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The History of St. Norbert
by J.C. Kirkfleet, O. Praem.; 1916, B. Herder, London
De grege dum Saevus tenerum Lupus abstulit agnum, Raptor cum praeda, Te revocante, redit.
Diseases fled thy touch; the famished came
And all were soothed by thee in Jesus' name.
More wondrous still, a wolf thou didst compel
To guard the trembling sheep . . .
Having completed the great work of establishing the new foundations, Norbert again returned to Premontre. It now pleased Divine Providence to confirm the work of the Saint by many miracles. Miracles indicate man's restoration to his primitive state and remind us of the power which he received in the very beginning over nature, which he was called upon to command, in the name of the Creator. On the testimony of the Apostle, this power may undoubtedly be regained by man: "For every nature of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of the rest, is tamed, and has been tamed by the nature of man." (St. James' Epist. III.-7.) When divine love is reborn in man's soul, he finds in that love all knowledge, all virtue, all power. The kingly scepter is, as it were, restored to him. Such was St. Norbert; the world obeyed him, and the spirits of this world trembled at his voice; the fallen angels themselves bore witness to his sanctity and greatly feared him. Contemporary writers relate numerous incidents which attest this supreme authority. We cannot here relate them all, but will limit ourselves to a few. While they may, perhaps, provoke a smile from the incredulous, they will at the same time manifest to many others Norbert's nearness to God.
We have seen how Satan endeavored from the very beginning to destroy the work which Norbert had so happily begun, and now he continued his attacks upon Premontre, striving to frighten and discourage the religious. Thus we read that their sleep was almost nightly disturbed by violent shaking oŁ the walls of the monastery or by forms of the most hideous creatures.
One night Norbert was absorbed in prayer in the little chapel of St. John, which chapel the reader no doubt remembers. A new temple had long since been erected, but the Saint experienced greater devotion in the poor little chapel, on account of the great things which had taken place within its walls. The night was far advanced when Norbert arose from prayer in order to give a short rest to his fatigued body. Suddenly he saw before him an ugly bear, his claws outstretched and his mouth wide open as if on the point of devouring him. For a moment the Saint seemed overcome by fright. He recalled the fact that he had locked the door of the chapel and had not heard the least noise. Realizing that it must be Satan, he offered a short but fervent prayer and made the sign of the Cross, saying: "What do you want, you cruel beast, Depart from here, I command you, in the name of Jesus Christ. You know that you can do no harm without the permission of God, and then to those only who, by their sins, are in your power." At these words of faith and authority the devil at once disappeared.!
Immanem Daemon fingit dum Callidus ursum.
Cogitur imbellem mox celerare fugam.
Norbert had power also over dumb animals, a phenomenon which we observe in the lives of so many saints. It is related that a young shepherd who used to watch the flock of the monastery, asked one day what he should do in case a wolf came to attack his sheep, since he had no dog. He was told simply to defend the sheep in the name of Norbert. The boy remembered this advice, and when some time later a wolf came and carried off one of the sheep, the boy shouted after him: "Thief ! This is the flock of Master Norbert. I command you in his name to give up your prey." And in effect the wolf let loose the captive sheep. (Vita B. Ch.: XXIX.)
