Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 – 1167) on Spiritual Friendship
St. Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) was a twelfth-century Cistercian abbot and well-known spiritual writer, whose treatise “Spiritual Friendship,” is widely considered a classic of Christian spirituality. Inspired by Roman statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero’s philosophical dialogue, “On Friendship,” Aelred approaches his subject from a decidedly religious standpoint, examining both the theoretical and practical aspects of friendship in the light of faith in Christ. Christian friendship, he maintains, is all about extending the fellowship of Christ to another. The more two persons grow as friends, the more they should sense the gentle, unobtrusive, yet abiding presence of the quiet third partner in their lives. He affirms this belief when talking to his friend Ivo at the outset of Book One, stating, “Here we are, you and I, and I hope a third, Christ, in our midst.” — Introduction. Spiritual Friendship: The Classic Text with a Spiritual Commentary by Dennis Billy, C.Ss.R. (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, Inc, 2008).
Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 – 1167)
Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110 – 1167) grew up in the High Middle Ages (1000 – 1300) during the century referred to by some as “the Age of Cistercans”. As you may remember, Thomas Merton was a member of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order and an extension of the earlier order. AND as you may remember from his picture, their habit is unique in being white in color. In 1098, the movement of self-supporting enclosed monastic communities was started in Cîteaux (Latin name: Cistercium) by a group of Benedictine monks with a passion to strictly follow The Rule of St. Benedict. The passionate and organizing leadership of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) enabled the order to advance across much of Eastern and Western Europe, including the British Isles. Their “humanist” perspective birthed an emphasis on manual labor and the development of technology. [Read more…] about Christian Devotional Classics: Spiritual Friendship