St. Bernard of Clairvaux - the Genius of Christianity

He lived in the 12th century - the golden age of European history, which was full of outstanding saints and intellectuals of great mind. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the eminent representatives of this elite. He was without complexes before the powerful of this world to instruct them about their duties towards the Church. He was an inspiring speaker. When he appeared in the city, the girls trembled for their fiancées, because one sermon from him was enough for several dozen young men - in addition, the most valuable ones - to put on the Cistercian habit.

Bernard was born in 1090 in the Fontaines Castle near Dijon to a noble family. His father Tescelin, as a vassal of the Duke of Burgundy, was at the senior court. Aletta, his mother was the daughter of Count Bernard of Montbard. She made every effort to bring up seven children to be zealous Catholics. When Bernard grew older, his parents sent him to school at the Canons Monastery in Chatillon on the Seine.

Behind the walls of the cloister of Citeaux

Soon after completing his studies and returning to his home in 1107, his mother died. Then Bernard asked the Blessed Virgin Mary to replace his earthly mother. Soon after, he made the decision to spend his life serving God inside the walls of the monastery. He also persuaded many of his relatives and friends to choose the same path of life. They all met in Chatillon to prepare for monastic life together.

The year 1113, when Bernard, together with 4 brothers and 25 relatives and friends, entered the gates of the monastery in Citeaux, was a turning point not only in the life of the future saint and his companions, but also in the history of the Cistercians. Founded 14 years earlier by St. Robert of Molesme, the Order was experiencing difficulties. There were no vocations, and the high mortality of the monks seemed to indicate that the existence of this branch of the Benedictine family was not pleasing to God. Bernard's accession to it started a new epoch in the history of the Order, the time of its rapid development.

Bernard chose Citeaux, not Cluny, once the great centers of Benedictine reform, because he wanted to live according to a stricter rule, such as that of the Cistercian Order.

Abbey of Clairvaux

A very talented and at the same time extremely zealous Bernard, just two years after putting on the white habit, he received from his superior, St. Stefan Harding, the mission to open a new monastery. He fulfilled the task brilliantly, although it was not easy. Before the pioneering monks took care of themselves, they experienced a period of great poverty, when for a lack of other food, they ate beech roots and leaves. However, the effort and sacrifice were not in vain. Soon the new abbey in Clairvaux was filled with new monks, and its name was forever linked with that of the first Superior. Interestingly, Bernard's widowed father, Tescelin, also joined the community. This distinguished man obeyed the abbot like a son.

The fame of the Clairvaux monastery, led by a young monk famous for his wisdom and penitential practices, spread throughout Christian Europe. After three years of existence, the number of monks living in it was so large that some of them went to other parts of Europe to found new Cistercian houses.

There is a saying that the monastery is the vestibule of Heaven. This is certainly how St. Bernard felt. A few hours of prayer a day (including nightly wake-up calls to worship), silent work, meditation, Bible studies, severe penance, all for Jesus Christ… The abbot wanted nothing more. But, well, there is no light to stand under the bushel - the Church asked a holy abbot to service her.

At the service of the universal Church

In 1128, Bernard was invited to a synod in Troyes. He was in no hurry to leave the monastery, especially since the severe mortifications that he practiced had damaged his health, but when he was urged to attend the convention of the clergy, he had a great influence on the course of the meeting and the decisions made. He also played an important role in the rule-making process for the Templar Order.

Pope Honorius II died in 1130. And then a misfortune happened - there was a double choice of his successor. The Christian world was confused. Who is the real Peter - Innocent II or Anacletus II? In order to settle this dilemma, the King of France, Louis VI, called a synod of Étampes and asked Bernard to come. After examining the matter, Bernard pointed to Innocent II as the rightful pope. The abbot's authority and his gift of persuasion made almost all of France recognize Innocent.

Now Bernard of Clairvaux sought military aid from the King of Germany, Lothar III, for the rightful Bishop of Rome. The matter was not easy, as the ruler tried to take advantage of the situation and increase his influence on the election of bishops. Pressed by Bernard, however, he withdrew his claims and promised to support Innocent II. Abbot Clairvaux also went to Italy at the Pope's call. Unfortunately, the death of Anacletus did not solve the problem, as his followers chose another antipope, Victor. Later, however, as soon as he visited Abbot Bernard in person and told him that he is giving up his claim to the papal office. The joy of the saintly Cistercian was limitless.

