+ Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bernard, Abbot and
Doctor of the Church. Bernard was born to French
nobility in Dijon, in 1090. When he was 22, fearing the ways of the world, he,
four of his brothers, and 25 friends joined the Benedictine abbey of Citeaux
(it had the strictest monastic rule); his father and another brother joined
soon after. Three years later Bernard was named Abbot of a new foundation at
Clairvaux, a post he would hold for the next thirty-eight years.
At first, and by his own admission, he was too
strict on the monks, but later relented. The monastery prospered, establishing
160 daughter houses throughout Europe, and by the time of his death there were
700 monks at Clairvaux alone. What was so appealing to the monastic way of life
was the blessed assurance that seeking
God alone was not only theoretically possible but also practically fruitful.
The great contribution of the monks has always been and always will be hope
for the Church and the world, and a source of powerful prayer for all of the
world’s ills.
In our day in age, the ills of
the world and the church have collided and have created one of the biggest
crisis situations in all of history – the sheep of God’s flock who have now –
because of the latest sex abuse scandal committed by clergy in Pennsylvania
(and let us be clear, this is not just a PA issue, I would conjecture and make
a well educated guess that it is equally present to a great degree in all the
diocese of our country) and with former Cardinal McCarrick the disease is also
known to be in the bishops fraternity as well – he is not the only one guilty
for sure;
and with all that is going on
with the diabolical presidency of our country
the same people who exist in
the world and the church – suddenly have nowhere to turn, no one to trust, no
one who really cares about them. And this is chilling. And it is the chill that
is cast by the net of Satan.
However, JESUS HAS OVERCOME
THE WORLD, and HE HIMSELF IS THE MYSTICAL DIVINE AND UNFAILILING CONSOLING AND
HEALING GOLDEN CORE OF THE REAL CHURCH – we can always turn to him there, in
the quiet of our minds and heart – we can CRY OUT TO HIM – both as sheep and
shepherds who are also scandalized – HELP US LORD, SAVE US! and lead us to you!
we yearn to live in your courts, your lush green valleys, your golden cities,
your blue-blue skies in the new heavens and the new earth.
Now getting back to our
monastic saint, who understood all these things: Bernard was also very active
in the life of the Church outside the monastery walls; he fought against
heresies, and helped interdisciplinary problems within the Church itself, he
was advisor to Pope Eugene III who had been one of his monks, he was a famed
spiritual writer and preacher who made a great impact on the Western Church: he is rightly called the last of the Western
Doctors of the Church. and would be on the very front lines in this Great
Battle against evil which is now being waged here and now!
Every morning Bernard would
ask himself, “Why have I come here?”, and then remind himself of his main duty
– “to lead a holy life!” He died
after having led a very holy and exemplary life on August 20, 1153. We can ask
ourselves that same question: “What am I supposed to be doing today” – and
hearing a similar answer: “To be the best holy person I can be – seeking God
with all my heart – and trying to help other get to heaven the best I can!” –
all this with God’s grace, his help and his love! Amen.
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