St. Norbert: Scourge of Spiders and Demons

There once was a saint who swallowed a spider

From the Life of St. Norbert: note spiderweb.

I once had a fly fall into the precious blood as I was about to consume it. I looked at it a moment, considered my options … and swallowed it, so this story about St. Norbert resonates:

At a later date, worn out with fasting and vigils, Norbert celebrated Mass in a crypt. After the Lord’s Body and Blood had been consecrated, a large [poisonous] spider fell into the chalice. When the priest saw it he was shocked. Life and death hovered before his eyes. But lest the sacrifice suffer any loss he chose rather to undergo the danger and consumed whatever was in the chalice. When the service was finished, believing he was going to die, he remained before the altar and commended his awaited end to the Lord in prayer. Then he was disturbed by an itching in his nose. He scratched it, and soon the spider was expelled by a sudden fit of sneezing. Through this event both his faith in both God and God’s goodness to him became evident.

Vita Norberti A

There’s a strange comfort to be found in the dysfunctional corners of Church history. It’s not that the clerical corruption, lax discipline, bad theology and miserable leadership of the past allows us to shrug our shoulders, mutter a world-weary, “’Twas ever thus,” and wonder what’s a body to do when we encounter the same problems today. Rather, it’s the realization that challenges of the past produced saints to meet them — those men and women who looked at Christ and at his Church and said, “We must do better.”

And, fired by the Holy Spirit, they did.

Among the founders of enduring religious orders, St. Norbert of Xanten is the forgotten man. Part of this is due to the currents of history, which battered his reputation and the order he left behind — the Premonstratensians, colloquially known as the Norbertines. At his death in 1134, more than 100 abbeys and other foundations existed throughout Europe, with the strongest presence in France, Germany and Belgium, where Norbert himself lived, worked and preached. Within 200 years of his death, there may have been 1,000 Premonstratensian institutions, yet he wouldn’t be canonized until the Counter-Reformation needed a strong witness to the Real Presence.

As the Norbertines grew, their founder’s reputation was eclipsed by the very men he inspired. First St. Francis and then St. Dominic met the challenges of their days with his sense of boldness, fiery faith and Christlike simplicity. Reading the life of norbert, particularly Thomas Kunkel’s fine book, Man on Fire, it’s easy to see it as a kind of template for the life of Francis. In its pages, we meet the prototypical wealthy and worldly young man who turns to a life of radical poverty in order to be more Christlike.

The son of Heribert, count of Gennep, Norbert “ldenied himself nothing and left nothing that he desired untried,” according to one of two early biographies of the saint. He was ambitious, unsettled and eager for advancement, and his wealth and position earned him a rising status in the court of the bishop of Cologne. As a subdeacon, he had few religious obligations, and he soon found himself a trusted counselor to the bishop and then a member of the court of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, becoming, in the words of one early life, a “renowned inhabitant of Babylon.” (Some later historians suspect his waywardness may have been exaggerated for effect.)

At some point, according to early lore, he declined the bishopric of Cambrai, although whether it was because the diocese was too far from the seat of power or because he felt himself unworthy is up for debate. What we know for sure, however, is that Norbert was in the process of changing. The man with the ear of bishops, popes and emperors was riding a horse when lightning struck the ground in front of him, opening a sulfurous pit and knocking him to the ground. A voice spoke to him: “Turn from evil, and do good. Seek peace and pursue it.”

Norbert was as yet unsure what this call meant, but he sought immediate ordination to be a deacon and priest, which was highly unusual.

Norbert arrived for the ceremony in Cologne wearing his most splendid finery, publicly exchanging it for the coarse tunic of a pilgrim before donning his priestly vestments. He would trade his horse for a humble mule and make his way across the countryside without any food or money, preaching the Gospel wherever he went. He lived the life of a wanderprediger, or wandering preacher, attracting a small group of men along the way. His severe asceticism, which included little food and meager clothing in freezing weather, killed some of his early followers.

His first attempt at reform sputtered badly, as religious who had known him as a worldly young man balked at the way he hectored them to live up to their vows. Eventually, Pope Calixtus II urged him to establish a new order, which he did around an abandoned chapel in the remote location of Premontre, France. Thirteen followers, among them St. Evermode and Blessed Hugh, built the new order from the ground up. Norbert hit the road to gather followers, seeking people to lead a communal life based on the humble example of Christ.

St. Norbert and the Demon

Known for his skills as an exorcist, he once came to perform the rite over a 12-year-old girl. While reading the gospel, the demon replied mockingly: “I have frequently heard tunes of this sort. Neither for you nor for all of these people will I leave this house. For whom should I depart? The pillars of the Church have collapsed.”

Norbert continued, but the demon simply said:”You accomplish nothing, because you have not yet commanded me through the glittering blood of the martyrs.” He proved it by reciting the Song of Songs, from beginning to end, in Latin, French, and German. The exorcism continued throughout the day with out success, with the girl even attempting to choke Norbert to death at one point. Finally, he broke off and told them to bring the little girl to mass tomorrow.

The gospel reading only stirred contempt in the demon-possessed girl, but at the elevation of the host, according to the A version of the Life

the demon exclaimed: “Look, look, behold he holds his little God in his hands.” Demons confess what heretics deny. But then the priest of God shuddered and, taking on the Spirit of Truth in his very speech, began more intently to act against the demon. But the latter, being constrained, shouted out: “Behold I’m burning, I’m burning, behold I’m dying, I’m dying!” And again: “I want to leave, I want to leave, let me go!” And while the confreres were firmly holding the girl, the unclean spirit fled leaving behind the repulsive traces of very foul smelling urine. He left behind the vessel which he had possessed. The girl, freed from her tormentor, collapsed, and was carried faint to the home of her father. A little later, after taking food, she appeared completely sound, in control of herself, and perfectly healed. This took place publicly and the people witnessed it.

The life of the Premontratensians evolved from the rule of Augustine, made more austere through silence and discipline. They adopted their distinct white robes as a testament to purity and the power of the Resurrection. The Eucharist became the heart of the order, an element that would lead to a revival of their fortunes during the Reformation, when the Church needed people with a strong Eucharistic devotion to defend against Protestant heresies. Uniquely, Promentre was a “double monastery,” with men on one side and women on the other. Within a few years of its founding, more than 1,000 women were sharing the space.

Church history tells us this much: When the challenge comes, a Benedict, Francis, Claire, Dominic, Ignatius or Teresa arises. Given our current crisis, that means another Norbert walks among us, and St. Norbert reminds us why that should be of great comfort.

Portions of this post originally appeared in the National Catholic Register.