Le 10 octobre, l’Église célèbre saint Ghislain, moine venu d’Athènes au VIIᵉ siècle, fondateur du monastère de Saint-Ghislain en Hainaut. Homme de prière et de paix, il rayonna par sa sagesse et sa bonté dans tout le nord de la France et la Belgique. La légende raconte qu’une ourse guida le saint vers l’endroit où Dieu voulait qu’il bâtisse son monastère — un symbole fort de confiance et de foi. Son exemple nous invite à retrouver la simplicité, la prière et la fraternité dans notre vie quotidienne.
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.
Écris le tout premier commentaire