Feb 10 William of Maleval d. 1157 beat. 1202

Thommy and John

Good morning
I love you

February 10 St. William of Maleval d. 1157 b. 1202

William of Maleval has a colorful history. Several histories actually [the one by Albert, his end of life companion is lost to us] so piecing together his story must have been fun for the historians….

He led a dissolute early life. A wild and crazy guy? Not only by commission but very likely by omission as well. What we do and don’t do today and before matters a lot – matters forever, actually. Matters in our identity and the development of who we are. Matters in our relationship with God, now and forever. Matters in our relationship with parents, siblings, extended family. Matters in our relationship with Church and community. Matters in our relationship with all the people in our lives not yet met or maybe not yet born – our spouse, our children, our grandchildren….

He led a marital life. No further comment did I find. Before or after or during the dissolute life part? What was that like? Children? Did she die before he re-turned to our faith? These are the questions that would help me/us better identify with, benefit from the part of his life that led our church to canonize him….

William of Maleval took a pilgrimage to Rome, right to the big cheese himself, Eugenius III (r. 1145-1153). William of Maleval musta been both a bit important to get the audience and must have led a really sinful life to feel that he needed to go to the pope to receive absolution. When we find ourselves aware of our sins and responding to God’s call of Love, we can go to our nearest priest and obtain the same sanctifying absolution. Going to confession regularly – for the longest time it was weekly for me, now it’s closer to monthly, except in this binge period of Lenten practices – helps us keep a lid on the sins because not only to we want to avoid the confessing part but also once in the rhythm of love and forgiveness, we rather stay on the love part of the cycle and thus avoid sin.

The pope sent William of Maleval on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem as his penance. A two year journey for the man. Must have been some list of sins…. What penance do we impose on ourselves not only for our sins but the sins of the world or for the souls in purgatory…?

Upon his return, William of Maleval lived as a hermit and became head of the monastery near Pisa. But he failed to bring about the reforms that were apparently needed, either there or the next monastery to which he went (Monte Bruno), so he took off to take care of himself, to live as a hermit again near Siena. It does behoove us to try to reform the monastery in which we find ourselves. If that becomes hopeless or if it becomes detrimental to our spirituality, it’s important to move on and try again. It is our responsibility to not only live our lives as Catholic but to encourage others to do so as well.

When William of Maleval settled in as a hermit and lived his life of prayer and austerity, others began to gather around him. Two ways to go about making the way of the Lord, to living God’s will, to fulfilling our vocations – to join in with others and bring self and them to God in that place or to live our Catholic life and let others come to us. Often/usually, it seems to me, both happen on and off over time sometimes simultaneously….

This group of hermits with William of Maleval received papal sanction as an order unto themselves – The Hermits of St William [go figure, an imaginative name]; until they were absorbed by the Augustinians.

In his later years, William of Maleval was known for his gifts of prophecy and miracles. I wonder how much of that comes with the freedom of old age, of a sense of ‘what can you do to me now?’ if I tell you how we’re suppose to live our lives and that you’re not?

I love you
dad