Sebastian Fricke’s Reviews > Saint Bruno: The Carthusian > Status Update

"When an important person died, it was customary to send a messenger to churches and monasteries where he was known to announce his death and request prayers and suffrages for the repose of his soul. This messenger generally carried long scrolls of parchment .. so that on it those who knew the deceased either directly or by reputation could write a eulogy and their promise to pray for him."
Fascinating & beautiful!

"At the heart of this vocation, there is always that pure, total, 'chaste love for the Lord', ..., that 'true charity' (vera caritas). That , according to Bruno, is the essential quality of the contemplative life."

"Bruno based a moral order, even the supernatural relationship of man with God, upon the very nature of things. 'Beneficial' is what allows nature to achieve the purpose that God has assigned to it."
"Bruno harmonizes solitude and friendship, learning and silence, strictness and affection, 'athletic' competition and quit."

Next the biography goes into the letters of Bruno himself. In a heartfelt message, he tries to encourage his friend, to follow the promise into solitude that he made in the past. He nicely highlights what contemplation is for him.
"The essential fundamental quality of the contemplative, according to Saint Bruno, is living expectant and hopeful with eternity always in view." and to "capture what is lasting"

His decline of the assignment as archbishop is a wonderful example of what obedience can be. He was willing to sacrifice everything he worked for, in an act of obedience, but that doesn't mean a blind yes to everything he is asked for. He discerned, he communicated and he was allowed to create a new hermitage in Calabria. Maybe these steps paved the way, as they made the order less dependent on it's founder.

I found it very interesting, that the landscape of the first charterhouse influenced deeply how the spirituality of the order would evolve and even more fascinating, that Bruno was relying solely on the the dream of Saint Hugh of Grenoble for that choice. Overall, that bishop was awesome, he helped them found the order, he protected them, he was a spiritual father and if he could have, he would have been one of them.

An unexpected but interesting read, unexpected as this reads a bit more like a scientific paper than the usual saint stories, but interesting because it isn't dry and it does a careful job of trying to paint an honest picture of the man, leaving aside as much as possible fictional accounts and showing nicely, how he developed from a renowned teacher to a founder of one of the most austere and radical catholic orders.