What happened at Citeaux? From its origins in Burgundy in 1098, the Cistercian Order grew rapidly throughout the European continent, bringing together some 750 abbeys and 1,000 monasteries, with communities of both monks and nuns.
It is not so much about Sts. Robert, Aberic and Stephen as it is the movement of the Spirit in the world. Our history as an Order is not a secular history. It was a movement that started from above, it was the Holy Spirit. They were not influencers as the world calls leaders today but they were moved by the Spirit.
Theirs was not a human endeavour. It was the movement of the Holy Spirit. Only in response to the Holy Spirit will such fruitfulness can come about. It was a desire for a deeper love, a life in community based on this love. Human beings are always on the move. History advances and brings us to new horizons and milieu that we as humans did not plan. It was a living thing. And it is so with the Spirit. It moves where it wills. Human beings are constantly moving in the inner spiritual dimension of their lives. When the movement stops death occurs. The individual exists but not living.
The founders were not in control of the unfolding life of the new monastery. As a matter of fact there were difficulties right at the beginning. They were ridiculed perhaps dismissed by the larger monastic communities as a novelty, a novice fervor that would die out. They have to fight for recognition as a legitimate monastic entity with their rights. Then there is the great disappointment of their own leader going back to the former monastery of Molesme. Their human frailty showed when in the early documents of the order they did not mention the name of Robert. It was a kind of a collective hurt and resentment, of being abandoned. Then came the drought of vocation until Bernard came. All these difficulties show that there is a hand behind this Cistercian movement. As all saints do they are obedient to the will of God even though at times it puts their faith to its limits. When our founders were willing to go on, to move on with the Spirit then things begin to happen. But as always when the spirit is replaced by establishment, not that the holy spirit no longer is part of it though however as, so to speak, a back up in the enterprise of governing an order then it begins to loose its favor and falls back again to find security in its own endeavours, ingenuity and leadership.
What sustains the life of an order? To go back to its origins. Ours is to hear the heartbeat of society through the aid of the spirit. We don’t own this monastery! When we do we are longer able to hear the heartbeat of our society and could no longer serve it – we have lost our effectiveness in the world. We may be still around for some time but it will be spent in a slow death. The new monastery that is Citeaux answered to needs of their time. It hit a timely chord. Men and women were longing for something deeper and profound and our founders unknowingly at the beginning provided something to fulfill the longings of the age. It is the task of our Order then to stay alive and be renewed to discern what the longings and desires of our age. If not we will turn in on ourselves and will not serve the world. Our vocations will be only to perpetuate ourselves and not serve the heartbeat of the world. We found a safe place in a confusing world and life. Citeaux was begun by the Holy Spirit and our founders responded well to the call. They planted the seed and the growth was God’s work. Do we have as much? Can we do as much?