I ask you to help us to be monastic in spirit, to be competitive in history, to look for the goodness that is hidden just above the surface of the light. Help us to respect all people and all creation. Then it will be easy for us to keep our God. In this last half hour, I'm going to say something about each of them, but I'm not going to attempt the impossible, which is to give a discourse on the bottom. But I will say something about each one of them

[01:01]

And I think that this is not going to be that futile, in a way, of enough to put something in order to have it said. But what I've tried to do is to lay a kind of foundation, talk about a spirit, an attitude, which seems to me then is what can just naturally show how each vow is a kind of implication active expression of this deeper reality. First of all, in regard to the monastic attitude or spirit in general, there's still one or two things I want to note. I've mentioned that he is seeking the transcendent, therefore represented by a kind of restlessness, but a creative rest. He is seeking, looking, And ultimately, this transcended his mystery.

[02:05]

The mystery is feathered in the person of God. And he shared with all other men and with creation. And so, to know God as person in this way, to know God as Father, to know him as the center of mystery and surprise and gift, is to rejoice in his uniqueness, in his freedom, in poverty, in holiness. And this manifests itself as the serene confidence of a son. But John says in his prologue, we have seen the glory, his glory, glory as of an only son. He's not talking about rays coming off Jesus. He's talking about deep inner confidence. God is my father. But at the old feet, you know what Martin Luther King said?

[03:13]

God is free. Not free. See, if we really think that you know God is father, fear is driven out. The serene confidence of the son, the deep peace characteristic of that addiction, who know that the Father's strength and omnipotence is for their benefit, and the Father's great wealth is their inheritance, and who can therefore be calm and play and celebrate, even though they cannot understand, much less control, what is happening in this kind of place. There's no need to control anything. foresee everything. In fact, it's always better not to. I sometimes think that faith means not to know and still to be at peace.

[04:15]

The Lord God as person or as Father is also to respect and cherish mystery, as I said. Not just in God, but especially the most difficult many ways to cherish mystery in other men, which is, I think, the highest form of charity. Give people bread and water and clothing and shelter if you can. But most of all, give them a sense of their mystery. Tell them that they can surprise others. It's especially you. That nobody is the poor person who think that everybody can see Julia. There is no personality. There can't tell a joke. But we can help people to discover their mystery and their sense of confidence. This is the greatest charity, because this is the man of freedom just creates him.

[05:19]

This effect for mystery, I think, will be expressed primarily in gentleness. I would think that the monk must be a gentle person, nonviolent, not harsh, not so efficient that people are run over. It doesn't mean that that you're possibly, you know, tiptoeing around. That doesn't mean that you will make those big blunders by which people are terribly offended, and you don't even know what to happen for. This will be an effect for mystery, first of all, for some people, gentleness toward people, gentleness toward oneself.

[06:23]

We do not get angry with ourselves, violent with ourselves. Not only indulgent, but gentle. And gentle with creation. I think there is something very, very close between this deep sensitivity to mystery in life and the monastic tradition of education. First, but gentle with children, drawing out all that potentiality ensues. Gentle with people who are hearing the good news to the first parents. Gentle with the savage. Gentle with the soil. In that traditional part. Gentle with animals. The religious man, where in some sense, an effect in the month, will in some sense be a poet, an artist, no matter what he does.

[07:39]

And I think, of course, the artistic tradition in the Nazism is well effected. What is that except that you look at something, you know, a piece of marble. Well, it's not just a stone, somebody said. The month is, oh, no, it's not a stone. You see, that little possibility in stone, sticks, and all kinds of things, that's what the artist sees, and then it's only a matter of trying to bring it out. And even in disputes, I remember one of our old professors in Rome, he said, you know, the monks have never gotten themselves as broiled with these terrible, bitter disputes scopedists versus somebody else and so forth and so on. You know, the truth is too deep, too mysterious to take a black and white position on things. I think that's good insight.

[08:46]

And so, it might be a gentle person. I had the good fortune of seeing in my father this kind of thing. And I think we all know people, you know, he was a farmer. He was so gentle with the soil. He didn't savage the soil. You know, he could caress the soil. He could plow in a way that doesn't pair it up with reindeer. Even with a tractor, he could do that. With horses, it's easy. You know, they don't rip and tear up the soil. And animals, too, you know. He would never go to bed until the horses were curried. He would never think about the horses in their sweat all night. Well, that's just one little example of this gentle attitude towards life. Once again, I'm not talking about something indulgent, not everything that happens. No, it would be very firm.

