St. Aelred – January 12th
St. Aelred was master of the household of King David of Scotland. He ardently desired to give himself entirely to God, but he dearly loved his many friends. It was very, very hard for him to leave them, yet in order to belong to God alone, at the age of twenty-four, Aelred entered a Cistercian monastery. There he grew fond of a very holy monk named Simon. One day, forgetting the rule of the monastery forbidding the monks to talk, Aelred spoke to Simon. In great surprise and sorrow, Simon gave him a look he never forgot. From then on, Aelred learned not to let his love for anyone come between him and Jesus.
Later Aelred was made an abbot. He wrote many books on spiritual things. In one of them, he said that we only learn to love God by sharing in His sufferings. Everyone loved St. Aelred because he was so kind and good. And in return he loved everyone for love of Jesus.
St. Aelred died at the age of fifty-seven after having served as abbot for twenty-two years.
We should choose our friends among those who love God and are close to Him. These good friends will help us always to do what is right.
