Letter to Rudolph ‘the Green’

1. To the venerable gentleman Rudolph, provost of Rheims, who is worthy of being honoured with the most sincere affectionate feelings, Bruno sends his greetings.  

The loyalty which you show to an old and proven friendship is the more admirable and worthy of praise inasmuch as the rarer it is met with among humans. Although, actually, there is a great distance and a still longer period of time has lapsed which have kept our selves apart from each other, however it was not possible to keep your feelings of affection far away from your friend. This results to be very evident from your most sweet letters in which you have shown me the tenderness of your friendship, besides from the benefits which have been so very generously lavished not only on me but also, because of me, on brother Bernard, and by various other signs too. For all this I send my thanks for all your kindness; these will certainly never equal your merits yet, on the other hand, they flow out of a pure source of love.  

2. A traveller, who has been rather faithful in other missions, has already left since some time now with a letter addressed to you; but because till now he has not yet returned, I have deemed it opportune to send you one of ours, so that he might verbally relate to you more fully all that which relates to me, as I would be far less able to do so in writing.  

3. I would therefore let you know, my worthy friend, as I know that this would not be unpleasing to you, that I feel physically well - oh that I could say the same thing about my soul! – and that as to all other exterior occurrences, everything is going on well, according to my wishes. Yet I am waiting, even by imploring, that the hand of divine mercy heals all my inner illnesses and fills with its goodness my desires.

4. Here at Calabria, with some religious brothers, a few of whom are very educated and who, in a divine and persevering vigilance await the return of their Lord so that they might be able to open the door for him as soon as he knocks, I live in a rather faraway hermitage, in all respects, from other persons’ dwellings. Of its amenities, its mild and healthy climate, the wide pleasant plane which extends for a long stretch between the mountains, with its green grassland and thriving grazing ground, what is it that I could tell you that you might know enough? Who can describe in a sufficient manner the view of the hills climbing gently from all sides, the sloping shady valleys, with a pleasant richness of rivers, streams and springs? Nor is there a lack of irrigated vegetable plots and trees of different fertile fruits.  

5. Yet why should I linger on these matters? Certainly, the wise man should have other pleasures, which are by far more pleasant and useful, since they are divine. Yet the spirit, which is however rather weak and tired owing to a very rigid discipline and its dedication to spiritual matters, is very often raised aloft and breathes with these matters. Actually, if the bow is stretched all the time, it will loosen and become less fit to perform its function.

6. What profit and divine joy do the solitude and silence of the hermitage bring along with them for those who love them, is only known by those who have experienced them.

Here, actually, strong men are allowed to gather together when they wish to remain lonely with themselves, cultivate perseveringly the shoots of virtue and nourish themselves, happily, with the fruit of paradise. It is here that a person achieves that eye whose calm glance wounds the Spouse with love and who by means of its transparence and purity sees God. It is here that a hard working idleness is exercised and rest is taken in quiet action. It is here that in reward for the effort of the struggle, God gives his athletes their desired reward, namely that peace which the world does not take any notice of and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This is attractive Rachel, who is beautiful to look at and whom Jacob, although she was less fertile in bearing children, loved more than Lia who definitely was more fertile but who was bleary eyed. The sons of contemplation are actually less numerous than the sons of action, yet it is Joseph and Benjamin more than their brothers who were loved by their father.

This is that better part chosen by Mary and which would not be taken from her.

7. This is that most beautiful Shunamite, the only one found in the whole territory of Israel who could, as a youth, caress and cuddle grown up David. I wish, my most dear brother, that you love her above anything else, in such manner that, warmed by her embraces, you could burn with divine love. If even just for one time his love finds a place in your heart, that seducing and caressing deceiver which is the glory of the world would suddenly be worthy of contempt within your heart and you would rebut those riches which cause so much restlessness and are so heavy for the soul and you would similarly experiment abomination for the pleasures which are harmful both for the body and for the spirit.

8. Your wisdom, actually, knows well whom it is who says: If anyone loves the world and what is in the world – namely the pleasures of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and ambition – the love of the Father is not within him; and besides: Whosoever wants to be a friend of this world becomes God’s enemy. What, thus, could be more ungodly, more senseless and more harmful and wretched than wanting to act against Him whose power cannot be resisted, and whose just vengeance cannot be averted? Are we not, perhaps, stronger than him? Perhaps it would so happen that, because of the patience of his mercy pushes us towards repentance, he would not after all punish the offences of those who despise him? What could there actually be more perverse, contrary to reason, to justice and to nature itself, than loving more the creature than the creator, than seeking more that which passes away than the eternal, that which is earthly rather than that which is heavenly?  

9. What, thus, do you think of doing, most dearly beloved? What, if you do not believe in divine counsel, if you do not believe in truth which could not deceive? It actually gives counsel to all when it says: Come to me all your who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest. Is it not the worst and worthless toil to be tormented by desire, to be incessantly afflicted by worry and anxiety, by fear and sorrow for one’s desires? Which burthen is heavier than that which lowers the mind from the sublime heights of its dignity in infinity, when this is done against all justice? Escape, therefore, oh brother of mine, from all this unease and misery, and move on from the tempest of this world to the safe and quiet shelter of the haven.  

