Hello all, Happy feast day to all born, baptized and married today Happy feast day to all Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, Monks, Nuns, Rev Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus Happy feast day to all named Bernard and parents and friends of all named Bernard. Happy feast day to all devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially all who recite Her Holy Rosary with true devotion Happy feast day to all 33 Doctors of the Catholic Church Happy feast day to all Catholic Missionaries Today, 20th of August marks the liturgical memorial of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard was born 1090 in Fontaines, France. His parents were Tescelin, lord of Fontaines, and Aleth of Montbard, both belonging to the highest nobility of Burgundy He was the third of a family of seven children, six of whom were sons At the age of nine, he was sent to school at Chatillon-sur-Seine, run by the secular canons of Saint-Vorles He was only nineteen years of age when his mother died During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations and around this time he thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and prayer. He had a great taste for literature and devoted himself for some time to poetry He wanted to excel in literature in order to take up the study of the Bible. At age 22, fearing the ways of the world, Bernard, four of his brothers, and 25 friends joined the abbey of Citeaux; his father and another brother joined soon after. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he later wrote several works about the Queen of Heaven. He played the leading role in the development of the Virgin cult, which is one of the most important manifestations of the popular piety of the twelfth century. His preaching in Southern France helped strengthen support against heresy. He was blessed as abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne Bernard was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order. In early medieval thought, the Virgin Mary had played a minor role and it was only with the rise of emotional Christianity in the eleventh century that she became the prime intercessor for humanity with the deity. Bernard’s father and all his brothers entered Clairvaux as religious, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the world. His only sister Saint Humbeline, with the consent of her husband, soon took the veil in the Benedictine convent of Jully Bernard defended the rights of the Catholic Church against the encroachments of kings and princes, and recalled to their duty Henri Sanglier, Archbishop of Sens and Stephen of Senlis, Bishop of Paris He led to the foundation of 163 monasteries in different parts of Europe. At his death, they numbered 343 Bernard did not reject human philosophy which is genuine philosophy, which leads to God He differentiates different kind of knowledge, the highest being theological. Three central elements of Bernard’s mariology are: He explained the virginity of Mary, the “Star of the Sea”, He taught how the Catholic faithful should pray and hope on the Virgin Mary He taught how he relied on the Virgin Mary as Mediatrix. Every morning Saint Bernard would ask himself, “Why have I come here?”, and then remind himself of his main duty – to lead a holy life. Bernard was the Spiritual advisor to one of his monks Pope Blessed Eugene III (who was the 167th Bishop of Rome since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) The passing of Pope Eugenius had struck the fatal blow by taking from Bernard one whom he considered his greatest friend and consoler. Bernard died in Clairvaux, France , at age 63 on August 20, 1153, after forty years spent in the cloister. He was buried at the Clairvaux Abbey, but after its dissolution in 1792 by the French revolutionary government, Bernard’s remains were translated to the Troyes Cathedral. Bernard of Clairvaux is clearly one of the greatest preachers of all time. He was inspired by the example of a new religious congregation, the Cistercians, who had abandoned the relative ease and security of Benedictine monasticism of that day to live according to the primitive pattern of Saint Benedict the Abbot through hard manual labor, solitude, and rigorous prayer. When Bernard decided to abandon the privilege of noble life to enter the monastery, he brought over 30 noble relatives with him. Once professed he was very soon made abbot and went on to found over 40 monasteries in his lifetime. His magnetic preaching and exemplary character changed the lives of thousands and his writing continues today to inspire Christians everywhere. His words were so sweet that he came to be known as the Melifluous (full of honey) Doctor. His influence led Pope Alexander III (who was the 170th Servant of God since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) to launch reforms that would lead to the establishment of canon law ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bernard was given the degree of heroic virtues and was canonized by Pope Alexander III on the 18th of January 1174 He was the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of Saints He was given the title of Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius VIII (who was the 253rd Vicar of Christ since the pontificate of Saint Peter the Apostle) He is the Patron Saint of Cistercians and Burgundy. He is also the Patron Saint of beekeepers He is the Patron Saint of candle makers and climbers He is also the Patron Saint of Queens College, Cambridge and Speyer Cathedral He is the Patron Saint of wax-melters and wax refiners --------------------------------------------------------- Let us pray that by the works, spiritual direction, spiritual maturity and intercession of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux we may in this group find the spiritual motivation to win our souls for God. Amen Summary of the life history of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, can be viewed by clicking the photo of the Saint in our groups photo section Saint of the day, would be communicated to you as promptly and consistently as humanly possible, by Gods grace May we all in this group and beyond this group, Christians and non Christians alike, Catholics and non Catholics alike, be saved from the fires of hell and lifted up into heaven after our stay here on this exile. Amen May our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and other Saints before and after him and through Gods Divine Mercy strengthen our souls, open out the way for us all, and above all, intoxicate us with HIS love. Amen May Christ make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire HE brought us. Amen Jesus we love you, all we have is yours, yours we are and yours we want to be, please do with us whatever you will. Amen Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we give you our lives and our salvation. Amen Jesus, Mary we love you, please save our souls. Amen God bless you and grant your heart’s desire. Amen Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Pray for us. Amen For a brief on our Saint of today, please click the link below: https://youtube/watch?v=FxzST45pYDw
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:13:06 +0000
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