Représentation d'Ælred dans la miniature initiale de son écrit Miroir de la charité
Saint
Aelred
Abbé
de Rievaulx (+ 1166)
Il aimait lire Cicéron.
Raffiné, il réussissait à merveille à la cour du roi d'Écosse par son charme et
son aménité. Ce qu'il désirait, c'était d'aimer et d'être aimé. Ce qu'il disait
ainsi de lui n'était que façade mondaine, comme il l'écrivit plus tard dans son
livre 'l'amitié spirituelle': "La blessure de mon cœur me cause des
tourments indicibles et le poids de mes péchés m'est intolérable." Il
entra alors chez les cisterciens de Rievaulx, abbaye du Yorkshire, qu'il
gouverna quelques années plus tard. Il ne lisait plus Cicéron, mais sans cesse
l'Évangile de saint
Luc et celui de saint
Jean. Il voulait aimer et être aimé du Seigneur Jésus. Il continuait
d'écrire en bon latin et son petit traité sur l'amitié spirituelle est
ravissant et d'une délicieuse lecture.
Élevé à la cour du roi
d'Ecosse, Aelred a reçu une instruction solide, étudiant en autres les œuvres
de Cicéron. Il est entré en 1135 à l'abbaye de Rievaulx près de York, fille de
de l'abbaye de Clairvaux, dont il deviendra abbé en 1146. Très marqué par saint
Augustin, il a composé des ouvrages historiques et spirituels très
personnels, pleins de charme et riches d'enseignements. Il est vénéré comme un
saint au Moyen Age. (éditions du Cerf - livres de l'auteur - Aelred
de Rievaulx 1110 - 1166)
Au
monastère de Rievaulx, en Northumbrie (Yorkshire), en 1166, saint Aelred, abbé.
Élevé à la cour du roi d’Écosse, il entra dans l’Ordre de Cîteaux et, maître
éminent de la vie monastique, promut avec insistance et suavité, par son action
et par ses écrits, la vie spirituelle et l’amitié en Christ.
Martyrologe
romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/414/Saint-Aelred.html
INTRODUCTION
Le
milieu
Lire des écrits d'un
autre âge, sans évoquer le milieu et le climat dans lesquels ils ont été
composés, serait se priver de les goûter et même se rendre incapable de les
comprendre. Personne n'échappe aux idées de son temps. Lire les écrits d'un
saint du XII° siècle suppose qu'on parte en pèlerinage dans le temps, comme on
part visiter les lieux où il a vécu. Alors que des milliers de visiteurs vont
contempler les ruines prestigieuses de l'abbaye de Rievaulx, combien peu
songent à ces vestiges encore palpitants de vie que sont les manuscrits qui
nous ont transmis les pensées et les paroles de son abbé le plus célèbre, saint
Aelred. (1) Mais
ces deux genres de pèlerinage demandent un même effort de dépaysement. Il faut
quitter un monde d'idées comme on quitte des lieux familiers.
Situer rapidement ces
écrits spirituels dans le cadre de la littérature religieuse et profane où ils
s'insèrent, n'est pas une entreprise facile. Et cependant, comment faire
revivre ces anciens auteurs, si, par un effort d'imagination, dont on est si
prodigue quand il s'agit d'un roman, on n'évoque pas la chevalerie, la
croisade, les chansons de gestes, les mystères au parvis des cathédrales et les
ritournelles des ménestrels dans la grande salle des châteaux ? Saint
Aelred nous dit avoir versé des larmes en entendant la légende du roi Arthur.
Un fait nouveau impressionna vivement ces jeunes seigneurs qui se faisaient
moines entre vingt et trente ans : la naissance de l'« amour
courtois ». Ce n'est pas le lieu ici d'en étudier l'origine ou la nature,
mais simplement de rappeler combien toute la littérature de cette époque en fut
marquée. C'est à ce phénomène qu'il faut attribuer l'intérêt des philosophes et
des spirituels du XIIe siècle pour la psychologie de l'amour. Aelred ne
dira-t-il pas dans un sermon de Pentecôte : « Ah ! Si les hommes
savaient, eux pour qui l'amour est le grand sujet de conversation, s'ils savaient
ce qu'est l'amour de Dieu ! » (p. 129). Cependant quelque importante
que soit cette influence profane sur l'esprit et le vocabulaire des auteurs
monastiques du XIIe siècle, l'empreinte qu'ils reçurent de leur formation
religieuse est plus importante et non moins difficile à saisir. Ils parlent et
écrivent avec les mots et les phrases de l'Écriture sainte. La Bible était le
livre où les enfants apprenaient à lire, les grammairiens y puisaient leurs
paradigmes, les sculpteurs et les verriers des églises y cherchaient leurs
sujets, les moralistes et les mystiques lui demandaient leurs exemples et leurs
images. C'était une langue que tout le monde savait : nobles et paysans,
clercs et laïcs. Malgré le retour de notre temps à la connaissance de l'Écriture,
cette familiarité avec le texte sacré nous étonne et nous prend quelque peu au
dépourvu. Il faudrait aussi retracer les débuts de l'Ordre de Cîteaux dont
notre auteur fut un des représentants les plus convaincus. Une courte
biographie de saint Aelred y suppléera.
(1) « Saint
Aelred » : nous employons ce vocable communément reçu, pour nous
conformer à la coutume généralisée dans les pays et dans les milieux
cisterciens. Mais il est bien indiqué de signaler ici la brillante étude
critique du Révérend Père Paul GROSJEAN dans les Analecta Bollandiazza LXXVIII
(1960) 124-129, où l'éminent bollandiste démontre, à l'encontre d'une longue
tradition, la non-existence de La prétendue canonisation d'Aelred de
Rielvaulx par Célestin III.
Biographie
sommaire
Saint Aelred naquit en
1110 à Hexham, en Écosse. Son père était le prêtre du lieu. En ce pays, le
célibat ecclésiastique souffrait encore des exceptions à cette époque. Hexham
avait été une abbaye célèbre au temps de l'expansion du christianisme en
Grande-Bretagne au VIIIe siècle. Aelred fut élevé dans le culte de ce passé
monastique ; puis il alla terminer son éducation au monastère bénédictin
de Durham, où son père devait finir ses jours comme moine.
Un événement changea
soudain l'existence du jeune homme. Le roi d'Écosse, David Ier, le choisit pour
vivre à la cour, en compagnie de ses fils. Favorisé de l'affection et de la
confiance du roi, Aelred devint une sorte de majordome du palais. Cette vie de
cour n'était pas sans dissipations et ses amitiés ne furent pas sans reproche.
Il rappellera plus tard à sa sœur recluse, combien elle s'était désolée de la
légèreté de sa conduite. Les anciens hagiographes diffèrent, en général, des
modernes par la manière de présenter les années qui précèdent la conversion de
leurs saints. Tandis qu'aujourd'hui on se complaît, parfois jusqu'à l'excès, à
marquer la rupture et le changement de vie, les anciens s'efforçaient de
canoniser leur héros dès le berceau. Walter Daniel, moine de Rievaulx et
secrétaire de saint Aelred, nous fournit dans sa « Vie d'Aelred » un
excellent exemple de cette ancienne manière. Il dépassait les bornes en
affirmant qu'Aelred vivait comme un moine à la cour d'Écosse. Une telle
exagération ne devait pas échapper à deux chanoines qui, peu soucieux de voir canoniser
un moine, ne manquèrent pas de publier aussitôt une mise au point. L'embarras
de Walter Daniel à répondre à leurs attaques, suffit à trahir sa pieuse fraude,
sans compter que les confessions réitérées de saint Aelred lui donnent le plus
évident démenti. Comme les « Confessions » de saint Augustin, dont
Aelred savait de longs passages par cœur, ces pages autobiographiques sont plus
édifiantes, au sens propre du mot, que les éloges conventionnels les mieux
intentionnés.
