Bruno was born in Germany around the year 1030 to a noble family, and after excelling in his studies he entered the priesthood around the age of 25. He served at the cathedral school at Rheims for about 20 years as administrator and theology teacher, and when the bishop died he was an obvious choice to fill the vacant see, but Bruno desired solitude. He left for the mountains and formed the Carthusian order, adapting the Benedictine rule to live in silence, poverty, and near-perpetual prayer. Bruno briefly served as an advisor to Pope Urban II, his former student, then he returned to the solitary life. His Carthusian brothers wrote: “He always had a smile on his face, always a prudent word.”
CHALLENGE
St. Bruno said, “The cross is steady while the world turns.” St. Bruno’s Carthusian order is also steady, unchanged from its founding. At its core is one word: contemplation. Contemplation is to be in a deep and continual heart-to-heart communion with God. Today, go to Eucharistic adoration. Just sit in silence… and contemplate God.
