Archbishop joins in celebrations for St Aelred at Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx (Photo by Tony Bartholomew)

Guided by the TV historian Julian Humphreys, the Archbishop walked between the two heritage sites and was joined by more than 100 people. The walk was part of the celebrations to mark the 900th birthday of St Aelred who founded the abbey at Rievaulx.

At the end of the walk, the Archbishop spoke to Julia Booth for Radio York about the atmosphere at Rievaulx saying:

"You almost feel as if the monks never left here.  It's an amazing place!

Archbishop at Rievaulx (Photo by Tony Bartholomew)

"Aelred believed that the love of God is with us all the time and that's the kind of message we desperately need to hear today because if you come from a community where love is being practised and experienced then there is a chance you can build a much bigger community."

Later, in his address, the Archbishop reflected on the relevance of St Aelred's teaching in the 21st century:

"St Aelred's teaching of how we should love one another has much to speak to our fractured world today. For we live in a society in which communities have become much weaker. In many cases, people either do not know or trust their neighbours. We have become fearful of the safety of our children. Many older people live alone, often unable to get out or live in residential homes with little stimulation of friendship.

"St Aelred's faith, rooted so deeply on St John's teaching reminds us that we are given the grace and ability to love one another because God first loved us. He also passionately believed the corollary of this which is, "If anyone says, 'I love God' yet hates their brother or sister, they are liars. For anyone who does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

"There is a desperate need in our world today to create this sense that we belong to one another, that we are responsible for each other, and that we should care for one another."

The Archbishop challenged those present saying:

"St Aelred shows us just how we can do this. Our heart," he said, "is like 'a spiritual Noah's Ark' made of imperishable wood or virtues and good deeds. In the ark of our hearts, we should gather and care for all those who are in any kind of need, particularly those likely to drown in the chaos of their lives.

"Now, it would be wonderful if each one of us could take that image away from today and make it a reality in our lives. Imagine if our hearts could be a spiritual Noah's Ark for all those who are unloved, frightened, lost and in need in our world today. We should include our enemies in our ark. It may change their hearts as indeed it will change ours.

"My challenge to us all today is to do just that. In our prayers which follow, ask God to help you to identify those He is calling you to put in your Noah's Ark at this time."