En 1134, le roi l'envoya
en mission auprès de l'archevêque d'York, Thurstan. À l'occasion de ce voyage,
il rendit visite dans les environs d'York à un parent qui lui parla de
l'arrivée des moines cisterciens dans le pays. Aelred exprima aussitôt le désir
de les voir. Ayant prit congé de l'archevêque, il suivit son parent jusqu'au
château de Helmsley où vivait le comte Walter Espec, non loin du nouveau
monastère. C'est, en effet, vers Walter Espec que le roi d'Angleterre avait
dirigé les moines envoyés de Clairvaux par saint Bernard deux ans plus tôt. Le
lendemain de l'arrivée d'Aelred, Walter Espec le conduisit à l'abbaye située
sur les bords de la Rie ; ils y furent reçus avec le cérémonial d'usage
par le prieur, l'hôtelier et le portier. Dans le cœur du jeune homme, des
souvenirs d'enfance se réveillèrent et la grâce de Dieu fit son œuvre. Rentrés
au château, Aelred, son hôte et ses compagnons passèrent la soirée à commenter
cette visite. Le lendemain matin, il fallut repartir pour l'Écosse, mais la
route que suivit Aelred avec son escorte, surplombait la vallée au fond de
laquelle apparut bientôt le monastère. Au croisement d'un chemin qui y descend,
il demanda à un de ses compagnons : « Que diriez-vous d'y aller faire
une dernière visite ? ». Le compagnon acquiesça et la petite troupe
gagna l'abbaye, et y fut reçue comme la veille : mais cette fois, avec la
liberté de ceux qui ne calculent pas, Aelred décida d'y rester et de se faire
moine. Ses compagnons durent repartir sans lui et aller annoncer la nouvelle au
roi David. Après quatre jours passés à l'hôtellerie, Aelred fut invité à
déclarer son intention à la communauté rassemblée au chapitre. On peut
facilement imaginer la joie de cette petite communauté française à la vue d'une
telle recrue. Il édifiait tous les moines par ses vertus, nous dit Walter
Daniel, et attirait tous les regards par son extérieur agréable. « Ses
attitudes étaient avenantes. Il ne se poussait pas en avant. D'une constitution
délicate, il affrontait généreusement les travaux les plus pénibles et y
égalait par son courage les hommes les plus robustes. Il ne ménageait pas la
peau tendre de ses mains mais empoignait vigoureusement les rudes outils des
travaux des champs. »
L'abbé Guillaume,
l'ancien secrétaire de saint Bernard, le fit bientôt entrer dans son conseil et
en 1141, il l'envoya négocier en cour de Rome l'affaire de l'élection
simoniaque du successeur de l'archevêque d'York. À son retour de Rome, Aelred
fut nommé maitre des novices. En 1143, il fut envoyé comme abbé de la fondation
de Rievaulx à Revesby, près de Lincoln. Quatre ans plus tard, saint Aelred fut
rappelé par les moines de Rievaulx qui l'avaient élu abbé, charge qu'il devait
remplir durant vingt ans et jusqu'à sa mort. Il devait passer les dernières
années de sa vie dans la maladie. Il se construisit une cabane à l'écart où il
aimait à recevoir des groupes de ses moines pour leur parler des choses de
Dieu. II mourut le 12 janvier 1167.
L'œuvre
littéraire
Malgré les soucis
qu'imposait le gouvernement d'une abbaye qui comptait cent quarante moines et cinq
cents frères convers, le troisième abbé de Rievaulx nous a laissé une œuvre
littéraire relativement importante. Il fut historien. Il recomposa en meilleur
style une vie de saint Ninian, il fit un panégyrique des saints d'Hexham et
composa la vie de saint Édouard. Il donna une relation de la bataille de
l'Étendard qui mit aux prises deux de ses meilleurs amis : le roi David
qui commandait les hordes d'envahisseurs écossais et Walter Espec, du côté
anglais. II entretint aussi une vaste correspondance avec tous les grands de
son temps, mais cette correspondance, qui comptait trois cents lettres, a
malheureusement disparu.
Ce fut cependant son
enseignement spirituel qui le rendit célèbre. Sa doctrine laissa sa marque sur
toute la spiritualité anglaise. Les écrits spirituels parvenus jusqu'à nous, se
composent de sermons, de traités et de commentaires d'Écriture. Pas plus que
saint Bernard, saint Aelred n'est homme de lettres ou théoricien en chambre. Il
s'agit moins pour eux de spéculer que de convaincre et d'entrainer les âmes
dans les voies de l'évangile. Mais, s'ils se méfient des arguties d'école, ils
ont par contre un grand souci de construite leur doctrine spirituelle sur le
dogme et sur une connaissance sérieuse de la nature, et des propriétés de l'âme
humaine.
Bien qu'à plusieurs
reprises, saint Aelred ait avoué avoir éprouvé le besoin d'écrire pour contenir
les excès d'une imagination trop riche et quelque peu vagabonde, il ne publia
rien qu'il n'y ait été invité ou contraint. Saint Bernard le força à composer
le « Miroir de la charité » ; ses moines lui demandèrent les
homélies sur Isaïe ; c'est à la demande d'un moine de Wardon, qu'il
composa la méditation sur saint Luc : « Quand Jésus eut douze
ans » ; c'est à la prière réitérée de sa sœur recluse, qu'il
consentit à écrire une règle pour des recluses. Quand on a fait la part de la
fiction littéraire, il reste que le fait d'écrire à l'intention de quelqu'un,
rend un style plus direct et plus spontané et, finalement, plus universel que
le ton impersonnel qui est de tous les temps, mais ne touche personne. Son don
de sympathie et cette manière de méditation discursive coupée d'élans dans
lesquels sa prière affleure, donnent à ses écrits une fraîcheur conservée
intacte après huit siècles. S'il est très près de nous, c'est, sans doute,
parce qu'il est très humain. Mais on n'est très humain qu'en étant pleinement
homme de son temps. Dom Knowles a dit très finement que rares étaient les
personnages du moyen âge qui nous donnaient, autant que lui, le sentiment
d'être à la fois très proches et très lointains : il est très proche de
nous parce que notre cœur se reconnaît dans le sien ; très lointain parce
que ses sentiments sont marqués des goûts d'une époque qui nous échappe sans
cesse. Ambiguïté Inévitable mais qui n'est pas sans charme.
Le sens de l'histoire
n'est pas seul à nous mettre en communion avec l’âme d'un saint. Il y a aussi
pour des chrétiens la communion des saints. « Les faits de l'histoire,
écrivait le Père Dalgairn, dans la préface d'une vie de saint Aelred, ont
besoin d'être interprétés, sans quoi ils n'ont aucun sens. Or l'interprétation
de la vie d'un saint, c'est l'Église qui nous la donne. » L'Église nous
met en communion avec l'esprit d'un auteur qui a vécu de l'esprit du Christ. Un
saint devient alors un de ces amis, dont parle Aelred dans son traité de
l'Amitié ; un ami qui, dans son amitié même, nous rapproche de Dieu.
SOURCE : http://livres-mystiques.com/partieTEXTES/aelred/aelred/0milieu.htm
La
véritable amitié
Saint
Aelred médite sur l’amitié de David et Jonathan.
Dans l’amitié, qui est le
don le plus précieux de la nature en même temps que de la grâce, le plus élevé
doit s’abaisser et le plus petit, s’élever, le riche, éprouver le besoin et le
pauvre, s’enrichir ; il faut que chacun communique à l’autre sa condition
pour que s’établisse l’égalité.
