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+Feast of St. Bruno — October 6, 2007
+St Bruno (1035—1101) is a fascinating person to watch in his spiritual growth
and becoming the Founder of the Carthusians. Being ordained to the priesthood
when He was hardly 20 years of age he was appointed director of the famous
school at Reims and taught there some 20 years.
A tradition among the Carthusians has it that
he went through a profound conversion when Bruno attended the funeral of a
famous professor who from his coffin warned the mourners of the dangers of an
evil life as he himself had led.
Closer to the truth seems to be the fact that
when he and others tried to remove a bishop who had obtained his position by
simony and was living a rather dissolute life, they failed. At that point Bruno
resigned from various offices and with a few companions retired to Moslemes in
order to be under the direction of St Robert, one of the future Founders of our
Cistercian Order.
He and his companions lived in a hermitage away
from the main monastery but even there the solitude was not severe enough for
them. It is then that he sought the help of St Huge, bishop of Grenoble, and in
1085 in a very remote valley set up an oratory and some small cells, later to be
called La Grande Chartreuse. For those who have had the opportunity to see
Into Great Silence, since their life has been so well preserved, one is
quick to notice the strong emphasis on solitude and
simplicity of life.
Did Bruno recognize the beauty and power of
Jesus saying in the gospel today: “I give you praise, Father, for although you
have hidden these things from The wise and the learned you have revealed them to
the Childlike?” I suspect so!
Michael Casagram, OCSO
Abbey of Gethsemani
October 6,2007
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Contact information:
Mailing Address
LCG, PO Box 503, Oxford, OH 45056
E-mail: info@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
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