St. Bruno led an intense life of contemplation, founding what would be called the Carthusian Order (named for the Chartreuse Mountains where it was founded).
It was a life of extreme poverty and a radical rejection of the busyness of the world. The life he led was full of hardships and suffering, but it did not stop him from experiencing a supernatural joy.
Radiant with joy
St. John Paul II noted his joy when sending a message to the Carthusian Order in 2001:
He always maintained a similar attitude in joy and constant praise. His brothers noticed that "his face was always radiant with joy and his words modest. With a father's strength, he knew how to show the sensibility of a mother" (Introduction to the funeral parchment dedicated to St Bruno).
This is not easy to maintain, especially when face with suffering and being deprived of the many comforts of life.
What was the source of this joy?
St. John Paul II explains that St. Bruno's face was radiant with joy, because he contemplated the face of Jesus Christ:
These delicate words of the funeral parchment express the fruitfulness of a life dedicated to contemplation of the Face of Christ, the source of apostolic efficacy and of fraternal charity. May the sons and daughters of St Bruno, after their father's example, continue untiringly to contemplate Christ, thus mounting "a holy and persevering guard, awaiting the return of their Teacher to open to him as soon as he knocks" (Letter to Ralph, n. 4); this is an encouraging appeal so that all Christians remain vigilant in prayer in order to receive their Lord!
It is a reminder to us that the source of all joy is Jesus Christ and the closer we are to him, the fuller our joy becomes.
This does not mean that our life will be free of sorrow and pain, but that we will find Jesus in the sorrow and pain.
While we all may not be called to abandon the world and live in a monastery, it does not mean we cannot spend times of silent contemplation during our modern life. The key is to persevere in prayer and to sit in the silence, even when we don't think anything is happening.
It is precisely at that moment when we can encounter God and gaze upon his hidden face.