David se cachait au
désert, il était condamné à mort, voué à l’assassinat ; en s’abaissant,
Jonathan l’exalte : « C’est toi qui régneras, et moi, je serai
ton second » (1 S 23, 17).
Quel admirable miroir de
la véritable amitié ! Quelle chose étonnante ! Tandis que le roi
[Saül], furieux contre un serviteur, excite tout le pays comme s’il s’agissait
d’un usurpateur du trône, tandis qu’il massacre des prêtres soupçonnés seulement
de trahison, tandis qu’il fouille les bois, explore les vallées, occupe monts
et gorges à main armée, et que tous s’engagent à venger la colère royale,
Jonathan, lui, le seul qui pouvait avoir quelque juste motif de jalousie,
estime qu’il doit résister à son père, se mettre au service de son ami et le
conseiller dans sa grande adversité, préférant son amitié au royaume !
Lors même que Saül lance contre David un arrêt de mort, Jonathan n’abandonne
pas son ami : « Pourquoi David mourrait-il ? En quoi a-t-il
péché ? Qu’a-t-il fait ? » (1 S 20, 32). « Il
a risqué sa vie, il a frappé à mort le Philistin, et tu en as été
heureux ! » (1 S 19, 5).
St Aelred de Rievaulx
Surnommé le
« docteur de la charité et de l’amitié » ou le « Bernard du
Nord », Aelred († 1167) fut abbé de l’abbaye cistercienne de Rievaulx, en
Angleterre. / L’Amitié spirituelle,
91-95, trad. sœur Isabelle de la Source, Lire la Bible avec les Pères 4, Paris,
Médiaspaul, 1997, p. 77-78.
SOURCE : https://fr.aleteia.org/daily-prayer/jeudi-20-janvier/meditation-de-ce-jour-1/
.jpg)
Also
known as
Aelred of Revesby
Aelredus of…
Aethelred of…
Ailred of…
Alfred of…
Alred of…
Eilred of…
Ellast of…
Ethelred of…
Ethelredus of…
The English Saint Bernard
3 March (dioceses
of Hexham, Liverpool and Middlesbrough in England)
Profile
Son of Eilaf, a priest during
a period when English priests were
allowed to marry,
and keeper of the shrine of Hexham.
Master of the household of the court of King David
of Scotland.
Known for his gentle spirituality and his personal austerity amid the court life.
David wanted to make his friend a bishop,
but instead Aelred left Scotland in 1134 to
become a Cistercian monk at Rievaulx,
Yorkshire, England. Master of novices.
First abbot of
a Cistercian monastery in
Revensby, Lincolnshire, England in 1142. Abbot of Rievaulx in 1147, which
made the superior of all Cistercians in England,
and kept him much on the road, travelling from
house to house, preaching throughout England and Scotland. Peacemaker among
the Picts in
Galway, ending disputes and revitalizing the faith in
the area. He composed sermons and prayers, wrote works
on the spiritual and aescetic life, wrote on
the lives of King David
of Scotland, Saint Ninian and Saint Edward
the Confessor, and was considered a living saint by those
who knew him.
Born
12 January 1167 at Rievaulx Abbey,
Yorkshire, England of kidney
disease
buried in
the Rievaulx Chapter
House
relics translated
to the abbey church
and enshrined behind
the high altar in 1191
never formally canonized
cultus and devotion
developed immediately after his death
cultus approved by
the Cistercian general
chapter in Cîteaux in 1476
Additional
Information
Book of
Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Catholic
Encyclopedia, by Herbert Thurston
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict, by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
The
Child’s Name, by Julian McCormick
books
Dictionary of Saints, by John Delaney
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Roman Martyrology
other
sites in english
Christian
Biographies, by James Kiefer
images
video
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
websites
in nederlandse
nettsteder
i norsk
spletne
strani v slovenšcini
A Certain Wonderful
Miracle
Genealogy of the Kings of
the English
Jesus as a Boy of Twelve
Lament for the Death of
King David of Scotland
Mirror of Charity
On Spiritual Friendship
On the Saints of Hexham
On the Soul
Pastoral Prayer
Relatio de Standardo
Rule of Life for a
Recluse
The Life of Saint Edward,
King and Confessor
The Life of Saint Ninian
Readings
One who speaks the word
of God to others ought not aim at vaunting his own knowledge but at discerning
how he can build up his hearers. And with a motherly compassion for weaker
minds he ought, I might say, prattle to them, descending to the use of baby talk.
But the limit of my gifts make it necessary that my hearers stoop down to the
poverty of my words. – Saint Aelred
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
MLA
Citation
“Saint Aelred of
Rievaulx“. CatholicSaints.Info. 16 January 2022. Web. 20 January 2022.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-aelred/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-aelred/
St.
Ælred
Abbot of
Rievaulx, homilist and historian (1109-66). St. Ælred, whose name is also
written Ailred, Æthelred, and Ethelred, was the son of one of those
married priests of
whom many were found in England in
the eleventh and twelfth centuries. He was born at Hexham,
but at an early age made the acquaintance of David, St.
Margaret's youngest son, shortly afterwards King of Scotland,
at whose court he apparently acted for some years as a sort of page, or companion
to the young Prince Henry. King David loved the pious English
youth, promoted him in his household, and wished to make him bishop,
but Ælred decided to become a Cistercian monk,
in the recently founded abbey of Rievaulx in Yorkshire. Soon he was appointed
master of novices,
and was long remembered for his extraordinary tenderness and patience towards
those under his charge. In 1143 when William, Earl of Lincoln, founded a
new Cistercian abbey upon
his estates at Revesby in Lincolnshire, St. Ælred was sent with twelve monks to
take possession of the new foundation. His stay at Revesby, where he seems to
have met St.
Gilbert of Sempringham, was not of long duration, for in 1146 he was
elected abbot of
Rievaulx. In this position the saint was
not only superior of a community of 300 monks,
but he was head of all the Cistercian abbots in England.
Causes were referred to him, and often he had to undertake considerable
journeys to visit the monasteries of
his order. Such a journey in 1153 took him to Scotland,
and there meeting King David, for the last time, he wrote on his return to
Rievaulx, where the news of David's death reached him shortly afterwards, a
sympathetic sketch of the character of the late king. He seems to have
exercised considerable influence over Henry II, in the early years of his
reign, and to have persuaded him to join Louis VII of France in
meeting Pope
Alexander III, at Touci, in 1162. Although suffering from a complication of
most painful maladies, he journeyed to France to
attend the general chapter of his Order. He was present in Westminster
Abbey, at the translation of St.
Edward the Confessor, in 1163, and, in view of this event, he both wrote a
life of the saintly king and preached a homily in
his praise. The next year Ælred undertook a mission to the barbarous Pictish
tribes of Galloway,
where their chief is said to have been so deeply moved by his exhortations that
he became a monk.
Throughout his last years Ælred gave an extraordinary example of heroic
patience under a succession of infirmities. He was, moreover, so abstemious
that he is described as being "more like a ghost than a man." His
death is generally supposed to have occurred 12 January, 1166, although there
are reasons for thinking that the true year
may be 1167. St. Ælred left a considerable collection of sermons, the remarkable
eloquence of which has earned for him the title of the English St.
Bernard. He was the author of several ascetical treatises,
notably the "Speculum Charitatis," also a compendium of the same
(really a rough draught from which the larger work was developed), a treatise
"De Spirituali Amicitiâ," and a certain letter to an anchoress.
All these, together with a fragment of his historical work, were collected an
published by Richard Gibbons, S.J., at Douai,
in 1631. A fuller and better edition is contained in the fifth volume of the
"Bibliotheca Cisterciensis" of Tissier, 1662, from which they have
been printed in P.L., vol. CXCV. The historical works include a "Life of
St. Edward," an important account of the "Battle of the
Standard" (1138), an incomplete work on the genealogy of the kings
of England,
a tractate "De Sanctimonialide Watton" (About the Nun of Watton), a
"Life of St.
