October 6
St Bruno
Tuesday, week 27 in Ordinary Time — Year II
St Bruno, priest and founder of the Carthusian Order, is remembered today for his profound commitment to a life of solitude, prayer, and silence. Born in Cologne in the 11th century, Bruno became a celebrated teacher at the cathedral school at Reims but was deeply drawn to a more contemplative life. Around 1084, with a few companions, he withdrew to the wilderness of Chartreuse in the French Alps, where the Carthusian way took shape—balancing hermit-like solitude with some communal worship. Unlike many other founders, Bruno did not leave behind a set of detailed rules, but his spiritual emphasis on simplicity, austerity, and total dedication to God has guided the Carthusians ever since.
Bruno was later called to serve as an advisor to Pope Urban II, but his longing for the contemplative life never waned. Eventually, he was permitted to retire to Calabria in southern Italy, where he established another hermitage and spent the rest of his days in prayer. St Bruno did not seek attention or recognition, and his humility is legendary; for this reason, the Carthusian Order is known for its quiet but constant witness within the Church. The Church holds up St Bruno as a model for those called to contemplation, reminding us of the value of silence, inner detachment, and constant prayer in seeking union with God.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingGa 1, 13-24
Brothers,
you have heard about
the way I used to behave in Judaism:
I persecuted the Church of God violently,
and I tried to destroy it.
I was advancing in Judaism
more than most of my people of my age,
and, more than others,
I was passionately zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
But God had set me apart from my mother’s womb;
in his grace, he called me;
and he was pleased
to reveal his Son in me,
so that I might preach him among the Gentiles.
At once, without consulting anyone,
without even going up to Jerusalem
to meet those who were apostles before me,
I went off to Arabia
and from there I returned to Damascus.
Then, three years later,
I went up to Jerusalem
to get to know Peter,
and I stayed with him fifteen days.
I did not see any of the other apostles,
except James, the brother of the Lord.
As I write this to you,
—I declare before God—
I am not lying.
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
But to the churches of Judea which are in Christ,
my face was still unknown;
they had only heard it said:
“The one who used to persecute us
is now preaching the faith
he once tried to destroy.”
And they gave glory to God because of me.
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 138 (139), 1-3, 13-14ab, 14cd-15
You search me, Lord, and you know me!
You know when I sit and when I rise;
from afar you understand my thoughts.
Whether I walk or rest, you see it all,
all my ways are familiar to you.
It is you who created my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I acknowledge before you the wonder
of the amazing being that I am.
Wondrous are your works—my soul knows it well.
My bones were not hidden from you
when I was fashioned in secret,
formed in the depths of the earth.
GospelLc 10, 38-42
At that time,
Jesus entered a village.
A woman named Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister called Mary
who, sitting at the Lord’s feet,
was listening to his word.
Meanwhile Martha was distracted
by the many tasks of serving.
She came forward and said:
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me to do the serving alone?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord replied to her:
“Martha, Martha,
you are anxious and troubled
about many things.
Only one thing is necessary.
Mary has chosen the better part,
it will not be taken from her.”
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org