Today is the feast of St Aelred of Rievaulx. Yesterday, I visited the ruins of his old Abbey near Ampleforth with the St Patrick's School. We laid fresh flowers on the ground where his shrine used to be - behind the high altar of the Abbey church.Fr Julian has pointed out how St Aelred is seen as a 'henchman' by some Gay communities. I would like to quote here his most famous saying taken from his "Mirror of Charity". You may see from this text why he is seen by some as an advocate of homosexuality.
"It is no small consolation in this life to have someone you can unite with you in an intimate affection and the embrace of a holy love, someone in whom your spirit can rest, to whom you can pour out your soul, to whose pleasant exchanges, as to soothing songs, you can fly in sorrow, to the dear breast of whose friendship, amidst the many troubles of the world, you can safely retire. ... A man who can shed tears with you in your worries, be happy with you when things go well, search out with you the answers to your problems, whom with the ties of charity you can lead into the depths of your heart."
This very beautiful description of friendship by St Aelred comes from an era which we could describe as the "Twelfth Century Renaissance". Not only was the Church being renewed at this time by St Francis and St Dominic, but the Cistercian Monastic movement was gradually civilising and evangelising the country districts of Europe. This more autere form of Benedictine Monasticism was ennobled in Rievaulx by its great Abbot Aelred. He sought to transform the auterity of the Cistercian life and make it more human. He emphasised the ethos of friendship in his abbey, teaching his monks to make their lives one of special care and commitment to one another. You could say that he spoke of friendship as one would speak of the evangelical counsels. This is a far cry from the aggressive monopolising of friendship by Gay culture.
Indeed, so evangelical was Aelred's leadership that there were more than five hundred monks living the Christian life at Rievaulx during his time as Abbot. We know from St Aelred's writings that he loved Christ and had a profound knowledge of Scripture. It was this love and knowledge which flowed into the community which he ruled, a community which was marked with sincere joy; the joy that comes from friendship with Christ.