Ninian," a work on the "Miracles of
the Church of Hexham,"
an account of the foundations of St. Mary of York and Fountains
Abbey, as well as some that are lost. No complete edition of Ælred's
historical opuscula has ever been published. A few were printed by
Twysden in his "Decem Scriptores," others must be sought in the Rolls
Series or in Raine's "Priory of Hexham" (Surtees Society, Durham,
1864).
Sources
An anonymous Latin Life of St. Ælred is printed by the
Bollandists, Acta SS., January,
vol. II; while other materials may be gathered from RAINE, Priory of Hexham, and from Ælred's own
writings. An excellent short biography was compiled by Father Dalgairns for
NEWMAN's series of Lives of the
English Saints, 1845 (new ed., London, 1903); Dict. of Nat. Biog. s.v. Ethelred (XVIII, 33-35);
BARING-GOULD, Lives of the Saints,
I, and the great Cistercian collections of HENRIQUEZ and MANRIQUE.
Thurston, Herbert. "St.
Ælred." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1907. 11 Jan.
2016<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01172b.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Elizabeth T. Knuth.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2021 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01172b.htm
St.
Aelred, Abbot in England
[Abbot of Rieval, or
Ridal, in Yorkshire.] HE was of noble descent, and was born in the
north of England, in 1109. Being educated in learning and piety, he was invited
by David, the pious king of Scotland, to his court, made master of his household,
and highly esteemed both by him and the courtiers. His virtue shone with bright
lustre in the world, particularly his meekness, which Christ declared to be his
favourite virtue, and the distinguishing mark of his true disciples. The
following is a memorable instance to what a degree he possessed this virtue: a
certain person of quality having insulted and reproached him in the presence of
the king, Aelred heard him out with patience, and thanked him for his charity
and sincerity, in telling him his faults. This behaviour had such an influence
on his adversary as made him ask his pardon on the spot. Another time, whilst
he was speaking on a certain matter, one interrupted him with very harsh
reviling expressions: the servant of God heard him with tranquillity, and
afterwards resumed his discourse with the same calmness and presence of mind as
before. His desires were ardent to devote himself entirely to God, by forsaking
the world; but the charms of friendship detained him some time longer in it,
and were fetters to his soul; reflecting notwithstanding that he must sooner or
later be separated by death from those he loved most, he condemned his own
cowardice, and broke at once those bands of friendship, which were more
agreeable to him than all other sweets of life. He describes the situation of
his soul under this struggle, and says, “Those who saw me, judging by the gaudy
show which surrounded me, and not knowing what passed within my soul, said,
speaking of me: “Oh, how well is it with him! how happy is he! But they knew
not the anguish of my mind; for the deep wound in my heart gave me a thousand
tortures, and I was not able to hear the intolerable stench of my sins.” But
after he had taken his resolution, he says, “I began then to know, by a little
experience, what immense pleasure is found in thy service, and how sweet that
peace is, which is its inseparable companion.” 1 To
relinquish entirely all his worldly engagements, he left Scotland, and embraced
the austere Cistercian order, at Rieval, in a valley upon the banks of the Rie,
in Yorkshire, where a noble lord, called Walter Especke, had founded a
monastery in 1122. At the age of twenty-four, in 1133, he became a monk under
the first abbot, William, a disciple of St. Bernard. Fervour adding strength to
his tender delicate body, he set himself cheerfully about practising the
greatest austerities, and employed much of his time in prayer and the reading
of pious books. He converted his heart with great ardour to the love of God,
and by this means finding all his mortifications sweet and light, he cried
out, 2 “That
yoke doth not oppress, but raiseth the soul; that burden hath wings, not
weight.” He speaks of divine charity always in raptures, and by his frequent
ejaculations on the subject, it seems to have been the most agreeable
occupation of his soul. 3 “May
thy voice,” says he, “sound in my ears, O good Jesus, that my heart may learn
how to love thee, that my mind may love thee, that the interior powers, and, as
it were, bowels of my soul, and very marrow of my heart, may love thee, and
that my affections may embrace thee, my only true good, my sweet and delightful
joy! What is love? my God! If I mistake not, it is the wonderful delight of the
soul, so much the more sweet as more pure, so much the more overflowing and
inebriating as more ardent. He who loves thee, possesses thee; and he possesses
thee in proportion as he loves, because thou art love. This is that abundance
with which thy beloved are inebriated, melting away from themselves, that they
may pass into thee, by loving thee.” He had been much delighted in his youth
with reading Tully; but after his conversion found that author, and all other
reading, tedious and bitter, which was not sweetened with the honey of the holy
name of Jesus, and seasoned with the word of God, as he says in the preface to
his book, On spiritual friendship. He was much edified with the very
looks of a holy monk, called Simon, who had despised high birth, an ample
fortune, and all the advantages of mind and body, to serve God in that
penitential state. This monk went and came as one deaf and dumb, always
recollected in God; and was such a lover of silence, that he would scarcely
speak a few words to the prior on necessary occasions. His silence however was
sweet, agreeable, and full of edification. Our saint says of him, “The very
sight of his humility stifled my pride, and made me blush at the
immortification of my looks. The law of silence practised among us, prevented
my ever speaking to him deliberately; but one day, on my speaking a word to him
inadvertently, his displeasure appeared in his looks for my infraction of the
rule of silence; and he suffered me to lie some time prostrate before him to
expiate my fault; for which I grieved bitterly, and which I never could forgive
myself.” 4 This
holy monk having served God eight years in perfect fidelity, died in 1142, in
wonderful peace, repeating with his last breath, “I will sing eternally, O
Lord, thy mercy, thy mercy, thy mercy!”
St. Aelred, much against
his inclination, was made abbot of a new monastery of his order, founded by
William, Earl of Lincoln, at Revesby, in Lincolnshire, in 1142, and of Rieval,
over three hundred monks, in 1143. Describing their life, he says, that they
drank nothing but water; eat little, and that coarse; laboured hard, slept
little, and on hard boards; never spoke, except to their superiors on necessary
occasions; carried the burdens that were laid on them without refusing any;
went wherever they were led; had not a moment for sloth, or amusements of any
kind, and never had any law-suit or dispute. 5 St.
Aelred also mentions their mutual charity and peace in the most affecting
manner, and is not able to find words to express the joy he felt at the sight
of every one of them. His humility and love of solitude made him constantly
refuse many bishoprics which were pressed upon him. Pious reading and prayer
were his delight. Even in times of spiritual dryness, if he opened the divine
books, he suddenly found his soul pierced with the light of the Holy Ghost. His
eyes, though before as dry as marble, flowed with tears, and his heart
abandoned itself to sighs, accompanied with a heavenly pleasure, by which he
was ravished in God. He died in 1166, and the fifty-seventh of his age, having
been twenty-two years abbot. See his works published at Douay, in 1625, and in
Bibl. Cisterc. t. 5. particularly his Mirrour of Charity; Hearne’s
Notes on Gulielmus Neubrigensis, who dedicated to our saint the first book of
his history, t. 3. p. 1. likewise his life in Capgrave, and the annals of his
order. The general chapter held at Citeaux in 1250, declared him to be ranked
among the saints of their order; as Henriquez and the additions to the
Cistercian Martyrology testify in the new Martyrology, published by Benedict
XIV. for the use of this order, the feast of St. Aelred is marked on the 2nd of
March, 6 with
a great eulogium of his learning, innocence of life, wonderful humility,
patience, heavenly conversation, gift of prophecy, and miracles.
Note 1. Spec. l. 1.
c. 28. [back]
Note 2. Ibid. l. 1.
c. 6. [back]
Note 3. Ibid. l. 1.
c. 1. [back]
Note 4. Spec. l. 1.
c. ult. [back]
Note 5. L. 2. c.