The valley of Premontre resembled in very truth the earthly Paradise, wherein these fervent religious led innocent lives, and apparently they also had regained command even over dumb animals. Thus one day a young Brother was sent out to find the cattle that belonged to the monastery. As he was leaving the house, behold, a wolf appeared, and stepping to his side, not only accompanied the Brother, but was even of service to him in bringing the cattle together. Having returned to the monastery, and the cattle being safe in the stable, the Brother locked the doors and went away. The wolf did not seem greatly pleased with these proceedings. When the Brother left, the wolf began making a great noise, scratching all the while the stable-door. St. Norbert heard the noise and said to one of the Brothers: "Why do you not open the door for this traveler who asks our hospitality?" The Brother answered: "Father Norbert, this is no traveler but a wolf who wants to go into the stable." The Saint replied: "There must be some reason for this; tell me what happened to-day with the cattle." The young religious who had brought the cattle in was called to appear before Norbert and made to tell his experience. When he had told all, the Saint said: "See, that I am right. This wolf wants his wages. Give him something to eat." And, adds the early biographer, after this event, the same wolf was often seen accompanying the young Brother. [B-11-2]
Until the time of the seventeenth century, there was a tree kept in great veneration by the people, and called "The Tree of St. Norbert." According to popular tradition, the Saint himself had planted this tree. During five hundred years its foliage was always green summer and winter. [B-11-3]
There is also found along the road between Anisy and Premontre a spring of clear water, called until this day "The Well of St. Norbert." A supernatural power is still attributed to the water of this well, by the inhabitants of the surrounding country. [B-11-4]
However strange and miraculous the above occurrences seem to be, they are not more marvelous than the wonderful growth of the Order at this time. Premontre, at the time of its foundation, may truly be compared to the grain, spoken of in the Gospel. Nothing, in fact, could have been weaker, humbler, more abject than this heavenly seed when it was first put into the field of the Church, but the principle of life was within it. Norbert's preaching and the exemplary lives of himself and his followers exercised an irresistible influence. Priests as well as illustrious laymen attached themselves to Norbert and flocked to his foundations. And well may we apply to Norbert's Order the words written by a biographer of St. Bernard: "How many learned men, how many orators, how many nobles and great ones of the earth, how many philosophers have passed from the schools or the academies of the world to the valley of Premontre, to give themselves up to the meditation of heavenly things and the practice of a divine morality. "
Premontre had become at this time a "training-station," we might say, where hundreds came to enlist in God's army. Here they were practiced in religious discipline, and from here they were also sent out to different posts, the new foundations. Of the numerous foundations made at this time we shall speak presently, but first we shall accompany Norbert on a journey to Ratisbon.
The Saint's stay at Premontre was not to be of long duration, for he soon found himself obliged to leave his dear valley in order to fulfill his promise to Theobald, Count of Champagne. The Count, as the reader remembers, never did anything of importance without the advice and direction of Norbert, and was now reminding him of his promise to find him a worthy spouse. When Theobald had offered himself to the Order, and Norbert had refused to accept him, for he knew that it was not the will of God that the Count should be received into the Order, he said that he would never marry anyone except the person designated by Norbert. (See above) Thus the object of Norbert's present journey was to negotiate for a marriage between Theobald and Mathilda, daughter of the Marquess of Crayburg and niece to the Bishop of Ratisbon. [B-11-5]
Norbert left Premontre towards the end of the year 1125 in the company of one of his disciples with whom he usually traveled, Blessed Evermode. He was accompanied also by two deputies of Count Theobald. Says Hugo:
"Nevertheless, his equipage had nothing of the worldly magnificence of an ambassador, for his humility caused him to observe the strictest rules of holy poverty. Clothed in an old white cassock, over which was thrown a large cloak, and riding on a donkey, he went through Champagne, Lorraine, Alsace and Wurtemberg in such a state of spiritual recollection that nothing distracted him. He spent his time in prayer, meditation and pious conversation with his companions. [B-11-6]
Arrived in Ratisbon, he at once went to the Bishop's palace. The Bishop at that time was Hartwic, whom Norbert had learned to know at the court of Henry V. It happened that on the day of Norbert's arrival at the Bishop's house, there was with the Bishop his brother, the powerful Count Engelbert, who had several grownup unmarried daughters. One of these was Mathilda, whom the Saint had selected for the Count of Champagne. When the Saint had explained the object of his journey, both the Bishop and his brother most willingly gave their approval to the projected union, which would be as glorious to Mathilda as it was agreeable to Theobald. So Norbert dismissed the two deputies who had accompanied him and sent them back to Champagne to inform the Count of the result of his mission. [B-11-7]
He himself remained at Ratisbon, and for some time was the guest of the Bishop. Naturally, a soul so inflamed with zeal for missionary work as was the soul of Norbert, could not remain idle in a diocese where the spiritual wants were so great as were those of Ratisbon. Consequently, full of the spirit of God and of love for his neighbor, Norbert gladly acceded to the wishes of the Bishop, and began preaching in the neighboring towns and villages. The good results of his missionary work were at once apparent. He succeeded in bringing back a large number of sinners to the performance of their Christian duties, restored, as was his wont, peace between enemies, and in a very short time caused a genuine revival of the Catholic faith and its practices in that neighborhood. A great lord by the name of Albert, Count of Pogen, was so deeply touched by Norbert's preaching, and especially by his edifying life, that he not only resolved to change his course of life but even changed his castle of Vindeburg into an abbey of Norbert's Order, which abbey existed until the middle of the fifteenth century. [B-11-8]
