St. Bernard

How could this man, who had nearly been refused admittance into the great seminary because of his ignorance, and who had, since his promotion to the priesthood, been solely employed in prayer and in the labors of the confessional, how could he have attained to the power of teaching doctrine like one of the Fathers of the Church? Whence did he derive his astonishing knowledge of God, of nature, and of the history of the soul? How was it that his thoughts and expressions so often coincided with those of the greatest Christian geniuses, St.

Augustine, St. Bernard, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa? For example, we have often heard him say that the heart of the saints was liquid.

We were much struck with this energetic expression without suspecting that it was so theologically accurate, and we were surprised and touched to find, in turning over the pages of the Summa, that the Angelical Doctor assigns to love four immediate effects, of which the first is the liquefaction of the heart.

M. Vianney had certainly never read St. Thomas, which makes this coincidence the more remarkable, and indeed it is inexplicable to those who are ignorant of the workings of grace and who do not comprehend those words of the Divine Master: "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones." The Spirit of God had been pleased to engrave on the heart of this holy priest all that he was to know and to teach to others, and it was the more deeply engraved as that heart was the more pure, the more detached, and empty of the vain science of men, like a clean and polished block of marble ready for the tool of the sculptor.

If we had to lose our souls, it would be a consolation to be able to say, 'At least I loved the good God upon earth.' There are some who weep because they do not love God, but those people loved Him.

Oh, how consoling it is to think that on this poor earth it is for the good God that there is most fidelity and most love." The Curé of Ars especially recommended three devotions: devotion to the Passion of our Lord and to the Holy Eucharist, devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and devotion to the souls in Purgatory.

He affirmed, after St. Bernard, that it was a mark of reprobation not to have a devotion to the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

"The Passion of our Lord," he said, "is like a great river flowing down from a mountain, which is never exhausted." It would be impossible to give an idea of his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

He shall be called Wonderful, the Almighty God.

A reading from a sermon by St. Bernard, Abbot.

The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the prophecy of Simeon and in the actual story of our Lord's Passion.

The holy old man said of the infant Jesus, He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted.

It means lady, mistress, sovereign.

Hence, St. Bernard says that the mother of God could not have received a name that better expresses her excellence, her greatness, and her dignity.

So Mary, the name means mistress, lady, sovereign, showing forth all her power as queen of heaven and earth.

And then her name also signifies the name Mary, star of the sea.

and this to our own confusion, for he that exalteth himself shall be humbled.

Let us always take the lowest place, says St. Bernard.

There is no harm in humbling ourselves and believing that we are less than we really are, but there is exceeding harm and great evil in wishing to elevate ourselves, even if only a finger's breath above what we are and in preferring ourselves to even one." There is no danger in stooping too much to pass through a low doorway, whereas there would be great danger in lifting our head even an inch above the lintel, as we would strike against it and injure our head.

Similarly, we should not be afraid that we shall humble ourselves too much, but should fear and abominate the slightest movement of presumption.

Today's also the feast of the holy name of Mary.

and we hear from St. Bernard in the ancient Roman breviary today.

St. Bernard writes, And the Virgin's name was Mary.

Let us speak a few words upon this name, which signifies being interpreted star of the sea, and suits very well the maiden mother who may very rightly be likened unto a star.

A star gives forth her rays without any harm to herself, and the Virgin brought forth her son without any hurt to her virginity.