(A.D. 1189.)
[Roman, Anglican, Belgian, Benedictine, and Cistercian
Martyrologies. Authority:--his life, by a contemporary, published by
Bollandus.]
This S. Gilbert, of whom Henricus Chrysostomus, a Cistercian
chronicler, speaks as "a disciple of Bernard the mellifluous, a man of
apostolical zeal, of most severe and rigid life, in purity
conspicuous, illustrious for his gift of prophecy, and the mirific
performer of stupendous miracles," was born about the year A.D. 1083,
near the close of the reign of William the Conqueror. From an
apparently contemporary pedigree he seems to have been related on the
mother's side to that monarch, who may have rewarded the services of
his father, "a bold and skilful warrior," with the hand of one of his
relations, in addition to the manor of Sempringham, where Gilbert
first saw the light. His mother is said to have received, shortly
before his birth, a miraculous presage of the future greatness of her
child, a greatness, however, of which few external tokens would seem
to have manifested themselves during his childhood; since one of his
biographers relates that as a child he was so dull and spiritless as
to provoke the contempt and ill-usage of even the servants of his
father's household. Driven by this maltreatment from his home and
country, or more probably sent from home by the care of his parents,
who discerned in him a greater aptitude for the cloister than for the
camp, he passed some years in Gaul in the peaceful study of letters
and philosophy. His childish education completed, he returned to
England, and took up his abode with one of his father's dependents.
Here he fell in love with the daughter of his host, and gave the first
proof of his vocation to the counsels of perfection; for finding his
passion increase daily in strength, and fearing lest he should be
overcome by it, he fortified his soul by prayer and fasting; and then
seeking the company of his beloved, he so wrought upon her by his
exhortations and entreaties, that he prevailed upon her to join him in
a vow of perpetual chastity, and she was one of the first who
afterwards became nuns under his rule.
He now took to keeping a school, and gathered together a number of
children of both sexes, to be instructed in the rudiments of religion,
and especially taught them to live an orderly and pious life in the
world, without as yet leading them forward to the higher life of the
cloister; and these afterwards became the nucleus (primitiæ plantæ) of
his order.
During this time he seems to have lived in the family of the then
Bishop of Lincoln, and to have been admitted by him to the minor
orders of the ministry; for the next thing related of him is that
being presented by his father to the united benefices of Sempringham
and Torrington he most willingly accepted the charge, and devoted the
whole revenue of his livings to charitable purposes. Such was the
fervour of his devotion at this time, that it is related that having
one day invited one of his companions to join him in his prayers, the
youth was so fatigued by the length of the office, and the punctilious
care with which Gilbert genuflected whenever the holy names of God and
of Christ occurred, that he swore he would never pray with him again.
After a while he was ordained priest by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln,
who held him in such high esteem that he made him his confessor, and
would have appointed him Archdeacon; but this Gilbert resolutely
declined saying, "that he knew not of a shorter road to perdition."
Persevering in his resolve to give his all to the poor, he now for the
first time formally constituted his religious order, by assembling a
number of poor girls, amongst them the object of his youthful
attachment, whom he made cloistered nuns at Sempringham, and
maintained them at his own cost. He next founded a monastery for male
religious, to whom he entrusted all the more responsible affairs of
the order, providing both nuns and monks with a habit "expressive of
humility."
To this time of his life we must probably refer his miraculous escape
from death by fire. The story is that a great fire having broken out
either in his own house, or in the buildings immediately contiguous,
Gilbert remained sitting abstractedly in his window seat, praying and
singing psalms; the fire devoured all before it until it reached the
spot in which he sat; there its progress was arrested, and the flames
died away on every side, leaving the saint and his seat unharmed.
His order continued to expand, many religious flocked to him, and
gifts of manors and farms pouring in from all quarters, many
monasteries arose under his rule.
The charge of his Order now became so onerous that he is said to have
attended the general chapter of the order at Citeaux, in the year
1140, for the purpose of formally resigning his authority. To this,
however, his brother abbots refused their consent, and Gilbert
returned to his labours, which he was to relinquish only with his life.
A peculiar interest attaches to this chapter, from the circumstance
related by the same writer,[19] who tells us of Gilbert's presence
there, that the Pope Eugenius[20] was present and took part in the
proceedings, "not, however, presiding as with apostolical authority,
but in brotherly love taking his seat among the assembled abbots, as
one of themselves."
Returned to Sempringham, Gilbert resumed his life of prayer and
mortification, observing the fasts of the Church with such rigidity
that from Septuagesima to Easter, and throughout Advent, he not only
abstained from flesh-meat, but even a morsel of fish never passed his
lips. He practised also great austerity with regard to sleep, hardly
allowing himself to lie down for months together.
