aelred

Aelred of Rievaulx
1110-1167

As a young man he served at the King of Scotland’s court. He was admired for his wit and good looks. Throughout his life, Aelred took great joy in his friends and he believed that by loving and being loved by them, we learn to accept and return God's infinitely greater and enduring love. Real friendship always includes a third person, the Lord Jesus. In 1134 he visited the newly founded Cistercian abbey at Rievaulx in Yorkshire. The rigorous austerities of monastic life captured his imagination. He joined the order and within just over a decade was elected abbot. Aelred was renowned for his sweet and gentle temperament that could resolve even the most bitter disputes. Contrary to the norms of the times, Aelred encouraged intimate friendships amongst the monks. His prayers display the same intimacy toward Jesus.

Embrace You

O Lord Jesus, I will embrace you who became a little child for me.
In my weakness I clasp you who became weak for me.

A mere man, I embrace you who is God made man.
You came a man as poor as I am,
and you rode into Jerusalem seated on a humble donkey.
I embrace you, O Lord, because your lowliness is my greatness,
your weakness is my strength,
your foolishness is my wisdom.

I Kiss Your Feet

I kiss your feet, dear Jesus,
I press my lips to them, because despite my many sins,
despite the burden of guilt upon me,
despite my lack of judgement,
I know that I have nothing to fear from you.
I embrace your feet, Lord Jesus;
I anoint them with the oil of my repentance.
And as I crouch at your feet,
I know that I am safe,
because you despise no one, reject no one, repel no one,
welcome everyone, admit everyone.

I Sometimes Wander

Lord, I sometimes wander away from you.
But this is not because I am deliberately turning my back on you.
It is because of the inconstancy of my mind.
I weaken in my intention to give my whole soul to you.
I fall back into thinking of myself as my own master.

But when I wander from you,
my life becomes a burden,
and within me I find nothing but darkness and wretchedness, fear and anxiety.
So I come back to you,
and confess that I have sinned against you.
And I know that you will forgive me.

Silver Scrolls Courtesy of:

Hasten To Me

Dear Jesus, hasten to me.
Release me from my sins.
Free my arms from the chains of evil, that I may embrace you.
Lift the scales of ignorance from my eyes, that I may see you.
Why do you delay?
What are you waiting for?
You are my God and my Lord,
you are my refuge and my strength,
you are my glory and my hope.
In you I put my trust.
Dear Christ, hasten to me.