00:00Today, October 10, the church celebrates Saint Gislin, founding monk and apostle of Hainaut.
00:10Born at the beginning of the 7th century, probably in Athens, Saint-Gislin left his homeland to come and live as a hermit in the regions of northern Gaul.
00:21Driven by an ardent desire for solitude and prayer, he travels through the forests of Hainaut, still wild in the Merovingian era,
00:30and settles on the banks of the Haine, in a peaceful clearing.
00:35There he built a wooden cell and devoted himself to prayer, meditation on the Scriptures and penance.
00:45But God did not want his light to remain hidden.
00:49Disciples joined him, attracted by the wisdom, gentleness and fervor of this foreign monk.
00:56A small community was born around him.
01:00We pray there, we work the land there, we care for the poor there.
01:05This is how the monastery of Saint-Gislin was born, near Mons, in present-day Belgium.
01:11Very quickly, the place became a center of spiritual influence and civilization.
01:16Local people came here to seek advice and remedies,
01:22but above all the inner peace reflected in the saint's face.
01:25Tradition tells that one day, Gislin had a vision of a bear and her cubs,
01:33symbolic sign that God was showing him the place where he was to found his monastery.
01:39This image, which has remained famous,
01:41explains why the bear is often represented alongside him in religious iconography.
01:48King Agobert I, impressed by the monk's holiness,
01:53came to visit him himself
01:55and granted him land to develop his work.
01:58Gislin, while remaining humble,
02:02knew how to organize monastic life according to the Benedictine rule,
02:06with a perfect balance between prayer and work.
02:09His influence spread throughout Hainaut.
02:13It is said that he protected the countryside from wars and famines.
02:16and that he intervened to calm conflicts.
02:20He gradually became a father figure to the locals,
02:24symbol of wisdom and mercy.
02:28Saint-Gislin died around 680,
02:32surrounded by his brothers,
02:34leaving behind a flourishing monastery.
02:38His tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage.
02:42Many miracles were reported.
02:44The sick were healed,
02:45lost travelers found their way
02:47and barren families obtained children through his intercession.
02:53Even today,
02:55the village of Saint-Gislin in Belgium perpetuates his memory.
02:58Her name has remained alive through the first names Gislin and Gisleine,
03:03worn with pride throughout the French-speaking world.
03:08Saint-Gislin reminds us that true spiritual fertility
03:10does not come from noise or human glory,
03:13but fidelity in prayer and welcoming others.
03:16In a hectic world,
03:19his example invites us to rediscover simplicity of heart,
03:23inner peace and fraternal charity.
03:26Prayer to Saint-Gislin
03:29O Saint-Gislin,
03:31you who left your homeland to seek God in the silence of the forests,
03:35Help us to listen to the voice of the Lord in the tumult of our lives.
03:40You who founded a place of prayer and peace,
03:43make our homes monasteries of the heart,
03:46where charity, gentleness and fidelity to God can grow.
03:49Intercede for those who lack peace,
03:54for those seeking meaning in their lives
03:56and for all those who trust in your protection.
04:01Saint-Gislin,
04:02friend of God and protector of Hainaut,
04:05watches over our families
04:06and keep us in the light of Christ.
04:09Amen.
04:19– Subtitling FR 2021
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