Eve of St Bernard

On the Eve of St. Bernard, the community Chapter Sermon was by Br. Patrick

----- Forwarded Message ---- From  Patrick …> Sent: August 19, 2010 Subject: Eve of ST BERNARD ST BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Bernard of Clairvaux is surely one of the most outstanding figures in the history of western civilization.  To recount his life would be to write the history of the monastic orders, of orthodox theology, of heretical doctrines, of the second crusade, of the destinies of France, Germany and Italy for a period of almost forty years.  He was the colossus of the twelfth century, spanning both ecclesiastical and civil society.  Counsellor and reconciler of popes and kings, his tireless activity and his profound an extensive writings touched on every aspect of human life and left an indelible mark on the Christian civilisation of the west.             I think most of us are familiar with the outline of his life.  Born in1090 to a family of the lower nobility, he entered the monastery at Citeaux at the age of twenty two, along with thirty of his close family and friends, he was the son of a crusader and his family, particularly his other, were renowned for their charity and devotion to the church Few monasteries could ever have boasted so large a number of eager postulants at one time and in the worn down community of Citeaux, these dynamic young people breathed new life.  Three years later, Bernard was appointed abbot of the new foundation at Clairvaux.  With the new and vigorous life that Bernard had breathed into the Cistercian Order, it continued to flourish and expand.  In 1118   Clairvaux founded three daughter abbeys – it was in fact to have the most numerous offspring of any Cistercian house and it was the influence of Bernard that promoted the extraordinary rapidity with which the order grew.  At the end of Bernard’s life there were 338 Cistercian abbeys of which no fewer than 68 were directly founded from Clairvaux.  It was the bounding energy, the huge personal magnetism, the leadership and the eloquence of St. Bernard that made this possible.  The finest spirits of the age flocked to the Cistercian abbeys where silence, simplicity and the doctrine that work is prayer were the order of the day. We have heard so often that because of the effect of St Bernard’s preaching, mothers hid their sons and wives their husbands in case they should desert the home fireside for the Cistercian cloister. With such a giant as St Bernard, in a talk like this, we can only deal with one or  two aspects of his many faceted character,  One very striking characteristic of his, so evident all his life long, was his incredible influence, both spiritual, ecclesiastical and political. We know that grace builds on nature and I‘m  sure he had natural, personal gifts which had an impact on those people with whom he dealt, but I  believe there was a great deal more to it than that.  St Augustine says “Love and do what you will” which has been interpreted as “The secret of influence is love”.  I would suggest that, even among the saints, he was outstanding for his love for God and for his fellow man. The influence of his writings still persists. When Angelo Roncalli was elected pope as John XXIII he chose to read “On Consideration” a remarkable piece of writing giving advice to the newly elected Cistercian pope, Eugene III.  As far as his other writings are concerned, I do not feel qualified to comment  as my own experience of them  was ploughing through the two volumes of his sermons on the Canticle of Canticles when  was a novice, and reading the occasional quotes from his other writings. St Bernard is also well known for his preaching of the second crusade, which did his reputation a great deal of harm.  His reaction to the criticism was typical of him. He said “It  better that they blame me than God”.  He is still criticised for his advocacy of this cause and yet he was not responsible for the terrible conduct of so many of the crusaders.  He himself was very much a peacemaker as shown in his response to the request that he go and mediate in Metz where civil war had broken out.  He rose from his sick bed and made the long journey.  He was too weak to preach, but instead he visited each camp. Where his frailty proved even  more effective that any oratory.  Deeply ashamed of themselves, the warring sides made peace. I think we are all aware of Bernard’s great love for Our Lady, a love which is one of the continuing characteristics of the Cistercian Order. After his intervention in Metz, St Bernard returned to Clairvaux where he died on 20thAugust 1153.