Technically speaking, Bruno,
I am not allowed to ask your intercession
For you belong on the other side of a line
Involving arguments, which have become
threadbare and wearisome
Born before the schism
Somewhere West of an imaginary line
But died after the schism
Having given the Western Church
A rather Eastern way of prayer.
It is clear to all of us who know you...
You were obedient to the will of God
...studying secular letters and sacred literature
...acting as canon of a Cathedral
...serving as rector of a school
...offering students excellent teaching and much affection
...providing stability in the struggle with a dishonest archbishop
...refusing the hierarch's crown
...answering the call to contemplation
...giving up all worldly possessions
...journeying to the mountain
...building a monastery
...assisting (with great reluctance) a former student who started the Crusades and
...being permanently relocated to Calabria away from your brothers whom you brought to the Chartreuse.
You who were deemed worthy of suffering persecution for the Name of Jesus, lead me down the path of obedience
You who led with the authority of a father and the tenderness of a mother, show me the path of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
You who were a man thirsting for God and seduced by the absolute, teach me prayer. Yes... that kind of prayer... sweet, sweet silent prayer before God.
Information for this post was gathered directly from the Carthusian Order, which Bruno founded in 1084.
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