, you see? in which evidently is a document which is as a compost, you know, later on, you know, in the course of years. We have two endings there. We have one ending at the chapter on the, on the porter, you see. And then after the chapter of the Porter it starts all over again. What are those things? Additions, you see, later additions. And therefore it is, to my mind, the Barber conversatio morum is, of course, it's a thesis, you know what I mean.

[70:05]

You know, I haven't seen it expressed in that way in other publications, but usually, you know, today, more and more things, you know, put it that way, this vow of Kommerzaktionbogen gives me official and solemn acceptance of the rule of class, the form of life. See? And there I would put behind that a question mark and say, ruler, now be careful what you mean. You see? And it seems to me that an object of empowerment is of course, first of all, satsang, is of course, first of all, not just what you say. That is the very heart of it. But strangely enough, of course, those chapters are the ones, you know, which are in greatest danger of kind of not being considered.

[71:14]

Because in any case, wherever you have an observer, the feeling sticks in the minds of people, first of all, with various observances. You see? I think Gerald Brown made a very good statement there in this book that we are reading, you know, where he mentioned there what God was like the other day. you know, the plural and the singular. I called your attention to it too, you know, that today, you know, things have turned or have slipped from the singular to the plural, you know. One doesn't speak so much of grace as of graces, you know, graces. And with that they are misgraced, you know. so also of observance and observances. The plural, which is there, which means a collection of rules, a collection of observances.

[72:27]

And that, of course, in some way is especially the practical mind. And now, of course, every man or every human individual has a practical mind. And the practical mind sticks, you know, first of all, to certain observances in some way by nature. It becomes, as we say, things become more concrete that way. But here, where this here is in connection with this, wow, you know, I would very much, you know, see it really also for you personally as novices, you know, to see the meaning of this, von Ersatz, your moral mirror, in the light of these chapters, who are to say. Thank you, Mr. Paul. Are we in business? And that is really what one catches. And of course, if you look at the content of those chapters, four to seven, then you realize that all these chapters really mean, really have, one can say, the undertone of conversion.

[73:41]

See? A real, constant conversion. What becomes what really is the heart of our conversatio is conversion. I told you that so often. In your monastic life, what really constitutes the progress, you know, is the inner constantly repeated conversion. That is a process you see also, the basis on which, for example, the school is based. It's a constant conversion. It means, no trippy, I begin all over again. At this moment, I begin all over again. Wisconsin, return, that through the labor of obedience we may return to the one whom we have left.

[74:46]

You see, that's our status, that are they more or less many whom we have left by the sloth of disobedience. And that are the more or less many. Wonderful characterizations, isn't it? of the Nealstead, the old house there.

[75:11]

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