Biography of st aelred mirror

[ Written by James Kiefer. ]

Aelred was born in 1109 at Durham, and was sent to the Scottish court for an education that would ensure his future as a noble and courtier.

He succeded, to the extent of being made Master of the Household of the King of Scotland. Nevertheless, he found success at the court of an earthly king unsatisfying, and at the age of 24 he entered the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx in Yorkshire.

Biography of st aelred mirror

Bernard of Clairvaux encouraged him to write his first work, The Mirror of Charity, which deals with seeking to follow the example of Christ in all things. In 1147 he became abbot of Rievaulx, a post which he held until his death of kidney disease twenty years later at the age of 57.

His most famous work is called Spiritual Friendship (both it and the Mirror have been published in English by the Cistercian Press).

When Jesus was told that his family was waiting to see him, he replied, "All who do the will of my Father are my family." From this, some Chris