27. [back]
Note 6. P.
304. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume I: January. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/1/124.html
Aelred, OSB Cist. Abbot (AC)
(also known as Ailred, Ethelred)
Born in Hexham, Northumberland, England, c. 1109; died at Rievaulx Monastery,
Yorkshire, England, on January 12, 1167; canonized by the General Chapter of
Cîteaux in 1250 (and Attwater says he was canonized in 1191 but he is not in
the Roman Martyrology so this statement may be in error); today is the feast
celebrated by the Cistercians, feast day on calendar also on March 3, when it
is celebrated in Hexham, Liverpool, Middleborough, and by the Cistercians;
feast day formerly on January 12. Aelred belonged to a noble family. He was the
son and grandson of parish priests of Hexham--sainthood was probably in his
genes. He was educated at Durham in the arts, letters, and the new humanism of
the time.
At about age 20, Aelred
was taken into the service of King Saint David at the beginning of his reign.
Aelred became a clerk and then high steward of the household in the Scottish
court because he was so beloved for his piety, gentleness, humility, and
spirituality by King David, who, though son of Saint Margaret, considered the
sword and knighthood more certain guarantees of his kingdom whose districts and
frontier fiefs were in continual legal disputes.
The favors that Aelred
received at court won him enemies. One of the king's knights, a jealous man,
developed a hatred for Aelred because of the favors constantly bestowed upon
him. One day his intense hatred burst out in the presence of the king himself.
Bitter reproaches and insults followed.
Aelred replied without
emotion: "You are right, Sir Knight, and you have said the truth: your
words are exact, and I see that you are a true friend of mine." The soldier
begged his pardon immediately, and swore that henceforth he would do everything
he could for Aelred. "I am very happy you have repented," said
Aelred, "and I like you the more for it, because your jealousy has been
for you a means of advancing in the love of God."
Aelred formed a close
relationship with David's son, Earl Henry. His soul was so torn between
answering God's call to the cloistered life and remaining at court with Henry.
Aelred considered friendship a most precious gift. His dilemma was solved when
he visited the recently-founded Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx on his return from
an interview with the archbishop of York.
Aelred chose not to
return to the Scottish court. Thus, at age 24 (c. 1134), Aelred enter Rievaulx,
where Saint Bernard had appointed his secretary William as abbot over the monks
from Clairvaux who formed the community. In spite of delicate health, Aelred
conformed to the austere regime and became so esteemed by his community that he
was chosen as envoy to Rome in 1142 over the disputed election of Saint William
of York and, soon afterwards, as master of novices.
Within a short time, he
was obliged to change monasteries to avoid being named a bishop; but no sooner
had he relocated himself than he was chosen to be abbot of a new Cistercian
monastery in Revesby, Lincolnshire, in 1143. His biographers say that this new
position did not prevent his "living a life of the severest
asceticism." Under his rule, the house prospered, increasing in size to
150 choir monks and 500 lay brothers and lay servants--the largest in England.
It expanded to five other foundations in England and Scotland.
Inspired by the writings
of Saints John Chrysostom and Augustine and augmented by Aelred's own gentle
holiness and natural charity, he was able to humanize the intransigence of
Cistercian monasticism and attracted men of similar character to his own.
Through his many friends as well as his writings, Aelred became a figure of
national importance. He was chosen to preach at Westminster for the translation
of Saint Edward the Confessor. This led him to compose a vita of Edward; he had
already completed one on Saint Ninian and one the saints of Hexham.
Four years later he
returned to Rievaulx as abbot, succeeding Abbot Maurice. During his abbacy the
number of monks at Rievaulx rose to over 600, attracted by his kindly, humane
nature. In addition to looking after these he had every year to visit other
Cistercian houses in England and Scotland, and even to go as far afield as the
Cistercian centers of Cîteaux and Clairvaux. These journeys must have been a
great trial to him, for during his later years Aelred suffered from a painful
disease in addition to rheumatism.
Aelred became known for
his prudence and holiness throughout England. He was admitted to the councils
of the highest dignitaries in the land and was constantly called upon to settle
disputes. King Henry II of England was his friend, and, in 1160, during the
papal schism, he was able to influence the king on behalf of Pope Alexander
III.
In 1164, he went to
Galway in Ireland as a missionary but the following year he returned to
England. Famed for his preaching, energy, sympathetic gentleness, and
asceticism, Aelred was consider a saint in his own lifetime. He was also
considered a delightful companion because of his wit, easy speech, and
brilliant mind.
His biographer and
disciple, Walter Daniel records: "I lived under his rule for 17 years, and
in that time he did not dismiss anyone from the monastery." Aelred's name,
indeed, is particularly associated with friendship--human and divine. One of
his two best known writings is a little work On Spiritual Friendship which is
delicately beautiful. Only when Aelred's enormous capacity for friendship was
transformed by charity was finally able to write the unique treatment of the
subject. It resembles Cicero's dialogue on the topic, but is identifiably
Christian in its approach.
Aelred also penned the
Mirror of Charity (Seculum caritas), a treatise on Christian perfection. His
sermons on Isaiah are also fine writing and he also composed biographies of the
saints. He was in the process of writing a treatise on the human soul, which
was left unfinished, by his death at age 57. His writings and sermons are
characterized by a constant appeal to the Bible and to a love of Christ as
friend and savior that was the mainspring of his life.
Saint Aelred's frequent
travel and writings merited for him the title of "a second Saint
Bernard" or "the Bernard of the North." On his way to his
Scottish foundations, Aelred used to visit his friend Saint Godric of Finchale.
In the last year of his life, he could no longer travel. After being for a time
virtually in a state of physical collapse, Saint Aelred died his monastery, in
a shed adjoining the infirmary that he had made his quarters. The historian of
monasticism in England, Professor David Knowles, says that Aelred is "a
singularly attractive figure . . . No other English monk of the 12th century so
lingers in the memory."
Saint Aelred was buried
in the chapter house. Later his relics were translated to the church. Aelred
was never formally canonized; however, his local cultus was approved by the
Cistercians who promulgated his feast (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines,
Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Powicke, Squire).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0203.shtml
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Aelred, Abbot
“One
thing thou lackest.” In these words, God called Aelred from the court of a
royal Saint, David, of Scotland, to the silence of the cloister. He left the
king, the companions of his youth, and a friend most dear to obey the call. The
conviction that in the world his soul was in danger alone enabled him to break
such ties. Long afterwards the bitterness of the parting remained fresh in his
soul, and he declared that, “though he had left his dear ones in the body to
serve his Lord, his heart was ever with them.” He entered the Cistercian Order,
and even there his yearning for sympathy showed itself in a special attraction
to one among the brethren named Simon. This holy monk had left the world in his
youth, and appeared as one deaf and dumb, so absorbed was he in God. One day
Aelred, forgetting for the moment the rule of perpetual silence, spoke to him.
At once he prostrated himself at his feet in token of his fault; but Simon’s
look of pain and displeasure haunted him for many a year, and taught him to let
no human feeling disturb for one moment his union with God. A certain novice
once came to Aelred, saying that he must return to the world. But Aelred had
begged his soul of God, and answered, “Brother, ruin not thyself; nevertheless
thou canst not, even though thou wouldst.” However, he would not listen, and
wandered among the hills, thinking all the while he was going far from the
abbey. At sunset he found himself before a convent strangely like Rieveaux, and
so it was. The first monk he met was Aelred, who fell on his neck, saying,”
Son, why hast thou done so with me? Lo! I have wept for thee with many tears,
and I trust in God that, as I have asked of Him, thou shalt not perish.” The
world does not so love its friends. At the command of his superiors Aelred
composed his great works, the Spiritual Friendship and the Mirror of Charity.
