Godric: Some notes

Of Godric, his friends, and Reginald

Godric opens with his account of his struggles with lust or passions (Tune and Fairweather, the snakes). Even dunking himself in the River Wear is not enough to chill his passions. Yet over 100, Godric now misses the missing of the snakes.

Roger Mouse, a pirate, Godric’s third friend. Although appearing to be a great sinner, his great mirth pushed truely mortal sin out. Godrick then was first mate. Godric had a vision of Mouse’s death, years later in his hut as a monk.

Ailred (a saint) was Godric’s fourth friend. He converted a pagan king, the devil fleshed.

The fat monks desired to try Ailred’s meekness but tho he was thrown in the fire, he forgave them. Ailred and Godric pray together recalling the line from the Desert Fathers, “If he does not benefit from my silence, he will not benfit from my speech.”

The bad turn Ailred did to Godric was to assign the scribe Reginald to put down Godric’s life on parchment. Godric complains Reginald sanctifies/bowderizes his tales.

Gillian the fifth friend and once lover. He will never forget her face tho he’s forgotten his own and his father’s face.

He compares his five friends to the five wounds of Christ, and he bears the mark of each of them.

But the wounds of Christ heal with his marks. He closes the chapter with prayers for himself, Gillian, Ailred, Mouse, and even Reginald.

Of the family of Godric, his youth, and a sign from the sea.

…

Thoughts

Well I didn’t get to the end of the notes of this but quite enjoyed the story. A good story about the struggles of a saint.