St Stephen Harding: Didn't Give Up

Today in the book In Caelo et in Terra, we read about St Stephen Harding. He was born in England and became a monk at an early age. Then he left for unknown reasons, and then became a monk again in France. He left with a few others to form a more austere and rigorous order, and many others joined him. But the order was too tough for most of them and they all left. 

St Stephen Harding didn't give up, though. He continued with his order until, seemingly (and perhaps) miraculously, St Bernard of Clairvaux joined them. After that, many more joined and the order flourished. Stephen wrote a really great constitution for the order called the Charter of Love. You can read more about him here.

It would have been easier for St Stephen Harding to not become a monk at all. Once he became a monk, it would have been easier for him to remain with the softer, gentler rule of the order in which he started. But he left to start a harder order. Once he did, it would have been easier for him to quit when so many of his fellow monks left. 

But he toughed it out. And he was rewarded by one of the greatest mystics of church history joining him. In your life, you'll be tempted to do the easy thing time after time. But if we stick with it, we will ultimately be rewarded.

God, thanks for the example of this tough saint. St Stephen Harding, pray for us.