[09:47]

The discipline is still gentle. Let's look at a couple of characteristics of the last of life against this background. One of our chief characteristics is the common or celibatic form of life. The gathering of men who share the same vision, who are looking for the same basic things, who want the support of each other. A place where one is looking for good example and wise guidance. A place to learn the truth about oneself. Not in a brutal way, but in a kind way. Through fraternal reminder. A place above all where one can be lifted up on those days when one is down.

[10:51]

So you can't keep the transcendent up there all the time. So on your soul day, let's look, there's some David in the community. It's because we're remotely soul day. And also a place of hospitality. What is hospitality? Breathing and welcoming and giving the benefit of the doubt to the stranger. Hospitality. That mystery. Entertaining mystery. Hospitality is way beyond... Yes, but it certainly includes yes. I'm very happy to see so many here from Savannah, because they've been up well with their reputation. I know. Heartful experience. This has always been a hallmark of monasticism, but because of that respect for mystery, not because, you know, Francis can take care of the flowers, and we take care of the guests.

[11:53]

Well, then, other characteristics of an adjective of flight from the world. And flight from the world necessarily implies flight into the desert. Well, again, this background which we tried to sketch, this doesn't mean flight from the city necessarily, although I think that has its points too. But that's not really what they're talking about. It is fleeing from Egypt, from the world insofar as it is secularist, insofar as it is closed to the transcendent, insofar as it operates on the principle that this is all there is. Get it while you can. It's fleeing from that. Fleeing from the world insofar as closed to the future, insofar as it is a negative conservatism, We got it. We're going to keep it.

[12:54]

Close to discovery. Close to sacrifice. Close to risk. Close to the young. Any threat of the future. Now, fleeing the world is fleeing that false philosophy that says that the past will guarantee the future. The past is the thing to be grateful for. future is a big dream. And the desert is the unknown, the unmapped future, God's country, the place of hidden treasure. The desert, the flower, is found in the future. The oasis, the place where mystery is, gorgeous, beauty is found. In other words, what the monk does Look at the future. Acknowledges that he is full of threat.

[13:56]

And freely and deliberately called the promise. Refuses to call the future threat. Even though you'll find plenty of people in the Greek court saying, things are getting worse. Don't you see what's going to happen? No. Hold. By the way, prayer, of course, was a great characteristic of an attitude, but I'm going to say something about that tonight. Ten minutes worth of prayer. Conferential more. There's a lot of arguments about what this means. I think in that larger context, it's not that difficult to understand. I think contraceptive of the Lord means that Benedict wants to explicitly have the monk vow that he will never stop searching, never stop the journey, constantly push ahead, never turn back, turn his back to the future.

[15:11]

I think it's clear in the prologue, remember before he said Delicato for a day, you know, Right before that, in the process of converting and faith, therefore, in this process by which one tries to change and grow and allow faith to become dominant, gradually, it said, one's heart will be expanding and you'll begin to run in the way of God's command. So, this vow, this vow, the effort to begin living in the past. With the wrist in the air, I don't know what to do. Don't know what it is. Make silence to our beautiful.

[16:14]

Constantly you know, promising never to start living in the past. This is fatal for everybody, but it's especially fatal for the monk, because he's supposed to be giving an example, bearing witness. Never slip into that thing, well, in the good old days, we used to respect the older father. You know, even if we think so, let's just stay out in our room, you know. Constantly aware of the future, even if it's only Like, I recall about the gallery. I used to wonder how he lived the law. Then one day came to the chapter room and he said, I hate to open the cake for you in the morning. There's always something new. But that's why he's alive. Because I would think at 90, I would care. Well, when you stop caring, then you're there. So, this constant quest. should not become ever younger at heart.

[17:19]

Ernest Benedict, very good example, many of these things, I'm sure you recognize that, Inward Master. Inward Master, on what basis? There's no reason. Inward Master, he understood them in the Sabbath, too. He tried there lying in the tree, it's worth the hour. Once we work and work and work, he'll be remembered. They say God has no sense of humor. That's just about stability. To tell you, of course, a lot of jokes about stability. You know, you aren't the ones that carry to the world. I think the development theme is related to place. People who gather around all over the country all the time, you know, I think they're really taking liberty with their responsibility.