In the latter he says that true love of God is only to be obtained by joining
ourselves in all things to the Passion of Christ. He died in 1167, founder and
Abbot of Rieveaux, the most austere monastery >n England, and Superior of
some three hundred monks.
Reflection – When a man
has given himself to God, God gives back friendship with all His other gifts a
hundredfold. Friends are then loved no longer for themselves only, but for God,
and that with a love lively and tender; for God can easily purify feeling. It
is not feeling, but self-love, which corrupts friendship.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-aelred-abbot/
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict – Saint Aelred, Abbot
Blessed, indeed, is that
man who from his earliest youth has led a virtuous life. Such a one was Saint
Aelred; he was born in England, of an illustrious race, and, as an infant, he
was noted for the singularly radiant expression of his face, which seemed to
prefigure the sanctity of his maturer years. Even when a boy he was inspired to
predict future events, and on one occasion he informed his father that at that
very hour the good Archbishop of York had died; on inquiry being made it was
found to be true as the child had said. The Saint also as a boy foretold that
he should one day govern the Monastery of Rieval, or Rievaux, in Yorkshire,
where he was educated. When Saint Aelred had grown to man’s estate King David
of Scotland sent for him, because of the fame of his holy life, to appoint him
to a Bishopric, but he shrank from accepting any earthly dignity, and begged to
be excused. He afterwards wrote a very learned work on Virginity, which became
very widely known. Meanwhile he was careful to fulfill rigorously all the
duties of his state. He trained the younger members of the community with
exemplary care and lead them patiently to bear the sweet yoke of Christ. When
the Abbot of Rieval died, Saint Aelred was chosen by the unanimous vote of the
community to take his place. Saint Bernard reminds us that “an Abbot does not
cease to be a Monk,” and the truth of this saying is forcibly shown in the life
of Saint Aelred. He strictly observed the Rule himself, and caused it to be
diligently observed also by his sons. One of these, alas! was a thorn in the
side of the good Abbot; he constantly complained of the severity of the
government of Saint Aelred, and yielded him only an unwilling obedience. At
last, one winters day when Saint Aelred, now an old man, was warming himself at
the fire, he pushed him into the flames. The brothers, hearing a noise, came to
the rescue, dragged the Saint out of the fire, and began to dress his wounds;
but when they wanted to punish the cruel author of his injuries, he prevented
them, saying, “Oh! my dear sons, it is an evil spirit that possesses you, and
causes you to desire to deprive your father of the merit of patience. An old
man’s soul should not be agitated or disturbed; he who did this deed meant not
to destroy, but to purge me, and I value his soul so much that I am ready to
die in expiation of his sin.” The Saint had hardly finished speaking when he
threw himself into the arms of the guilty Monk, kissed him, and told him not to
be sad, for that he thoroughly forgave him. The cruel injuries he had received
caused the holy Abbot to endure protracted agony, which he bore with perfect
patience; and when his end drew near he was favoured with the presence of
celestial visitors, who made his cell radiant, and filled his soul with joy,
while he was enabled clearly to discern future events. Saint Aelred was called
from this sorrowful life to occupy the Throne prepared for him by our Lord, on
January 12th, 1166, and not long after his death he was raised to the altars of
the Church.
– text and illustration
taken from Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-order-of-saint-benedict-saint-aelred-abbot/
AELRED OF RIEVAULX, ABBOT
12 JANUARY 1167
[Written by James Kiefer]
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 succeded, 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 twenty
years later at the age of 57.
His most famous work is
called Spiritual Friendship (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 Belevolence 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 point 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.
PRAYER (traditional
language):
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.
PRAYER (contemporary
language):
Pour into our hearts, 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 your servant Aelred
draw many to your community of love; through Jesus Christ the Righteous, who
lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.
Unless otherwise
indicated, this biographical sketch was written by James E. Kiefer and any comments about
its content should be directed to him. The Biographical
Sketches home page has more information.
SOURCE : http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/30.html
Church
on Melrosegate, York
Sant'
Aelredo (Etelredo) di Rievaulx Abate
Hexham
(Northumberland, Inghilterra), 1109/10 - 12 gennaio 1166/7
Nacque a Hexham
(Northumberland, Inghilterra) nel 1109 o 1110 da nobile famiglia. Trascorse la
sua giovinezza come paggio alla corte del re David I di Scozia, dove divenne
compagno di studi e di giochi di Enrico, figlio del sovrano. Durante una
missione (1135) compiuta a Rievaulx (Yorkshire) per incarico del re, entrò in
quel monastero cistercense, allora il secondo per importanza in Inghilterra,
fondato nel 1131 sotto gli auspici di san Bernardo. Maestro dei novizi nel
1141, l'anno seguente Aelredo fu inviato quale primo abate con dodici compagni
a Revesby (Lincolnshire), monastero appena fondato. Nel 1146 fu promosso
abate di Rievaulx, che allora contava trecento monaci. Partecipò in Francia al
Capitolo generale del suo Ordine e nel 1164 partì in missione per convertire i
Pitti del Galloway, dove a Kirkcudbright lo stesso capo di quei barbari, mosso
dall'esortazione del santo, entrò in monastero. Affranto dalle malattie
(gotta e calcoli), che lo avevano afflitto negli ultimi dieci anni, morì nel
1166 o 1167. (Avvenire)
Etimologia: Aelredo
(Etelredo) = nome dell'Inghilterra anglosassone, periodo alto-medievale
Martirologio
Romano: Nel monastero di Rievaulx sempre in Northumbria, sant’Aelredo,
abate: educato alla corte del re di Scozia, entrò nell’Ordine cistercense e,
divenuto insigne maestro di vita monastica, nei suoi gesti e nei suoi scritti
promosse assiduamente e con amabilità la vita spirituale e l’amicizia in
Cristo.
Nacque a Hexham (Northumberland, Inghilterra) nel 1109 o 1110 da nobile famiglia. Trascorse la sua giovinezza come paggio alla corte del re David I di Scozia, dove divenne compagno di studi e di giochi di Enrico, figlio del sovrano, dando meraviglioso esempio di pazienza e di carità. Durante una missione (1135) compiuta a Rievaulx (Yorkshire) per incarico del re, entrò, nonostante i consigli contrari degli amici, in quel monastero cistercense, allora in pieno fiore e il secondo per importanza in Inghilterra, fondato (1131) dal nobile signore Walter Espec sotto gli auspici di s. Bernardo. Ne era allora abate Guglielmo, discepolo di s. Bernardo.
Aelredo fece grandi progressi nella pietà, facendosi ammirare specialmente per la carità pura e sincera verso i suoi confratelli. Come egli stesso scrisse nel suo libro De spirituali amicitia, molto gli giovò l'esempio e la conversazione del confratello Simone, morto nel 1142 in concetto di santità nello stesso monastero. Maestro dei novizi nel 1141, l'anno seguente A. fu inviato quale primo abate con dodici compagni a Revesby (Lincolnshire), monastero appena fondato dal conte William e dipendente da Rievaulx. Nel 1146 fu promosso abate di quest'ultimo monastero, che allora era già in piena prosperità contando trecento monaci. L'abate di Rievaulx era capo di tutti gli abati cistercensi in Inghilterra, carica che costrinse spesso il santo a intraprendere lunghi viaggi per visitare i monasteri dell'Ordine nell'isola. Pare che grande fosse la sua influenza anche nella vita civile di quel paese, specialmente sul re Enrico II nei primi anni del suo regno. Si dice che sia stato lui ad indurre il re ad unirsi a Luigi VII di Francia per incontrare a Toucy, nel 1162, papa Alessandro III.
