A monk who withdrew into the Jura mountains of Gaul to live as a hermit. With his brother Lupicinus he founded the monastery of Condat, trained many disciples and is called a father of monastic life in the Jura.
Life
Saint Romanus of Condat was a monk who lived in the fifth century in the Jura mountains of Gaul, in what is now eastern France. His life is known through the Lives of the Jura Fathers, written in the early sixth century, but many details remain uncertain.
According to that account, as a young man he learned monastic life at a monastery near Lyon and then went into the deep forests of the Jura at Condat to live as a hermit. His brother Lupicinus soon joined him, and as followers grew, several monasteries came into being. Romanus is said to have led the community with a mild and generous spirit, his brother with strictness. He died around 460.
Spirituality
Romanus's spirituality is a gentleness that, while seeking God in solitude, came to embrace brothers. He went into the forest to pray alone but generously welcomed those who came, forming a community. His harmony with his stricter brother, despite their different temperaments, also shows the wisdom of community life.
Reflection
The gentle Romanus and his strict brother had different temperaments, yet they led the community together. When you work with someone unlike you, could you receive the difference as a gift rather than a burden?