From the diocese of Ratisbon Norbert went over to the diocese of Augsburg, where among a large number of conversions, the most notable one was that of Verner, Count of Swabeck. To show his great esteem for the man of God, this count founded the abbey of Ursperg in Swabia. This abbey became well known, especially on account of its ninth abbot, Conrad of Liechtenau, who wrote the "Lives of the Saints," in twelve volumes, and also the "Chronicles of Ursperg." [B-11-9]
It was also at this time, [B-11-9a] that two noblemen from Spain, who had heard of the Saint and met him, now came to Premontre and joined the Order. When these two disciples returned to Spain, fully imbued with the spirit of Norbert and his Institute, they there began propagating the Premonstratensian Order. Seventy years later, St. Dominic, the Founder of the Friar Preachers, will live in one of these foundations and freely borrow from the Premonstratensians whatever he finds suitable for his own Order, i. e., Rule, Habit, and to a great extent also the spirit of Norbert's followers. We therefore read in the Life of St. Dominic: "If we compare the plan of St. Dominic with that of St. Norbert, who had preceded the former by nearly a century. we shall find a very striking similarity between them.'' [B-11-10]
Norbert finally left Ratisbon about the middle of January, 1126, without having fully attained his object, that of seeing Count Theobald married. Circumstances prevented the immediate celebration, as we shall see in the following chapter. The Saint meanwhile will make a journey to the Holy City. However, before accompanying Norbert on this journey to Rome, we must here especially notice his great love for the poor, which at this time he so constantly manifested.
A long drought, followed by a terrible winter, (1125-1126) was causing untold suffering among the poorer classes, throughout the provinces, and St. Bernard as well as St. Norbert, at this particular time especially, did all in their power to relieve the sufferers. Both considered the wealth of the churches to be truly the patrimony of the poor, and so they helped them with a lavish hand in their hour of need. We read of St. Bernard that he had adopted as many as two thousand poor men, whom he marked with a particular sign, (accepit sub signaculo) pledging himself to support them as long as the famine lasted. [B-11-11] Of Hugh of Grenoble we read that he sold the precious vases of his church in order to relieve the suffering. Neither did the rising Premonstratensian Order fail in its mission in these dreadful days. Norbert himself gave the example by begging bread for his beloved poor, and in his sermons he urged the great precept of charity, while his disciples in the different abbeys, imbued with Norbert's spirit, gave away whatever they had. We read, for instance, that the brethren at Cappenberg were actually suffering want in consequence of their liberality towards the poor. At Premontre the same condition prevailed, and the Saint rejoiced exceedingly on finding this true spirit of self-denial among his brethren.
Observes the biographer of St. Bernard:
"Such was the noble use, made of those riches which the frugality of the religious and the piety of the faithful caused to abound in monasteries. Religion, which makes itself all things to all men, administered the public funds during the minority of nations; she gave back as interest what she secured as capital; she received the superfluity of the rich to satisfy the wants of the poor; and, thanks to the monastic institutions, the evil of mendicity was never, in the Middle Ages, what it has become in our times." [B-11-12]
The famine passed, charity for the poor of the different abbeys continued to such an extent, that Norbert, charitable as he was, found himself obliged to regulate the zeal of the brethren. For this reason he prescribed the following rules, which were binding at all times on all the brethren of each and every abbey. A copy of them is still to be seen in the Public Library at Laon:
"In the name of the blessed and undivided Trinity. Amen. Of all that the brethren possess or acquire, one-tenth part is to be given to the poor; it is God's tenth. If the income of the house amounts to ten silver solidi, eighteen poor people are to be clothed of the one-tenth: eight during the winter, ten during the summer, one on each great feast day. Thus during the winter, one shall be clothed on the feast of All Saints; one on Christmas; one on the day of the Circumcision; one on Epiphany; one on the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin; one on the day of the Annunciation; one on Holy Saturday and one on Easter. They shall receive new pieces of clothing, namely, a shirt, breeches, stockings, socks, shoes, a tunic, and a cloak with a cape, or with furs. The other ten poor shall be clothed in summer; one on the day of the Ascension; seven during the seven days of the week after Pentecost; one on the feast of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, and the tenth on the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. As clothing they shall receive a cape, a shirt, breeches, socks and shoes. From the day that he receives his clothing, the poor man must, if he does desire, be kept in the 'Xenodochium' for eight days and be given his meals. If after this distribution has been made, something remains of the 'Tenth' of God, this money will be used for strangers and guests. On Holy Thursday every priest and deacon, after washing the feet of the poor, will give them for the sake of charity and with the consent of the superior, one piece of his own clothing, as his cape, or his fur, or his tunic. After this charity and the meal which will follow, the poor will not remain for seven days, but shall leave our monastery in peace." [B-11-18]
As is quite clear from the above remarkable ordinance, St. Norbert considered the poor as much his children as his disciples, and as far as possible, wanted them to be on a footing of equality. Norbert's love for the poor is further proved by the fact that many a time, before he was able to build a suitable place for the brethren in a new foundation, he insisted on having a "Xenodochium," where his poor and sick could be properly cared for. Listen to the following maxims which Norbert never tired repeating to his disciples:
"To harbor poor people, and to share what we possess with them, is the source of abundant plenty."
