Peter Orseolo - Leader of Men

After following a theme for some time, I realised that a number of "one-offs" were very deserving of a mention in this blog. And where better to start than Peter Orseolo (928-927) - a role model for masculine Christianity.

His life reads rather like an novel. Adventure, intrigue, unusual twists in the plot, it's all there. He was a nobleman from Venice and even as a youth had a reputation for strength. So, when Venice needed a commander to lead a fleet against the pirates who terrorised the Adriatic, they chose Orseolo - aged only 20. And he won, sweeping the marauders from Venetian shores.

In 976 there were riots in Venice. The Doge (the chief magistrate and ruler of Venice) was murdered and a large part of the city was destroyed by fire. A strong and competent leader was needed, so whom did they choose? Peter Orseolo was made the new Doge and set about the huge task of reconstruction.

He showed himself a remarkable statesman and one of the greatest rulers of Venice. He made peace between enemies. He built hospitals and set up social programs to care for widows, orphans and pilgrims. He began rebuilding St Mark's Cathedral, icon of the city.

Then, in September 978, at the height of his powers, he disappeared! Not even his wife and son knew where he was. An extensive search finally traced him to a Benedictine monastery on the border of France and Spain. Had he felt crushed by responsibilities? Perhaps, but he revealed later that God had been troubling his heart for 10 years aver the call to renounce everything to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Orseolo cut himself off from all his past life and achievements and put himself under the guidance of the abbot of Cuxa, dedicating himself to prayer. But the lion did not altogether become a lamb! He brought to the monastery his fighting spirit, attracting spiritual brothers and sons by his steely determination and innate leadership charisma.

The Essence of a Soul Friend": Spiritual Depth

The final thread running through the Celtic missionaries' understanding of the "soul friend" is, broadly, spirituality. They understood that, however essential and fulfilling a deep human bond might be, it could not take the place of a friendship with God. Indeed, such relationships flowed directly from such a love-bond with God.

They saw God as the true friend, the pattern of all friendship, the centre of a wheel in which all human soul-friendships are vital spokes. One example illustrates this well.

When his mentor and bishop died, Finbar (also written Finbarr or Findbar) felt bereft, so he went to see his friend Eolang. Eolang had been praying and had received a word from God for Finbar. He knelt before him and said: "I offer you my church and my soul." Finbar wept and would have none of it, but Eolang persisted. "Let it be so, for this is the will of God. You are dear to Him and you are greater than I. Only grant me this, that we may live and die in the same place."

Here it is clear that the heavenly dimension enriched the human beyond what it could have achieved itself.

The Celtic anamcharas (soul friends) appreciated that solitude and companionship had to be kept in a creative balance. Both were essential for what they called "soul-making": the lifelong process of making peace with God, with oneself, with others, and with all of creation. Soul friends are committed to helping one another make this journey successfully.

The need for such committed love has perhaps never been greater than in the post-Christian West. May these examples stir hunger and faith for a new movement of faith and application in the areas of soul-friendship listed in these posts, for the good of all our souls!

The Essence of a "Soul Friend": Mutuality

Another key aspect of heart-friendship, as conceived by the early Celtic missionaries, was mutuality. This shows itself in two principal ways.

First, the sharing of common values. The Celtic fathers and mothers, even a century apart, had a common vision of reality. They also seem on occasions to have received common intuitions - especially when it came to sensing the potential of future leaders. When Ciaran went to the island of Aran to visit his friend Enda, they both saw the same spiritual vision of a fruitful tree growing by a stream in the centre of Ireland, protecting the whole land. They both interpreted it the same way, too: that Ciaran would become that great tree and should found his monastery in the very centre of Ireland.

What shines clearly from the written lives of the Celtic saints is the profound respect which they showed for each other's wisdom and guidance - despite age or gender differences. They genuinely saw each brother or sister as a potential source of many blessings from God. The biographies often convey this symbolically, through the gesture of giving gifts. Although they lived poor, special gifts conveyed profound respect and mutuality: a ring, a bell, a hand-made wooden box, or maybe a horse.

In our day, where western society carries almost toxic levels of suspicion where any heart-closeness is concerned - especially same-gender and cross-generational, these examples are a poignant reminder of what has gone missing. Who will be courageous and humble enough to pioneer such mutuality today?