Sollecitato ad accettare l'episcopato, al quale diverse volte era stato
designato anche per l'interessamento del re David e di suo figlio Enrico, A.
costantemente rifiutò per amore della vita religiosa. Partecipò in Francia al
Capitolo generale del suo Ordine, assistette il 13 ottobre 1163 al
trasferimento delle reliquie di s. Edoardo il Confessore nell'abbazia di
Westminster e nel 1164 partì in missione per convertire i Pitti del Galloway,
dove il 20 marzo di quell'anno a Kirkcudbright lo stesso capo di quei barbari,
mosso dall'esortazione del santo, entrò in monastero. Affranto dalle malattie
(gotta e calcoli), che lo avevano afflitto negli ultimi dieci anni, morì il 12
gennaio 1166 o 1167 in concetto di santità e fu sepolto a Rievaulx. Il suo
culto iniziò subito dopo la morte. Fu canonizzato probabilmente da Celestino
III nel 1191. Il Capitolo generale Cistercense del 1250 lo iscrisse tra i santi
dell'Ordine al 12 gennaio.
Autore: Marco A. Calabrese
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90569
Pages
from an illuminated mansucript of Vita S.
Eduardi, regis et confessoris (Life
of Edward the Confessor) by Aelred of Rievaulx
Den
hellige Ailred av Rievaulx (1110-1167)
Minnedag: 12. januar
Den hellige Ailred (Aelred, Ælred, Æthelred, Ethelred;
lat: Aelredus) ble født i 1110 i Hexham i Northumbria i England og kom fra en
adelig familie. Han var sønn og sønnesønn av sogneprester
i Hexham, og hans far Eilaf var den siste «arvelige» sogneprest der. Ailred
fikk sin utdannelse i Durham og ble preget av tidens nye humanisme. Som
20-åring kom han rundt 1130 i tjeneste hos den hellige kong David av Skottland (1124-53),
som var sønn av den hellige Margrete av
Skottland.
Han ble en slags pasje og
senere sénéchal (overhoffmester) ved hoffet, fordi David likte ham så
godt for hans fromhet, vennlighet, ydmykhet og spiritualitet. Ailred har gitt
oss et (overdrevent) rosende portrett av David, som til tross for sin fromhet
betraktet sverdet og riddervesenet som sikrere garantier for sitt kongerike,
hvor distriktene og grenseområdene lå i kontinuerlige disputter. Ailred ble en nær
venn av Davids sønn Henrik, og selv var han også godt likt ved hoffet.
Etter en kraftig indre
kamp gikk den 24-årige Ailred i 1134 inn i klosteret Rievaulx i Yorkshire, som
var grunnlagt i 1132 som det første klosteret for cistercienserne (Ordo
Cisterciensis – OCist) i England, og hvor den hellige Bernhard av
Clairvaux hadde utnevnt sin sekretær William abbed for munkene fra
Clairvaux som utgjorde kommuniteten. Grunnleggelsen var gjort i forståelse med
kong Henrik I (1100-35) og med den lokale baronen som donerte land, Walter
Espec (de l'Espeque), som hadde sitt slott i nærliggende Helmsley.
Cistercienserordenen hadde vokst enormt på begynnelsen av 1100-tallet. Fra
grunnleggelsen av Cîteaux i 1097 hadde antallet klostre steget til 80 da den
hellige abbed Stefan
Harding døde i 1134 og til 350 da Bernhard døde i 1153.
Til tross for en svakelig
helse fulgte Ailred det strenge regimet og ble så høyt verdsatt i kommuniteten
at han ble valgt som utsending til Roma i 1142 for på vegne av Bernhard
protesterte mot det omstridte valget av den hellige Vilhelm av York som
erkebiskop av York. Vilhelm ble støttet av kannikene i York og av kongen, mens
Bernhard og cistercienserne i Yorkshire anklaget ham for simoni og ukyskhet.
Vilhelm ble avsatt, men senere gjeninnsatt i triumf. Like etter ble Ailred
novisemester, men så måtte han bytte kloster for å unngå å bli utnevnt til
biskop. Men han hadde knapt flyttet før han i 1143 mye mot sin vilje ble
utnevnt til abbed for et nytt datterkloster for Rievaulx som jarl William av
Lincoln bygde på sin eiendom i Revesby i Lincolnshire. Dit reiste han sammen
med tolv munker. Hans biografer skriver at hans nye stilling ikke hindret ham i
å leve et liv i den strengeste askese.
I 1147 vendte han tilbake
til Rievaulx, der han etterfulgte Maurice som abbed. Under hans 20 år lange
styre blomstret huset og munker strømmet til, tiltrukket av hans vennlige,
humane natur. Klosteret vokste i størrelse til 150 kormunker og 500 legbrødre
og tjenere – det største i England. Legbrødre var essensielle for økonomien i
klostrene, som med hensikt var lagt til avsidesliggende områder, hvor
cistercienserne ble store pionerer innen jordbruksteknikk. Rievaulx, som de
andre store klostrene i Nord-England, spesialiserte seg i sauehold, som var
bedre egnet enn å dyrke jorden på grunn av klimaet. De dyrket også lin og hadde
til og med et garveri og et jernstøperi.
Rievaulx ekspanderte og
foretok fem andre grunnleggelser i England og Skottland. Som abbed av Rievaulx
var han også overhode for alle de cisterciensiske abbedene i landet. I tillegg
til å se etter sine egne munker, måtte han hvert år besøke de andre
grunnleggelsene i England og Skottland, og han måtte til og med reise så langt
av sted som til cisterciensernes sentre i Cîteaux og Clairvaux. En slik reise
brakte ham til Skottland i 1153, hvor han møtte kong David for siste gang. Da
han kom tilbake til Rievaulx, fikk han kort etter melding om kongens død, og
han skrev en kort, sympatisk biografi om den avdøde kongens karakter. På vei
til sin skotske grunnleggelse pleide han å besøke sin venn, den hellige Godric av Finchale.
Hans siste reiser til Skottland var i 1159 og 1165.
Disse reisene, sammen med
hans skrifter, gjorde mye for å utvide hans innflytelse, og han er blitt kalt
«St. Bernhard i nord». Han ble kjent over hele England for sin klokskap og
hellighet, og han fikk tilgang til rådene til de høyeste dignitærene i landet.
Han ble hele tiden tilkalt for å løse disputter. Kong Henrik II av England
(1154-89) var hans venn, og under paveskismaet i 1160 klarte han å influere
kongen til fordel for den rettmessige paven, Alexander III (1159-81). Han
overtalte også kongen til å møte paven i Touci i 1162 sammen med kong Ludvig
VII av Frankrike (1137-80).
I hele sitt travle liv
utmerket Ailred seg for sin energi, vidd, intelligens og sympatiske vennlighet.
Hans biograf Walter Daniel skrev om ham: «Jeg levde under hans styre i 17 år,
og i denne tiden avviste han ingen fra klosteret». Ailreds navn er virkelig
knyttet til vennskap, menneskelig og guddommelig, og et av de to mest kjente av
hans skrifter er den lille boken De spiritali amicitia, «Om åndelig
vennskap», som primært er basert på Cicero, men han støtter seg til den kristne
tradisjon fra de hellige Augustin av Hippo, evangelisten
Johannes og Bernard av Clairvaux.
Boken søker å illustrere
hvor sentral Kristus er i sant vennskap. Den andre er Speculum Caritatis,
«Nestekjærlighetens speil», en avhandling om kristen perfeksjonering som ble
skrevet i 1142-43 etter Bernhards forslag. Som hans beste arbeid regnes en
preken om Jesaja. Innflytelsen fra Augustin er tydelig i De anima, en
avhandling om menneskesjelen som inkorporerer psykologi, filosofi og teologi,
men dette verket etterlot han ufullført. Hans skrifter og prekener er
karakterisert av en stadig påberopelse av Bibelen og en kjærlighet til Kristus
som en venn og frelser, som var drivkraften i hans liv.