"He who of his own free will has become poor for God's sake, ought never to complain when he is treated and clad like the poor."
"Having dwelt at Court and in the midst of wealth, I have learned by experience that there the heart is never satisfied, but that when far away from these, the heart is always at rest."
"Riches pass away, but holy poverty is a lasting good and a token of a happy eternity."
It was in this manner that Norbert by word and example enkindled in the hearts of his disciples so great a love for the poor that their generosity, many a time, exceeded their means. We read of the abbey of Cappenberg, that one day the brethren had absolutely no food in the house when the hour came for dinner. The Saint, who was there at the time, was notified of the fact, but undisturbed, he went to the refectory with the brethren and said the prayers as usual. When the brethren were seated, neighbors came, seemingly by chance, but rather led by Divine Providence, and brought food in abundance. "And," adds the biographer, "from that day forward the abbey was never in want, neither for the brethren nor for the poor. " [B-11-14]
Truly, it is only the living faith of the saints and their childlike confidence in God's Providence that could inspire them with this noble spirit of self-denial. To share with the poor, not of one's abundance, but of one's necessities, and to do so constantly for higher motives— here is the real virtue of charity. And according to the words of the Savior: "Whatsoever you have done to the least of My brethren, you have done to Me," great will be the reward of those who practice it.
<<start of Footnotes for Chapter B-11>>
[B-11-1]
Vita B, Ch. XLI.
[B-11-2]
Vita B, Ch. XXXIX. Cfr., also P. Alph. de Liguori. Pp. 186-191.
[B-11-3]
Cfr. Madelaine, op. cit., p. 283, who further quotes VanderSterre "Vita," p. 408. DeWhagenaere, p. 33. De arbore a S. P. Norberto plantata.
[B-11-4]
Cfr. VanderSterre, 1. c. Notes of de Hertoghe, p. 405.
[B-11-5]
According to d'Arblois II, p. 263, Theobald was married in the year 1123, because his wife's name is mentioned in a charter of that year. However, there are good reasons to consider this date incorrect as the Charter is but a third copy and d'Arblois observes: "On est souvent en droit de se mefier de la date des diplomes dont on n'a pas vu les originaux."
[B-11-6]
Cfr. Hugo, "La Vie de saint Norbert." Liv. III, p. 181.
[B-11-7]
Cfr. Rosenmund. "Les plus anclennes biographies de saint Norbert." Also "L'Histoire des Comtes de Champagne," par M. Arbois de Jubainville loc. Cit.
[B-11-8]
According to Madelaine, op. cit., p. 306, this abbey at one time possessed no less than three hundred manuscripts of great value, but at present these are nowhere to be found.
[B-11-9]
Ibidem. The "Lives of the Saints," written by Conrad, were consumed by fire, and his Chronicles were altered during the Protestant Reformation. Cfr. Hugo Ann. T. II. Ursperga.
[B-11-9a]
VandenElsen, op. cit., p. 173.
[B-11-10]
Cfr. "History of' St. Dominic," by Aug. Drane, p. 163.
[B-11-11]
Neander "Histoire de saint Bernard," p. 14.
[B-11-12]
Abbe Ratlebonne, op. cit., p. 111.
[B-11-13]
MSS. In the Library of Laon. "Res Praemonstratenses." T. I. Matricula Ord., p. 182. Eleemosynae Norbertinae, ex vetustissimo Eccl. Praem. cartulario., p. III. No. 108. In nomine Sanctae, etc. Cfr. Le Paige, p. 394.
[B-11-14]
Vita B, Appendix Cappenb. c. II.