[18:21]

But it's not primarily a matter of play. I think the ability is dealing with the very, very well-known principle of spirituality. That is, that one cannot make any real progress spiritually without authentic self-love. Survival stability, I think, was requested of the monk by Benedict to counteract the very common monastic abuse of those days expressed in the ,, monks who wandered from place to place, testing of wine, the food. And as soon as the monks of that place begin to ask them personal questions, then they say, so long, I have to go to the next monastery. In other words, they're fleeing from themselves as they go from place to place. Some of the books say, how long have you been doing like this?

[19:24]

It's time to get out of here. Well, you know, I really think that means stay in a community where the college fairs will tell you who you are. Hopefully in a very kind of way. But if you listen, look like that. things about yourself that you need to know. And if there is a spirit with compliments, you can accept it. If they're only critical, then, of course, you can't hear it. But if you're interspersed with support, the confidence, the compliments, then you can hear the negative things that deal with them and begin your spiritual journey with truth rather than illusion. This is great. basic necessity for spirituality. Then there's the pile of poverty. Poverty has something to do with living simply.

[20:27]

It has nothing to do, in my opinion, with turning off lights at night, especially when I need it. Or hoarding bed living, because I don't need one everything. things like that. No, there have been a lot of abuses, a lot of neuroses that have been viewed as poverty. I think poverty is a carefree attitude about affluence, but also about all the signs of success. A carefree attitude. Why? Because one must be carefree, no. not because it's nice to be carefree, but because one can afford to be carefree. About all these signs of success which are cherished and required by the secularist culture, one can afford to be carefree about these because one is so rich in the sure knowledge of the goodness of God, which is for my benefit.

[21:36]

The last difficulty Christian poverty comes out of an experience of wealth of spiritual wealth I am so rich in hope I am so rich in the goodness of God and my brother that I can afford it it's not a love of destitution it's an expression of liberation liberation from the need to have all kinds of signs, awards, recognition, get your neighbor to pick where we go off, and even degrees and stuff like that. Now, we don't have to accomplish somewhat if we work our way up. The popular name will come when they laugh about those things. One is so rich in the kitten gift, in the discovery of mystery, in the inheritance. and the knowledge of God's love and the love of confers and friends, that one can afford to be poor in every other way, which means as regards quality, as regards other possessions, can use them, but in a carefree way.

[22:51]

Not claiming the epitaph, they're not part of one definition. My definition is not in these things. This has something also to do with Sabbath, but I don't want to do that now. There are three papers given on Sabbath at the next general chapter on monastic leisure or Sabbath or working leisure or something like that. I have to give one of them. It is a very rich and very deep monastic value. It's that business of not making the purpose of life work. Working all the time. not defining oneself in terms of work. Because then when you retire, you're finished, you're dead. You define yourself in terms of people, of person, of friendship, of contrast, of community. Things that last forever.

[23:56]

Obedience. The Benedict calls it a bonus, a good thing. that rules obedience. Well, I've heard about many other things. They're all good. I think that's just a hint to what obedience is. I think originally it was something that the monks discovered they had to have in order to avoid self-delusion in seeking the transcendence. We know of the apparition of the desert father, how they did all kinds of ridiculous practical practices, you know, vying with each other and who could carry more rocks on their back. You know, real, real apparition. And a big graduate has learned that, you know, man cannot find this path to the transcendent, which is bound to be mysterious and bound to require

[25:05]

a great deal of sacrifice, one did not find that without the advice and counsel of an objective person and effective of an experienced person. Until the first Athos, the first panathic superior, was a spiritual director. The old administrative and juridical thinking, much later, he was an authority not because of abandonment of the spirit. And I think this still must be made as the essential element in obedience. I think we must think between administrative obedience, which means obedience I owe to the department chairman or to the pastor or to the bishop in doing my job, and then monastic obedience, which is not for the purposes of getting a job done, But it is for the purpose of discovering the most unselfish way of spending my life.

[26:13]

The most unselfish and serviceable way of spending my life. And it's quite a difference. And I think, you know, one should get done with the avid or the delegate every so often and talk about it. I think there's a more unselfish way that I could serve. Put it in that way and you forget a lot of things you're looking for. And he'll say, well, maybe so, but what you're doing now is pretty unselfish. I think you have to think with that. Well, okay. Then I have the assurance then that it is unselfish. He might very well say, look, you're coming up a little bit now. I think we're going to have to break that up. That's all we needed. The death of one sincerity in thinking the transcendent. And after all, transcendent is only found on the path that Jesus took. And that's self-sacrifice. And that's hard. And that cuts against the grave.

