From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
February 3rd =E2=80=93 St. Aelred of Rievaulx, Abbot
Aelred was born in 1109 at Durham, and was sent to the Scottish court
for an education that would ensure his future as a noble and courtier.
He succeeded, to the extent of being made Master of the Household of
the King of Scotland. Nevertheless, he found success at the court of
an earthly king unsatisfying, and at the age of 24 he entered the
Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. Bernard of Clairvaux
encouraged him to write his first work, The Mirror of Charity, which
deals with seeking to follow the example of Christ in all things. In
1147 he became abbot of Rievaulx, a post which he held until his death
of kidney disease 20 years later at the age of 57.
His most famous work is called =E2=80=9CSpiritual Friendship=E2=80=9D (both=
it and the
Mirror have been published in English by the Cistercian Press).
When Jesus was told that his family was waiting to see him, he
replied, "All who do the will of my Father are my family." From this,
some Christians have drawn the conclusion that the only kind of love permissible to a Christian is Charity -- that is: (a) the universal
benevolence that wills the good of all persons, and (b) the bond that
unites the Christian with Christ and through Christ with all other
Christians. Note that Universal Benevolence is extended equally to all
persons (we are to love Jones because God made him), and that the bond
of Christian Unity unites us equally with all our fellow Christians
who are in a state of grace (we are to love Jones because Christ
dwells in him). Neither leaves any room for particular friendships,
for liking Jones more than Smith because Jones shares our interest in
hockey, or because Jones and we like the same sort of jokes, or come
from the same part of the country and have similar childhood memories,
or because Jones is an easy-going type and it is easy to relax and
feel comfortable around him, or because Jones and we have a special
bond of friendship, loyalty, and trust. Particular friendships are
OUT!
Some who do not think that every Christian must renounce particular
friendships believe that every monastic must do so. In many religious
houses, where the monks or nuns walk two by two into chapel or the
dining hall or while pacing about during the daily hour of recreation,
the superior will make a point of constantly shifting partners, lest
anyone form a liking for one partner more than another. (This does not
apply just to friends. It is sometimes held that no monk ought to
allow himself any preferences in food or drink.) Against this view,
Aelred wrote that it is compatible with the highest degree of
Christian perfection to take special pleasure in the company of
particular friends. He pointed out that we are told that Jesus loved
John, and Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus, and that this probably means
that he found their company congenial.
Saint Quote:
How I savor it when I see the Lord of all majesty showing himself as
far as bodily exertion and human emotion are concerned not like the
strong but the weak. What a comfort it is to me in my weakness! Truly
this weakness of my Lord without doubt brings me strength and
stability in my weakness. I am entrusted with the care of my brother's
body and soul (for I do not love the whole man if I neglect anything
belonging to either--for it is very difficult for the mind not to be
tempted when the flesh has too much to suffer). If I see him in
distress, whether it be on account of the austerity of the food or
because of work or the vigils--if, I say, I see that he is tormented
in body and tempted in spirit, if I see him in such affliction
and...do not on occasion accommodate myself to the infirmities of the
weak I am not running in the fragrance of Christ's ointments but with
the harshness of the pharisees.
-- Saint Aelred
For last night an
Angel of the God to
Whom I belong I and whom
I serve stood by me.
--Acts 27:23
There's an angel by your side
And in her you can confide.
She's sweet and kind always there
To keep you in her loving care.
--Nora M. Bozeman
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Prayer:
Pour thou into our hearts, we beseech thee, O God, the
Holy Spirit's gift of love, that we, clasping each the other's
hand, may share the joy of friendship, human and divine,
and with thy servant Aelred draw many into thy community
of love; through Jesus Christ the Righteous, who liveth
and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)