† இன்றைய புனிதர் †
(ஜூன் 25)
✠ புனிதர் வில்லியம் ✠
(St. William of Montevergine)
நிறுவனர்/ மடாதிபதி:
(Founder/ Abbot)
பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 1085
வெர்சில்லி, இத்தாலி
(Vercelli, Italy)
இறப்பு: ஜூன் 25, 1142
சேன் ஆன்ஜெலோ டே லொம்பார்டி, இத்தாலி
(Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Italy)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஜூன் 25
பாதுகாவல்: இர்பினியா (Irpinia)
புனிதர் வில்லியம், ஒரு கத்தோலிக்க துறவியும் (Catholic Hermit), “மோன்ட்டே வெர்ஜின்” அல்லது “வில்லியமைட்ஸ்” (Congregation of Monte Vergine, or "Williamites") எனும் துறவற சபையைத் தோற்றுவித்தவரும் ஆவார்.
வடமேற்கு இத்தாலியின் (Northwest Italy) “வெர்செல்லி” (Vercelli) பிராந்தியத்தில் கி.பி. 1085ம் ஆண்டு பிறந்த வில்லியம், தமது பெற்றோரின் மரணத்தின் பின்னர் உறவினர் ஒருவரால் வளர்க்கப்பட்டார். இவர், ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டின் வடமேற்கு பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள “சந்தியாகு டி கம்போஸ்டலா” (Santiago de Compostela) எனுமிடத்திலுள்ள “செபதேயுவின் மகனான புனித யாக்கோபு” (St. James, son of Zebedee) திருத்தலத்திற்கு திருயாத்திரை சென்றார். போகுமுன்னர், கொல்லர் பணி புரியும் ஒருவரிடம், தமது உடலைச் சுற்றி இருக்குமாறு ஒரு இரும்பு வளையம் செய்து தரச் சொன்னார். அந்த இரும்பு வளையத்தை தமது உடலைச் சுற்றி அணிந்தபடியே அவர் திருயாத்திரை சென்று வந்தார்.
சொந்த ஊருக்கு திரும்பி வந்ததும், எருசலேம் (Jerusalem) செல்ல தீர்மானித்தார். பின்னர் அங்கிருந்து கிளம்பி, வழியில் தென் இத்தாலி (South Italy) வந்தடைந்தார். அங்கே, கொள்ளைக்காரர்கள் அவரை அடித்து உதைத்து அவரிடமிருந்த பொருட்களை கொள்ளையடித்துச் சென்றனர். இதுவே இறைவனின் சித்தம் என்றுணர்ந்த வில்லியம், தென் இத்தாலியிலேயே தங்கி கிறிஸ்துவின் நற்செய்தி பரப்ப தொடங்கினார். இதன் காரணமாக, எருசலேம் செல்வதில்லை எனவும் தென் இத்தாலியின் “நோலா” (Nola) மற்றும் “பெனேவென்ட்டோ” (Benevento) ஆகிய பிராந்தியங்களின் இடையிலுள்ள பகுதியில் ஒரு துறவியாக தங்கினார். இங்கே அவர் எண்ணற்ற சீடர்களை ஈர்த்தார். அத்துடன், “மோன்ட்டேவெர்ஜின்” (Monastery of Montevergine) எனும் துறவு மடத்தினை நிறுவினார்.
“மோன்ட்டேவெர்ஜின்” துறவு மடத்தில் வில்லியம் அற்புதங்கள் செய்ய தொடங்கியதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. “சிசிலி” (Sicily) தீவில் ஆண்களுக்கும் பெண்களுக்குமாக எண்ணற்ற துறவு மடங்களை நிறுவிய சிசிலியின் அரசனான “இரண்டாம் ரோகர்” (Roger II of Sicily) வில்லியமின் பாதுகாவலராக இருந்தார். “கத்தோலிக்க கலைக் களஞ்சியத்தின்” (The Catholic Encyclopedia) கூற்றின்படி, வில்லியமை தமது அருகிலேயே வைத்திருக்கும் நோக்கத்தில், “சலேர்னோ” (Salerno) நகரிலுள்ள தமது அரண்மனையின் எதிரிலேயே ஒரு துறவு மடம் கட்டினார்.
