Listening to Tradition, William of St. Thierry

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Consider, brethren, the circumstances of your own calling. Where is the wise man among you? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this world? Although there are among you some wise men it is by the means of simple men that he added the wise to your ranks, he who of old subjected the kings and the philosophers of this world to himself by means of fishermen.

William of St. Thierry, The Golden Epistle

Listening to Tradition, William of St. Thierry

Yet, brethren, let all exaltation be far from the opinion you have of yourselves, from your littleness and lowliness, from one your mouths. For exalted thoughts are death and it is easy for one who sees himself perched on high to grow dizzy and be in mortal danger. Give another name to your profession, inscribe your work with another title.

                                                                        William of St. Thierry, The Golden Epistle

Listening to Tradition, William of St. Theirry

"We have an obligation not only to love each other but also in our love to make ourselves as loveable as possible so that it is easy for our sisters and brothers to love us."

William of Saint Thierry, Cistercian Father

Longing to see God

A Meditation by William of St. Thierry

“MY HEART HAS TALKED of you my face has sought you. Your face, Lord, will I seek. Do not turn away your face from me; do not shun your servant in wrath."

It seems surpassing boldness and effrontery to make comparison between my face and yours, Lord God! For you see and judge the hearts of all men and, if you enter into judgment with your servant, the face of my iniquity can only flee before that of your righteousness.

But if, in order to excuse and help my poverty, you should grant me burning love and humility, then let them flee who hate I, for my part, should not flee your face.
For love is very daring, and humility fosters confidence. I am not conscious of these virtues in myself, yet I a vow myself your friend. For, if you ask me: “Do you love me" as you asked Peter, I shall say plainly, I shall tell you boldly:" Lord, you know all things, you know I want to love you. And that is as much as to say: "If you ask me the same thing a thousand times, I shall as often make the same reply: You know I want to love you" And that means that my heart desires nothing so much as it desires to love you."

Some Monastic Wisdom on Lectio

At fixed hours time should be given to certain definite reading.  Haphazard reading, constantly varied and lighted on by chance does not edify but makes the mind unstable.  Taken into the memory lightly, it leaves it even more lightly.  You should concentrate on certain authors and let your mind grow used to them . . .

Some part of your daily reading should be committed to memory every day, taken as it were into the stomach, to be more carefully digested and brought up again for frequent rumination – something in keeping with your vocation and helpful to concentration, something that will take hold of the mind and save it from distraction.

The reading should also stir you affections and give rise to prayer, which should interrupt you reading – an interruption which should not so much impede the reading as to restore to it a mind ever more purified for understanding.

For reading serves the purpose of the intention with which it is done.  If a reader truly seeks God in the reading, everything he reads tends to promote that end, making the mind surrender in the course of the reading and bringing all that is understood into Christ’s service.

William of St. Thierry

The Golden Epistle 1.120-124