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St Bernard of Clairvaux 20th August 

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Saturday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. Bernard of Clairvaux,

 Abbot and Doctor of the Church (1091-1153)

Solemnity - Sermon in Chapter by Dom Raymond

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Raymond . . .
Sent: Sat, 20 August, 2011 9:00:02
Subject: St Bernard of Clairvaux

ST BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Bernard of Clairvaux is, one of the most outstanding figures in the history not only of the Church but 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, and of the destinies of France, Germany and Italy over 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 and extensive writings touched on every aspect of human life and they left an indelible mark on the Christian civilisation of the west. 

We are all familiar with the outline of his life.  Born in 1090 to a family of the lower nobility, he was the son of a crusader, and his family, particularly his Mother, were renowned for their charity and devotion to the church

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St Bernard vision of BVM

St. Bernard of Clairvaux - instruments of the Passion
Roscrea College Chapel Windows Harry Clarke Studios

He entered the monastery at Citeaux at the age of twenty two, along with thirty of his close family and friends.  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.

We know that grace builds on nature and certainly Bernard had many natural  gifts which had a great impact on those with whom he dealt, but there must have been 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, and that was the real secret of his astounding influence.  It was only to be expected then that one of his greatest works is his book entitled “On the Love of God”.  Just to list some of its chapter headings is to make a wonderful meditation on the subject:

1                   Why and how we should love God?

2                   How greatly God deserves to be loved?

3                   How many incentives are there for loving God?

4                   Who is consoled by loving God and who is best able to love him?

5                   How much are we Christians obliged to love God?

6                   The fruit and rewards of loving God.   7          The three degrees of the love of God.   

And so on.....

The influence of his writings still persists.  When Angelo Roncalli was elected pope as John XXIII he chose to read Bernard’s book “On Consideration” a remarkable piece of writing giving advice to the newly elected Cistercian pope, Eugene III, an ex Cistercian.

Finally, 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.