[27:15]

And one is not likely to counsel himself always to follow that path. It's an objective, experienced person that would be a great help in defining what that is. I think, too, that is why Benedict said we should obey the con-prayer. You know, the Jerusalem concept of obedience, that makes no sense at all. obey the contrary, obey one another. But in this explanation, that makes the modern sense. I could go to the contrary, you know, white brother, they have it all the time. You look, I don't think I'm doing this, what do you think? Oh, God, let's forget it. You go, okay. But white people get fears of direction, the contrary, too, in regard to how one can best serve. Translate one's freedom into service, into unselfish. But then, finally, there is celibacy. First of all, I think it's hard to know what it is not.

[28:19]

It is not neurotic bachelorhood. It can't be that. It is not a refuge for those who cannot deal with people. for those who cannot initiate or maintain a healthy personal relationship. This is the problem. This is the psychological and character problem, not to be solved by celibacy. Celibacy, like Virginia, is for lovers. Celibacy is for lovers, for people who are able to love other people. People who are not able to live should be counseled not to take the vow of celibacy. Yet we know, in our tradition, boy, it's worth celibacy if there are chapters that almost all have been amber light, red light, caution, caution, stop. There are two green lights in that road before I'd ever.

[29:24]

Now, people who take the vow of celibacy with people who are perfectly normal and healthy and loving, who would make ideal other than what if they so judge. But they have kind of glimpse of the kind of sense. Proctored men will name for the sake of the kingdom of God how to choose this way. And there's a connection. First of all, you provide a kind of radical personal freedom, not for selfish pursuit. And that very easily can happen because this freedom can give us the freedom our brothers and sisters don't have. Freedom can boom around and walk in a selfish way.

[30:25]

Now, freedom for service The critical thing as far as personal relationship is concerned, I think, is not to avoid loving, but to know how and when and why to say goodbye. What does that mean avoiding goodbye? There's something about celibacy which says, I'm on a journey. There's something about this journey which requires that one do it alone, to some extent. I have an illustration which, although like all examples and analogies, lives. The best way I know to express what I'm driving at here, what I'm trying to explain,

[31:27]

And that is to compare the celibate with the wandering minstrel of the Middle Ages. Now, I'm not going to defend every wandering minstrel. I don't know what they all did. But you recall at least the romantic version of this story. But the wandering minstrel took his beautiful instruments, guitar, whatever, banjo, and he went from village to village. And he entered the village and the people would gather around and he would sing a song. And usually a song that he himself was supposed. And I think by and large there were songs about our ancestors. You know, the ethnicities of our people. Songs about the kings and queens in our ancestry. About the great exploits of our forefathers. And so these poor shoemakers and tailors and so forth would gather together and take their noses off their benches.

[32:36]

And they begin to dream a little bit. Like, my God, I'm not just a shoemaker. I'm not just struggling for a living here in this little village, waiting for the war to come. I'm just talking about some things. So they dreamed for a while. And this is so important for their spirit. that they want to make sure to stay with them. Look, we like your song, we like your music. Puddle down here. We'll find you a nice little girl, get your job, won't be too hard. And every so often, together in a nice square, we play that music and play that song. And he said, no. Can't do it. He said, why not? Why not? Don't you think we like me?

[33:40]

Don't you love us? two, three, four weeks a month. What if that was? No talk. Not knowing you then. Can't help you or anybody else. No, I'm condemned by myself. I'm a victim of myself. I got a sail on the road. That's my destiny. Sing this song to put open people's eyes. The song about going home, so no worry, I'll see you sometime. But not now, look back. Now the village down here hasn't heard anything yet.

[34:44]

Well, the Taliban had a song about G. It was about how he enforced the black night at death. Our brother G. Now he brought hope to men, drove on fear, and told that you don't have to live under the fall of death. And that song needs to be heard yesterday. And there's something about that song and its nature as a traveling song that requires that people, that he's telling people of me, who take the loneliness that goes with that song. Now that's not the two of them like the name. And I think that has a lot to do with stuff

[35:36]

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