தம்மைப் பின்பற்றி துறவு மடத்திற்கு வரும் விசுவாசிகளின் எண்ணிக்கை நாளுக்கு நாள் அதிகரித்துக்கொண்டே போனது. துறவு மடத்தில் துறவியரின் கடின வாழ்க்கை முறையை பொறுத்துக்கொள்ள இயலாத உடனிருப்பவர்களால் பூசல்களும் அதிகரித்தன. அதனால் கி.பி. 1128ம் ஆண்டு, “மோன்ட்டேவெர்ஜின்” துறவு மடத்தை விட்டு வெளியேறிய வில்லியம், “கம்பானியா” (Campania) மற்றும் “பஸிலிகட்டா” (Basilicata) ஆகிய பிராந்தியங்களின் இடையேயுள்ள “கொலேட்டோ” (Goleto) என்னுமிடத்தின் சமவெளிகளில் தங்கினார். அங்கே, ஒரு இரட்டை துறவு மடத்தினை பெண்களைக் கொண்டே கட்டினார். தொடர்ந்து எண்ணற்ற துறவு மடங்களை கட்டிய வில்லியம், கி.பி. 1142ம் ஆண்டு, ஜூன் மாதம், 25ம் தேதியன்று, “கொலேட்டோ” (Goleto) என்னுமிடத்தில் மரித்தார்.
† Saint of the Day †
(June 25)
✠ St. William of Vercelli ✠
Founder/ Abbot:
Born: 1085 AD
Vercelli, Italy
Die: June 25, 1142
Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Italy
Venerated in: Roman Catholic Church
Feast: June 25
Patronage: Irpinia
William of Montevergine, or William of Vercelli, was a Catholic hermit and the founder of the Congregation of Monte Vergine, or "Williamites". He is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
Biographical selection:
St. William was born in 1085 at Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy of noble and wealthy parents. When he was still very young, he determined to renounce the world and become a hermit.
He built his first hermit’s hut on Monte Solicoli and then went to Monte Vergine. Many disciples came to him there, attracted by the sanctity of his life and many miracles he performed. Soon a community formed, of which he became the Abbot, and a church to Our Lady was built at the site. For this reason, the mountain became known as Monte Vergine [the Mount of the Virgin].
After a while, however, the monks began to complain that St. William’s rule was too strict and life too austere. He, therefore, decided to leave Monte Vergine. He went to Southern Italy and founded a new hermitage on Monte Latino, then others at Basilicata, Conza, Guglietto, and Salerno. He also became an adviser to King Roger I of Naples. St. William died at Guglietto on June 25, 1142.
The first congregation of Monte Vergine dissolved. The monastery, however, remained and came into the hands of the religious of Our Lady of Monte Cassino, who wear the white habit of St. William to remember the founder of the monastery.
The following extraordinary fact is recorded about the Monte Vergine monastery, where the monks still lead a life of penance and austerity. According to the rule, it is not permitted to eat meat, eggs, milk, or cheese. If someone tried to violate this regulation, storm clouds would appear in the sky and the lightning would destroy the illicit foodstuff that had been brought into the monastery.
Something similar was recorded at the Camaldula of St. Romualdo. If someone tried to bring food not permitted by the rule into the hermitage, it would quickly become corrupted and infested with worms.
This happened on many occasions, and always with the same result. It is the way God chose to show that He desires the traditions of penance and austerity of the great St. William, as well as St. Romualdo, to be maintained.
Comments:
This selection shows how beautiful the Middle Ages was and the admirable harmonic contrasts it had.
In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church stimulated intellectual work in an extraordinary way, but she also encouraged manual labor, which is its harmonic contrary, the apparent opposite of intellectual work. The Church stimulated the strong and intense active life of society, but harmonically she also stimulated some religious families to retire from the active life, move to solitary places, and live together praying and worshiping God. Further, she stimulated some souls to retire far from any human society and live completely alone. Doing this the Catholic Church maintained the eremitic vocation she gave birth to in the first centuries of her history.