Ailred var i stand til å
menneskeliggjøre uforsonligheten i det cisterciensiske klostervesenet,
inspirert av skriftene til de hellige Johannes Krysostomos og
Augustin og hjulpet av sin egen vennlige hellighet og naturlige
nestekjærlighet. Han trakk til seg menn av lignende karakter, og gjennom sine
mange venner og sine skrifter ble han en skikkelse av nasjonal betydning. Han
ble valgt til å preke i Westminster da den hellige erkebiskop Thomas Becket høytidelig
skrinla relikviene av den hellige kong Edvard Bekjenneren den
13. oktober 1163. Dette fikk ham til å skrive en biografi om Edvard etter at
han allerede hadde skrevet om den hellige Ninian og
helgenene fra Hexham, blant dem den hellige Acca. I 1164
reiste Ailred som misjonær til de barbariske piktiske stammene i Galway
(Galloway) i Irland, og deres høvding skal ha blitt så dypt grepet av hans
formaninger at han ble munk. Året etter vendte han tilbake.
Ailreds mange reiser må
ha vært en stor prøvelse, for i sine siste år led han av flere svært
smertefulle sykdommer som reumatisme, podagra og nyrestein. Disse tvang ham de
siste årene av sitt liv til å leve i et skur i tilknytning til sykeavdelingen i
klosteret, og der samlet munkene seg rundt døren for å motta hans instrukser.
Det siste året av sitt liv kunne han ikke reise lenger, og på slutten skal han
praktisk talt ha vært i en tilstand av fysisk kollaps, og han ble beskrevet som
«mer lik et spøkelse enn et menneske».
Ailred døde den 12.
januar 1167 i sitt kloster Rievaulx, 57 år gammel. Han ble gravlagt i
kapittelhuset, men senere (1191?) ble hans relikvier overført til kirken og
lagt i et praktfullt skrin av gull og sølv bak høyalteret. En kilde nevner en
helligkåring i 1191, det kan være snakk om denne translasjonen. Han ble regnet
som helgen allerede mens han levde, men til tross for det levende og
overbevisende portrettet som hans venn og disippel Walter Daniel ga av ham, ble
Ailred aldri formelt kanonisert. Det var imidlertid en lokal kult i England,
som ble godkjent av cisterciensernes generalkapittel i Cîteaux i 1476, som også
kunngjorde hans fest. Hans minnedager er dødsdagen 12. januar, som også står i
det nye Martyrologium Romanum (2001), mens han feires den 3. mars i
bispedømmene Hexham, Liverpool og Middlesbrough. Cistercienserne feirer ham den
3. februar.
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Jones, Butler (I), Benedictines,
Delaney, Bunson, KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN, britannia.com, Infocatho,
Heiligenlexikon - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Opprettet: 1998-06-06 23:11 - Sist oppdatert: 2006-07-16 16:17
SOURCE : http://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/arievaul
† 1166 Aelred
van Rievaulx
Aelred (ook Aelredus, Aethelred, Ailred, Alfred, Alred, Ethelred of Ethelredus)
o.cist van Rievaulx (ook van Rielvaux, van Rieval, van
Rievaulx of van Rivaulx), Engeland; † 1166.
Feest 12 januari &
3 februari (o.cist.) & 3 maart & † 25 december.
Hij werd in 1109 te Hexham geboren en kwam als page aan het hof van koning David I van Schotland; hij bracht het er tot hofmaarschalk. In 1134 trad hij in bij de cisterciënzers te Rievaulx (Yorkshire).
Kort tevoren had Sint Bernard deze groep monniken onder leiding van zijn
rechterhand Wilhelm geplaatst en vanuit Clairvaux naar Engeland gestuurd om er
een nieuwe abdij te stichten. Ondanks zijn delicate gezondheid werd Aelred in
1142 tot abt van klooster Revesby (Lincolnshire) benoemd, en in 1146 keerde hij
in die hoedanigheid terug naar de abdij van zijn intrede te Rievaulx. Op dat
moment woonden er zo'n honderd monniken. Onder zijn leiding zou de gemeenschap
uitgroeien tot 150 monniken en 500 lekenbroeders. Hij schrijft over het leven
in zijn klooster: "De monniken dronken alleen water en aten slechts
grove spijzen in kleine hoeveelheden. Zij sliepen kort, en altijd op een plank.
Zij verrichtten zware en moeizame arbeid, droegen zeer zware lasten zonder van
vermoeidheid blijk te geven en gehoorzaamden prompt, wat men hun ook opdroeg.
Hierbij onderhielden zij een streng stilzwijgen; zij spraken alleen met hun
overste, en dit alleen wanneer het strikt noodzakelijk was." Zo zag
blijkbaar het ideale leven van een cisterciënzer communiteit
eruit. Men proeft nog de strengheid van Sint Bernardus.
Aelred schreef ook een
gebed voor zijn monniksgemeenschap; enkele regels hieruit luiden:
'Voor U, mijn troost en mijn God,
beken ik in alle nederigheid
dat ik niet zo berouwvol en bevreesd ben
om de zonden die ik vroeger begaan heb,
als ik zou moeten zijn.
Ook ga ik te gemakkelijk voorbij
aan mijn zonden van nu.
En zo'n man hebt U aangesteld, lieve Heer,
over uw gemeenschap.
Ik ben al zo weinig echt bezorgd om mijzelf;
daarom vraag ik U dat U zorg voor hen draagt;
Als ik al zo weinig bid voor mijn eigen zonden,
hoe kan ik dan bidden voor hen?
Stakker die ik ben: wat heb ik gedaan?
Wat heb ik aangepakt? Wat waren mijn gedachten?
Of liever, wat waren uw gedachten, lieve Heer,
bij het zien van deze arme stakker?'
Naast dit alles schreef hij een leven van Sint Ninian († ca 432; feest 16 september). Beroemd zijn zijn boeken 'Speculum Charitatis' (= 'Spiegel van de Liefde') en 'De Spirituali Amicitia' ('Over Geestelijke Vriendschap').
Zijn klooster stond aan de wieg van minstens vijf andere kloostervestigingen in Engeland en Schotland. Tijdens zijn visitatiereizen bezocht hij herhaaldelijk zijn vriend, de kluizenaar Godric van Finchale († 1170; feest 21 mei).
Uitgeput als hij was door een streng ascetisch leven in kille, vochtige
gebouwen en lijdend aan jicht, blaas- en nierkwalen, stierf Aelred na een
pijnlijk ziekbed op kerstmis van het jaar 1166. Hij is nooit officieel heilig
verklaard, maar de cisterciënzer orde
heeft hem altijd wel als een van hun grotere heiligen beschouwd.
Bronnen
[Bri.1953; Cal.0000»01.12; Frm.1996; Ha1.1838p:62.64; Kno.1965p:37; Lin.1999;
Nwm.z.j.»1166; Rld.1963; Spt.1983; Vce.1990; Dries van den Akker
s.j./2003.05.23]
© A. van den Akker
s.j.
SOURCE : http://heiligen-3s.nl/heiligen/01/12/01-12-1166-aelred.php
Saint
AELRED de RIEVAULX. Textes choisis, traduits et
présentés par le R.P. Charles Dumont, o.c.s.o. : http://livres-mystiques.com/partieTEXTES/aelred/table.htm
Marie-Benoit BERNARD, ocso. L’amitié chez Aelred et Augustin. Une grâce
de Dieu. Collectanea Cisterciensia 68 (2006) 48-58 : http://www.citeaux.net/collectanea/Bernard.pdf
Voir aussi : https://www.catholicireland.net/saintoftheday/st-aelred-of-rievaulx/