In 1139, Bernard took part in the Second Lateran Council. During his deliberations, the pope invited him to take the bishopric in Reims, but the monk refused to accept the nomination. At that time, Bernard's attention shifted to the false teachings of Peter Abelard. The Cistercian responded to the outstanding scholastic by proclaiming Tractatus contra capitula errorum Petri Abaelardi. And the Synod of Mean, convened a year later, condemned Abelard's teaching

Advice to the Pope

With great joy, the abbot of Clairvaux accepted in 1145 the election to the Holy See of his pupil Bernard of Pisa, who took the name of Eugene III. He supported him with his advice, he also wrote for him the treatise De consideratione (On prudence), in which he made the Cistercian on the papal throne realize the importance of the papal office, the tasks that each vicar of Christ faces, and gave him specific advice on the treatment of subordinates and collaborators.

In 1146, Pope Eugene entrusted his former mentor with the task of announcing the Second Crusade. The loss of Edessa in the Muslim Holy Land shocked the consciences of Catholics. Bernard undertook this mission with great fervor. Many European knights responded to his appeals, including French kings Louis VII and German Konrad III. Unfortunately, the recklessness of the crusaders meant that the expedition ended in a disaster. Many then ridiculed Bernard for his prediction of victory and blamed him for the deaths of their relatives in Asia Minor. He rebutted the objection: The Crusade was the work of Heaven, but the faults and disorder of princes and knights made them unworthy of serving God, unfit to finish His work. If I had sermons on the Crusade, it was for no other reason than the Pope's and God's orders. Moreover, he thought about organizing another crusade, but his death prevented him.

Doctor of the Church

Abbot Bernard died in the odor of sanctity on August 20, 1153 in Clairvaux Abbey. Already during his lifetime, miraculous events related to his activities were widely known, so it is no wonder that he was very quickly recognized as a saint. Pope Alexander III raised him to the glory of the altar in 1174.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a genius of Christianity, an outstanding intellectual, author of numerous theological treatises, ascetic works and letters. The achievements of the saint in this area became the basis for proclaiming him a Doctor of the Church, which was done by Pope Pius VIII in 1830.  On May 24, 1953, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical on St. Bernard titled, Doctor Mellifluus (The Honey-Sweet Doctor). In the document, Pius XII says: The "Doctor Mellifluus," "the last of the Fathers, but certainly not inferior to the earlier ones,"[1] was remarkable for such qualities of nature and of mind, and so enriched by God with heavenly gifts, that in the changing and often stormy times in which he lived, he seemed to dominate by his holiness, wisdom, and most prudent counsel.

St. Bernard became the spiritual voice of 12th-century Europe. Some even called him the uncrowned king, and his legacy - what he wrote, built and organized - influenced the next generations. His teachings and sermons, which he gave in Clairvaux Abbey to around 500 monks, were considered particularly edifying and revealing. Among the written and preserved writings are: “Concerning Grace and Free Will”, “The Twelve Degrees of Humility and of Pride”, “Five Books to Pope Eugene III”, “On the Blessed Virgin Mary” and  "Apologia" - devoted to the defense of the Cistercian reform. The most beautiful of his sermons are the “Commentaries on the Song of Songs” (1136). Noteworthy is the "dispute" of St. Bernard with a philosophy that he did not consider it as a way of knowing God's love. He wrote about it in his treatise “On Loving God”. 

The sanctity of life, style and reform measures contributed to his extraordinary fame. The liturgical memorial of Saint Bernard falls on August 20.

"In danger, in distress, in uncertainty, think of Mary, call upon Mary. She never leaves your lips, she never departs from your heart; and so that you may obtain the help of her prayers, never forget the example of her life. If you follow her, you cannot falter; if you pray to her, you cannot despair; if you think of her, you cannot err. If she sustains you, you will not stumble; if she protects you, you have nothing to fear; if she guides you, you will never flag; if she is favorable to you, you will attain your goal..." (St. Bernard, Hom. II super Missus est, 17: PL 183, 70-71).

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thy intercession
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.

Until Tomorrow 

fr. george