Truly Human

Francis speaks about his journey to becoming truly human with the help of St Bruno, founder of the Carthusians whose feast is the 6th October.

"Saint Bruno" by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In the coming week we will celebrate a little-known saint, and he for one would be very pleased with the fact that he was not well known! He was never formally canonized, because he / them were averse to all occasions of publicity. However, Pope Clement X extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674 on October 6th.

Why are the Saints so important to us we have to ask? Is it just an excuse for a party? Something to break up the Churches year and more so when we are in the ‘Ordinary time of the year’? Or is it something much deeper?

Why do we choose a Saints name at our confirmation or why does a Jesuit Pope take the name of a Franciscan and not one of many Jesuit saint?

Why have I named my wee house in the Orkney’s after a saint who lived in a very remote and desolate part of France, in mountainous terrain, and inaccessibility guaranteed in the winter months. Living among a small number of folk and lots of silence guaranteed?

I first discovered this saint in the early 1980’s in a small village in West Sussex (https://www.parkminster.org.uk/), when I was searching for the meaning of life and looking for what W.H. Auden spoke about his poem “For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”. In one part he speaks about the Three Kings and gives their reasons for following the Star. One of the reasons given is “to be truly Human”. Here is an excerpt below:

First Wise Man:
To discover how to be truthful now
Is the reason I follow this star.

Second Wise Man:
To discover how to be living now
Is the reason I follow this star.

Third Wise Man:
To discover how to be loving now
Is the reason I follow this star.

The Three Wise Men:
To discover how to be human now
Is the reason we follow this star.

W.H. Auden “For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”

Another strong link to this saint was T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Four Quartets”, which some suggest is a commentary on “The Cloud of Unknowing” by an unknown author; but it is suggested that the author is a follower of our saint. In this book he sets out the road to travel to a fully spiritual / contemplative life. And Eliot echoes this call when he says in his poem:

“We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all exploring

Will be to arrive where we started”

and again

“We had the experience but missed the meaning”

What I found in this small West Sussex village was a group of followers who were living out this quest and who were becoming “truly human” and who did not want to miss the meaning of life. These faithful followers where deeply in touch with their inner-world and with God and his creation.

Now after 30 years of working in both adult and children’s palliative care I have moved to this small part of Orkney in retirement to try and understand what the last 30 years were all about. To make some kind of sense of all these experiences with countless families who I have walked alongside, trying to help them make some kind of sense of the meaning of the death of a loved one or their child. I have also moved here to prepare for the next stage of my own journey and to make sure I don’t miss the meaning.

To help me do this I have named my wee home after this saint to help inspire and remind me of the work in hand by emulating some aspects of his way of life and I emphasize here some aspects…

So just who is this saint that means so much and who is helping me to become “truly human now” after 30 years of not always having the time and space or in finding excuse not to explore and hence missing the meaning. Or having the courage to go down “the road less travelled”…

This Saint is St Bruno. He was the founder of the Carthusians - the religious order dedicated to silence and solitude. Both of these components are here in Orkney in abundance along with the space and the elements, both of which can heighten our sensitives to the voice of the Living God. I am sure this is why St Bruno retreated to the wilds of France and why some many of our own Celtic monk’s sort-out these places to discover how to become truly human now and how to listen to ‘the ear of the heart’.

Pope Francis chose St Francis as this is who he wanted for his guide in his papacy. I have chosen St Bruno, as I want him to be my guide while “when the last of earth left to discover” in what time I may have left. Remember it’s not the habit that makes the monk. It’s the willingness to go on the internal journey where we will hear that small still voice “in the stillness, between two waves of the sea”. It was St Bruno’s dream to live in solitude and prayer. May we mirror Bruno’s quest for holiness and unity with God.

Saint Bruno, your life of generous and active service to the Church was curtailed, and you chose the better portion, seeking God in silence, poverty, study, and prayer. Help all who are in the world to emulate your quiet dedication, focus, and endurance.

St Bruno pray for us

If you want to know more about St Bruno, here is a link to a very good talk about him and his life:

First Wise Man:
To discover how to be truthful now
Is the reason I follow this star.

Second Wise Man:
To discover how to be living now
Is the reason I follow this star.

Third Wise Man:
To discover how to be loving now
Is the reason I follow this star.

The Three Wise Men:
To discover how to be human now
Is the reason we follow this star.

W.H. Auden “For The Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio”

By Francis Edwards