Working within a tradition that dates back to cicero and other classical authors, aelred ca. This was done in part to end the inheritance of benefices. Here we are, you and i, and i hope a third, christ, is in our midst. Aelred of rievaulx download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Certain readings of the symposium would also assert that to ascend the sublimation ladder from physical to spiritual mean you have. Mark yarhouse coauthors of costly obedience are interested in learning about the path of reconciling sexual and religious identity conflicts. Spiritual friendship is today the best known and perhaps most influential of the thirteen surviving works of aelred, abbot of the great english cistercian abbey of rievaulx from 11471167. Now this new edition opens up the riches of this spiritual masterpiece to a wide audience of contemporary readers who see the spiritual life not as a solitary enterprise, but one intimately connected to relationships. During this period, aelred wrote his best known work, spiritual friendship. He may have been partially educated by lawrence of durham, who sent him a hagiography. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while.
What therefore is more pleasant than to unite oneself to the spirit of another and the two to form one the conversation at first seems to be slow. In fact it is so noble, incredible and rare that one could say that he refers to intimacies between persons so great that contemporary culture would be inclined to describe such relations as being soul mates or kindred spirits. One of the most consistent criticisms of spiritual friendship by those associated with courage has been our use of language, particularly the word gay. Aelred considers friendship a christian virtue worth pursuing. And here is my memory of visiting the ruin of rievaulx abbey a few years ago rounding the bend in the road from the village of thirsk in north yorkshire, your first glimpse. In 1095, the council of claremont had forbidden the ordination of the sons of priests. As well as introducing the three genres of his works sermons, spiritual teaching, and history scholars survey such central topics as marian devotion, love and friendship, the sacramental nature of. The second, central part of the article analyses aelreds thoughts on friendship, and all that in three fragments that follow the composition of the work itself. Aelred says the next kind of friendship is worldly. Aelred of rievaulx quotes author of spiritual friendship. Indeed, for aelred, christ is always present in spiritual friendship.
I went to rievaulx out of gratitude for that witness. Aelred of rievalux work on spiritual friendship presents the most noble presentation of friendship i have ever read. Aelred of rievaulx s spiritual friendship download ebook. Download pdf spiritualfriends free online new books. Aelred was born in hexham, northumbria, in 1110, one of three sons of eilaf, priest of st andrews at hexham, himself a son of another eilaf, treasurer of durham. On spiritual friendship aelred of rievaulx download. Worship, justice and the practice of christian friendship. The classic text with a spiritual commentary by dennis billy, c.
Aelred of rievaulx spiritual friendship john protevi. Aelred was a twelfth century english cistercian monk, who. Friendship, aelred teaches, is both a gift from god and a creation of human effort. Every friendship is formed around shared goods that identify the friendship and help the friends understand the life and purpose of the friendship. True friendship, however, is grounded in christ and, like chastity, is a gift of gods grace. This site is like a library, you could find million book here by using search box in the widget. Aelred of rievaulx of spiritual friendship love religious. Aelred based his conception of spiritual friendship on a metaphysics of the kiss. On spiritual friendship aelred of rievaulx download bok.
Jan 12, 2015 known best for his treatises on spiritual friendship and the mirror of charity, in which he sketched a vision for monastic community, aelred has become the unofficial patron saint of friendship, owing to his powerful depiction of the spiritual fruitfulness of samesex love. Come now, beloved, open your heart, and pour into these friendly ears whatsoever you will, and let us accept. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. To aid in our understanding, we are developing and validating a new measure of sexual and religious congruence as well as validating an existing measure of religiosity. What is a spiritual friendship and why does the bible say its so important. Like all spiritual practice, it requires wise effort and letting go.
The purpose of spiritual friendship is a common commitment to help one another grow in christlikeness. I cannot help but conclude that the writer of this text is a person who knows the significance and power ridvaulx chronicling to both evoke and generate history. Robert lentz, ofm, that some dear friends of mine gave me at christmas this year. Lets listen in on the soul talk and spiritual friendship that goes on between aelred and ivo an excerpt from spiritual friendship by aelred of rievaulx. Pdf download aelred of rievaulx spiritual friendship a new. Preoccupied with temporal advantages, it follows the purse. Mar 26, 2020 aelred died in the winter of 7, probably on 12 january 17 at rievaulx. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading spiritual friendship cistercian fathers book 5. Frankness and not flattery, generosity and not gain, patience in correction, and con stancy in affection he saw as the marks of a true friendship. During his abbacy he built rievaulx into a place of spiritual welcome and physical prosperity, desiring to make it a. The dialogue structure of spiritual friendship immediately shows the importance of others in the spiritual life. Aelred s entry into rievaulx was facilitated by his planning and influential friends.
Today is the feast day of aelred of rievaulx, often called the patron saint of friendship. Spiritual friendship cistercian studies series marsha l. Please read our short guide how to send a book to kindle. During his abbacy he built rievaulx into a place of spiritual welcome and physical prosperity, desiring to make it a mother of mercy to those in need. Spiritual friendship by marsha l dutton english essays from a french pen by j. On spiritual friendship was a popular medieval expression of what it meant to be a friend to other believers. Patricia carroll ocso draws our attention to aelred of rievaulx, a cistercian saint and spiritual writer who specialised in writing about friendship as an image of. Spiritual friendship, by aelred of rievaulx, alban books. Spiritual friendship by aelred of rievaulx is one of the all time classic books of devotion to christ.