His unwearied devotion and severe asceticism so forwarded his growth
in grace that his influence over the religious under his authority
became almost unbounded; with such prudence and persuasiveness was he
endued, that he allayed without difficulty a serious disturbance which
arose in the order from a spirit of insubordination that had crept in
among the lay brethren. Overcome by his skilful reasonings and loving
exhortations, the greater number returned to their obedience,
"whereas," the chronicler adds, "those who held out and refused to do
so, all perished miserably." His holiness and his acceptance with God
were also attested by many miracles and wonders. Being at one time
afflicted with a very severe fever, a friend came to condole with him;
the saint enquired whether he had ever experienced the sensations of a
fever; finding that he had not, Gilbert asked him whether he would be
willing to take the fever from which he himself was suffering, if he
might be thereby cured. The friend assented, and returning home, was
the next morning seized with the fever, whereas the saint arose
entirely free from it. Another time, a man suffering from gout was
cured by simply wearing Gilbert's list slippers; and another man, sick
of a fever, was healed by drinking out of his cup.
Overcome at length by the infirmities of advancing age, he resigned
the charge of Sempringham to one of his disciples, Roger by name; but
he seems still to have retained his authority, as it is mentioned that
some time after this, he gave shelter to S. Thomas à Becket in one of
his houses when that prelate, worsted in his contest with Henry II.,
was wandering about the kingdom in search of means to escape to the
continent. He also supplied the archbishop with money during his
exile, thereby drawing upon himself the displeasure of Henry, who,
however,--such was Gilbert's popularity in the kingdom,--found it
expedient to refrain from any proceedings against him.
At last, in the year 1189, and the 106th of Gilbert's age, his death
drew near, and the man of God, full of years, and not less full of
grace, prepared to render up his account with joy. He announced to his
disciples his approaching departure, and on the evening of Christmas
Day he was fortified with the last sacraments of the Church. The
remaining time which God vouchsafed him on earth he devoted to the
edification of others, and during this time many prelates, and men of
various degrees, resorted to him in order to be consoled by his
blessing, and instructed by his discourse. The night before the day on
which he died "an immense globe of fire, and an appearance as of many
candles" were seen to hover in the air over the church of Sempringham,
in which his tomb was prepared. Three times the appearance descended
from above, rising again twice towards heaven; the third time it
penetrated the roof of the church, and descended to the floor. Then
the brethren and the nuns knew that the time was at hand when their
abbot must indeed leave them.
And so, on the next day, the 3rd of February, he departed this life,
amid the sighs and lamentations of all, leaving behind him of
religious men about 700, and of sisters in religion 1500; all serving
God night and day without ceasing.
He was interred within the church at Sempringham, his tomb being
placed between the two choirs, the monks on the one side, and the nuns
at the other, so that the religious might offer their prayers at his
sepulchre, and continually bearing in mind his holy life and happy
death, might both be incited to diligence in prayer and good works,
and also might profit by his intercessions for them.
Not long after his death, a certain canon of that order saw in a
vision a brother not long since deceased, who, among other things,
told him of S. Gilbert: "he is not amongst us, a different place
possesses him; for from that place to which he departed (from the
world) he has been translated to the choir of the virgins."
[Illustration: S. GILBERT,
Prior of Sempringham. From a Drawing by A. Welby Pugin. Feb. 4.]
The veneration in which he was held may be seen in the eulogium of
William of Newbury:--
"Nor must we in silence pass over the venerable Gilbert, a man
altogether admirable, and of singular skill in the guardianship of
women; from whom also the order of Sempringham took its beginning, and
its rapid advancement. He, as it is said, from his very youth, by no
means contented with being in the way of salvation himself, but
kindled with a zeal for gaining souls for Christ, began eagerly to
rival the weaker sex in the imitating of God, deriving his pious
boldness from the consciousness of his own chastity, and his
confidence in heavenly grace.
"Yet, fearing lest he should fail in his enterprise, he first sought
the advice of the holy Bernard, and being instructed and encouraged by
him, he commenced his work, and proceeding with great prudence and
caution, he was mightily carried forward, both in the abundant
multitude of persons gathered together for the service of Almighty
God, and in the acquisition of temporal things; 'seeking first,' as it
is written, 'the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all necessary
things were added to him.'
"At last he organized a not ignoble monastery of two servants and
eight handmaids of God, which also he replenished with numerous
societies, and, according to the wisdom given him, furnished it with
regular rules. And truly the gift of instructing the servants of God,
divinely imparted to him, abounded especially in the care of women;
indeed, in my judgment, he bears the palm in this respect amongst all
whom we know to have devoted themselves to the instruction of female
religious; moreover, having some years before been loaded with
spiritual gains, the worn-out bridesman of the heavenly Bridegroom now
departed to the Lord. Further, the multitude of his sons and daughters
in religion still remains, and his seed is mighty upon earth, and his
generation shall be blessed for ever."
The Order was peculiarly constituted, the men being Augustinian
Canons, and the women following the rule of S. Benedict.