There is a harmonic contrast in the teeming life of the medieval cities and the serenity of the meditative life of hermits, who think only on the things of God. These are just some examples of the many harmonic contraries of that blessed epoch, the fruit of the Catholic spirit.
This harmony that existed in the Middle Ages as a consequence of the evangelization of the Church was a very important factor to maintain the psychological balance of men. Without the sanctity of the Catholic Church, this harmony would not be possible. If she were not authentic, she would stimulate either the eremitic vocation or the active life of the cities too much. Since the Catholic Church is true and holy, she stimulates the harmonic contrasts perfectly and produces a superb equilibrium of soul, which is a characteristic fruit of the Holy Church.
You have the example of this harmony of the Middle Ages in the life of the holy Abbot, St. William. He was a noble, and as such destined for a life of battles and court, a life of government and activity. He left behind everything and went to a completely isolated place to glorify Our Lady. He chose a mountain, probably to avoid the inopportune visits of the curious. It was a cold and austere place, yet he began a life of penance. Then an admirable thing happened that often occurs in the History of the Church. When souls isolate themselves solely for the love of God, they attract others. Other hermits gathered around him and formed a community.
You can imagine the scene. Along the road at the foot of the mountain groups of knights pass traveling and talking, then students begin singing and laughing, some pilgrims start praying. At the top of the mountain, a large cross and a hermitage can be distinguished. One traveler asks another, “Who lives there?” The other answers, “It is William, the noble from Vercelli, who left everything for the love of God.”
How can this not be attractive? Who would not say – I want to stop and see William the noble. The news spreads. A man who needs help to resolve a problem goes to William, who prays for him and the problem is resolved. Soon everyone wants to go there to see him, pray and ask advice; some who go have the desire to stay. This explains the attraction he exerted and the disciples he made.
Then a tragic thing happened. He was the father of a religious family, but the disciples revolted against the rule he made. He became an inconvenience for them. He had to leave. He was virtually excluded from his own order. Those who had left everything to follow William now obliged William to leave them… So he started down the mountain, suffering but serene, praying. He set out on an unknown road and began to walk south, step by step, mile after mile.
He arrived in Naples. You can imagine St. William arriving at the famous bay, seeing the volcano Vesuvius smoking, walking through the beautiful, animated Naples, passing by the busy port, and seeing the prestigious palace of the King of Naples, one of the most powerful men of the Italian Peninsula. Naples was a center of culture and civilization with a brilliant court, a center of good taste. The selection doesn’t say how, but news of the presence of St. William reached the ears of the Monarch. He contacted St. William and his life changed. St. William became his counselor. With the same tranquility, he had as Abbot of Monte Vergine, and that he conserved as a pilgrim, he maintained as a counselor to a King. William became the Angel of the Kingdom of Naples.
After his death, the institution he founded disappeared, and the monastery was given to the Benedictines of Monte Cassino. As you know, the Benedictines wear black habits. The Benedictine monks of Monte Vergine honored St. William by wearing the white habit of the order he founded. It is a beautiful manifestation of love for tradition and a prayer that the order of St. William be restored.
We also have a manifestation of God’s protection for the monastery and His approval of its rigorous rule. He destroyed by lightning the foodstuff that was not permitted by the rule. But there is something more to consider. If God was so severe in destroying a piece of cheese brought in against the rule, with how much greater reason would He punish the liberal monks who were trying to relax the rule. And if those monks were not punished during their lifetimes, they should fear the chastisement after death.
We can retain three pictures of St. William’s life: First, the hermit praying alone on the mountain, attracting disciples, and building his monastery; second, the abbot being virtually excluded from his own order and monastery; third, the saint as a counselor of the King of Naples.
In each of these facets of his life, there is something we can ask from him. We can ask him to grant us his spirit of recollection that gave such great fruit; his extraordinary confidence in Divine Providence even when he was excluded from the order he founded; his wisdom and humility when he became the adviser to a King.
~ Late Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
