What was the larger horizon that guided our founders’ decision to leave their monastery of Molesme to the wilderness of Citeaux?  We may ask the same question in this way: what was their dream? Dreams form the landscape, the horizon of our lives.  ‘Dreams’ come from a deep place within the individual and in the larger body of community and even an Order. 

(The Illustrated Capital "A" shown above is from the Bible of Stephen Harding, 12th Century, Abbey of Cîteaux, Dijon, France.  The illustration is of St Michael battling the Serpent.  The "A" introduces the Book of the Apocalypse, better known today as Revelations. Our founders were geniuses in the visual arts as well as the spiritual crafts.)

What was the larger horizon that guided our founders’ decision to leave their monastery of Molesme to the wilderness of Citeaux?  It seems to me that if we can tease out what were the motivating factors in the discernment of our founders to leave Molesme, it will help us, as well, to be sure that we are faithful to this larger vision of what Cistercian – Benedictine life is to be about in its essence.