A sixth-century monk of Britain, he wrote a stern rebuke of the corruption of the rulers and clergy of his day. Tradition says he later crossed to Brittany and founded a monastery, and he is known as Gildas the Wise.
Life
Saint Gildas was a monk who lived in sixth-century Britain. He left a work known as On the Ruin of Britain, in which he sharply rebuked the sins and corruption of the rulers and clergy of his day and called them to repentance. The work is a precious source for the conditions of Britain at that time.
Most details of his life rely on biographies written centuries later and are uncertain. According to tradition he influenced Irish monastic life and later crossed the sea to Brittany, where he founded a monastery at Rhuys. A learned monk, he came to be called Gildas the Wise.
Spirituality
Gildas's spirituality is a prophetic courage born of love. He did not keep silent before the faults of rulers and Church leaders, but cried out for them to return to God. Behind his sharp rebukes lay an earnest desire for the community to repent and come back to life.
Reflection
Gildas did not stay silent when he saw wrongdoing. Before criticizing others, could you first honestly consider where you yourself and our community need to return to God?