10. Your wisdom knows what Wisdom himself says to us: Whoever does not renounce to all that which he possesses, could not be my disciple. How beautiful, how useful and how pleasant it is to hold on to his learning under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to understand the divine philosophy which on its own gives the true beatitude, who does not see this?  

11. Meanwhile it is necessary that your wisdom considers with diligent examination that, if it is not the love of God that invites you, if you are not moved by the profit to be made of such big gifts, you should at least be compelled to do this owing to the inevitability and fear of punishment.  

12. You actually know by which promise you are bound, and towards whom. You have offered yourself to an omnipotent and fearful God as a pleasant and well accepted offer; Him to whom it is neither allowed nor convenient to lie, because he does not tolerate being made a fool of with impunity.  

13. Certainly, my beloved friend, do remember how one fine day, having found ourselves together, me, yourself and Fulcuio il Guercio, in the small garden by Adamo’s house, where I resided at the time, we spoke for some time, if I recall well, about the false pleasures and the perishable richness of this world and also of the joys of eternal glory. Thus, inflamed by divine love, we promised, vowed and decided to leave as soon as possible the fleeting world and taking hold of all that which is eternal, besides receiving the monk’s attire. This suggestion would have been undertaken had Fulcuio not then departed to Rome; we only postponed this action to the time when he returned. Yet, since Fulcuio was late in coming and there intervened other causes, our soul grew cold and the eagerness disappeared.

14. What, therefore, does there remain, dearly beloved, for you to do if not to unbind yourself as soon as possible from the chains of this debt, so that you may not incur, because of such a serious and prolonged fault of lying, the anger of the Most Powerful, and, consequently, untold torments? Who of the powerful would actually let himself to be defrauded by a subject of his from a promised gift without punishing him, especially if he was of great esteem and high value for him? Meanwhile, do not believe me, but the prophet, rather the Holy Spirit who says: Make vows to the Lord your God, and fulfil them, all you who, standing around Him, bear gifts to Him: to the fearful, to Him who takes away the breath from princes, to Him who is feared by the kings of the world. You are hearing the Lord, you are hearing your God, you are hearing the one who is to be most feared, Him who takes away the breath from princes, you are hearing Him who is feared by the kings of the world. Why does the Spirit of God infuse all these things, if not to push you, who are bound with a vow, to keep your promises? Why are you finding difficulty to hold on to that which does not produce any loss or decrease to your goods, and who increases your profits more than those of him to whom you shall be paying your debt?  

15. Let not, misleading riches hold you back since they do not succeed eliminating misery, nor the dignity of being a provost, which could not be performed without great danger for the soul. Since turning to one’s own profit another person’s goods, of which you are only an administrator and not an owner, is – allow me to say so – a hideous as much as an unjust deed. That if you wish success and glory and if you wish to have a large number of servants, those which you lawfully own not being enough, would it not mean that you are most likely to decrease in some way from some persons that which you would be giving to others? This does not mean that you are being charitable or bountiful. Nothing, actually, is bountiful if at the same time it is not just.  

16. Even so, my beloved friend, I would like to persuade you of one thing, namely that in order to render a service to the archbishop, who greatly confides and listens wholeheartedly to your advice – which are not always easy to give as fair and useful – you should not let yourself depart from divine charity, which is as righteous inasmuch profitable. And then, what is so righteous and so profitable, and what is so much inbuilt and convenient to man’s nature as much as loving good things? And what else is so good as God? Rather, what else is good if not God alone? It is for this reason that the holy soul, which, about this good, partly perceives the incomparable dignity, splendour and beauty, lit up by the flame of love says: My soul thirsts for God who is strong and living; when shall I come and present myself before the face of God?  

17. Oh, if you only can, dear brother, not scorn the exhortations of a friend! Oh, if you can only hear, not turning deaf ears, the words uttered by the Holy Spirit! Oh if you, my most beloved friend, were to hear my wish and my long expectancy, so that my soul would be no longer afflicted, for you, by worries, unease and fear! Because should it happen – yet God will not permit it – that you die before having freed yourself from the debt of your vow, you will leave me consumed in a continuous sorrow without even the comfort of hope.  

18. Meanwhile, I would strongly like to entreat and obtain from you that, at least out of faithfulness, you feel worth of visiting San Nicola and, from there, to where I am, that you may be able to see who, in a most singular manner, loves you, and could thus together discuss face to face the state of our affairs and of our religious observance and, moreover, those matters relating to our mutual benefit. And I trust in the Lord that you will not repent having faced up to the hard travail caused by such journey.  

19. I have exceeded the limit of writing a short letter since, whereas I cannot have you here before me physically, I would at least keep myself for a longer time with you through this written conversation.  

I sincerely wish you, dear brother, that you enjoy good health for long, mindful of my advice. I beg you to send me the Life of St Remigius, since I cannot find this around here. God be with you.