Symposium would also assert that to ascend the sublimation ladder from physical to spiritual mean you have to physically love before you can ascend. The effort needed is the energy to cultivate the relationship and the willingness to move the friendship into a mutual. Aelred of rievaulxs spiritual friendship sage journals. Utility exploits the human impulse to love and be loved. Read book pdf online here 1589660234pdf download aelred of rievaulx spiritual. Spiritual friendship introduces you to principles of friendship that bring focus to your spiritual life. Here we are, you and i, and i hope that christ makes a third with us. Among spiritual writers, i think that aelred of rievaulx has been largely overlooked. Download pdf spiritualfriends free online new books in. As an early patron of rievaulx known to bernard of clairvaux, david may have guided aelred there. In 1150, abbot aelred of rievaulx, a cistercian monastery in yorkshire, answered the same question posed by a monk called yves. Aelred of rievaulxs spiritual friendship is one of the most important treatises on friendship to emerge from the middle ages.
Aelred is an inspiration for spiritual directors, counselors, friends, and parents. One of the earliest criticisms was dan mattsons july, 2012 first things article, why i dont call myself a gay christian. Written in dialogue form, spiritual friendship offers wise counsel on many aspects of friendship. The governing principle of worldly friendship is utility. They aim to learn about friendship from a friend, and in the presence. A companion to aelred of rievaulx 11101167 marsha l.
Patricia carroll ocso draws our attention to aelred of rievaulx, a cistercian saint and spiritual writer who specialised in writing about friendship as an image of the relationship between god and each person. The first one considers the nature, the second the purpose, and the third certain difficulties and important pieces of advice for the. The spiritual friendship writers also suggest particular spiritual friendships, close bonds between persons of the same sex, even perhaps held together by vows or covenants, as a means of realizing the goal of true friendship, the goal which they believe the more immature forms of homoeroticism are aspiring towards in a disordered manner. Certain readings of the symposium would also assert that to ascend the sublimation ladder from physical to. While love is universal, freely given to all, friendship is a particular love between individuals, of which the example is jesus and john the beloved disciple. Although today aelreds dialogue on spiritual friendshipis by far the most pop ular of his. Spiritual friendship cistercian fathers by aelred, marsha l dutton, lawrence c braceland isbn. His answer is the famous treatise spiritual friendship, 1 three chapters written in a dialogue form examines the relationship between friendship and the love of god. The first one considers the nature, the second the purpose, and the third certain difficulties and important pieces of advice for the realization of true friendship. Spiritual friendship musings on god, friendship, relationships. Saint aelred of rievaulx 11101167 author of spiritual friendship. Using a record of some conversations he had with friends, aelred of rievaulx wrote about spiritual friendship as a special relationship that is both an expression of gods love and a path to knowing gods love. Jun 12, 2018 the spiritual friendship writers also suggest particular spiritual friendships, close bonds between persons of the same sex, even perhaps held together by vows or covenants, as a means of realizing the goal of true friendship, the goal which they believe the more immature forms of homoeroticism are aspiring towards in a disordered manner.
Spiritual friendship is today the best known and perhaps most influential of the thirteen surviving works of aelred, abbot of the great english cistercian abbey of rievaulx from 1147 1167. Let me begin by giving friendship a definition, in doing so we separate what is and isnt a friend and we also give it proper biblical honor. Read book pdf online here download aelred of rievaulx spiritual. It starts as a dialogue between aelred and ivo, with a third, christ, present with them. Marsha l dutton the abbot of the english cistercian abbey of rievaulx from 11471167 explores the spiritual nature of human friendship, defining it as sacramental and as a vehicle for god to transmit his love to all. At the beginning of his book he begins the section on the origin of friendship with these words. Jan 12, 2011 during this period, aelred wrote his best known work, spiritual friendship. Inspirational stories of faith, fidelity and friendship denise utter. Apr 01, 2010 spiritual friendship is today the best known and perhaps most influential of the thirteen surviving works of aelred, abbot of the great english cistercian abbey of rievaulx from 1147 1167. A humanist and a chris tian monk, aelred advocated. Brills companion to aelred of rievaulx explores the life, works, and thought of aelred, cistercian abbot of rievaulx abbey from 1147 to 1167.
Spiritual friendship is today the best known and perhaps most influential of the thirteen surviving works of aelred, abbot of the great english. Download aelred of rievaulx s spiritual friendship or read online here in pdf or epub. Intimacy with others is a part of our souls architecture, and it can restore life and health to our depleted souls. Youll discover what it takes to have a rich, godcentered relationship that will. No medicine is more valuable, none more efficacious, none better suited to the cure of all our temporal ills than a friend to whom we may turn for consolation in time of trouble, and with whom we may share our happiness in time of joy. Download a pdf file of this issue for free download 7929 kb support this ministry. Aelred of rievaulx, saint 11101167 worldcat identities. Spiritual friendship cistercian fathers book 5 kindle edition by aelred of rievaulx, dutton, marsha l. Traditions of spiritual guidance aelred of rievaulx brendan callaghan 375 c istercian spirituality and christian friendship have each fea tured in traditions of spiritual guidance, 1 so for aelred to be treated in his own right might seem unnecessary. Aelred of rievaulx of spiritual friendship free download as word doc. The basis of spiritual friendship is a shared relationship with jesus christ. Aelred died in the winter of 7, probably on 12 january 17 at rievaulx. Spiritual friendship is a wonderful part of the journey of awakening. In spiritual friendship, aelred notes there are three kinds of friendship.
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