St. Bernard of Clairvaux was born into a prominent noble family in France. He chose to become a monk at the age of 22, following a devout upbringing by his mother. In 1113, he sought admission into the Cistercian monastery of Citeaux and brought along 30 like-minded individuals, including his widowed father, uncle, and four brothers, showcasing his great persuasive powers.
Bernard made rapid spiritual progress in the monastery and was placed at the head of a group of 12 monks who were tasked with establishing a new foundation at Clairvaux. There, he exhibited his personal magnetism, enthusiastic love of God, mildness, purity, and courageous zeal, which attracted many men from all walks of life to the austerity of monastic life. During his 37-year tenure as Abbot at Clairvaux, he founded 136 other monasteries, with his monks spreading into Germany, Sweden, Ireland, England, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland, thus eclipsing even the fame of Cluny. He is considered the second founder of St Benedict's original rule and did much to revitalize the spiritual life in all monastic Orders.
He was able to expose the fallacies in Abelard's teaching, which exalted human reason and rationalism. At the request of Pope Eugene III, his former disciple, he wrote his much-esteemed "Book of Considerations" to stress the need for personal sanctity in the visible Head of the Church, with all temporal matters being secondary.
When Jerusalem and Antioch were threatened by the fall of Edessa in 1144, Pope Eugene III ordered Bernard to preach the Crusade, which he did with the utmost eloquence and success throughout France and Germany, even moving the German Emperor Conrad III and his nephew Barbarossa to tears. The whole continent was roused, and ordinary business came to a standstill or was entrusted to women while the men took up the Cross. Miracles multiplied at every step. However, lack of discipline, overconfidence, intrigues, and treason combined to bring the Crusade to nothing, and Bernard was made the scapegoat and blamed for the disaster.
Bernard was a man of deep prayer and exhibited a profound theological understanding of the function of Mary in Catholic dogma, with particular reference to the work of Redemption. The mystical writings he left behind are among the finest in theological thought in general. His theology's entire design can be summarized as follows: God, i.e., love, created man by love and redeemed him by love, with the supreme proof of that love being the Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption. Bernard died on August 20, 1153, and was canonized by Pope Alexander III on January 18, 1174. He was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius VIII in 1830.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray that the God of peace, sanctifies us through and through. May our whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
No comments:
Post a Comment