Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint (1090-1153)

August 20. -- St. Bernard -- from from Lives of the Saints with Reflections for Every Day of the Year

St. Bernard of Clairvaux -- from The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge

Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint (1090-1153) -- from Wikipedia Article

Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 2: Assizes-Browne -- from Herbermann, Charles George (1840-1916)

On Loving God

Description: What is love? In his text On Loving God, St. Bernard surveys the four types of love that Christians experience as they grow in their relationship with God: loving one's self, selfish love, loving God as God, and loving one's self in God. St. Bernard reminds us that not only did God give us life, but He gave us Himself. For indeed, "God deserves to be loved very much, yea, boundlessly, because He loved us first, He infinite and we nothing, loved us, miserable sinners, with a love so great and so free." St. Bernard reminds us that we are indebted to God for his love and His sacrifice. Not only should we love God because it is what He deserves, but also because loving God does not go without reward. Loving God is to our advantage. The Lord rewards those who love Him with the blessed state of the heavenly Fatherland, where sorrow and sadness cannot enter. St. Bernard's medieval prose is poetic and full of clever imagery. His work is as beautiful as it is knowledgeable.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer

Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Description: "The letters of great and good men give us information about them which can be derived from no other source," say Frank Gasquet, one of the organizers of this book. Unlike any other literature, a letter provides us with a window into the soul of its author; it allows us to see the author's personal characteristics, cares, emotions, gifts, and vices. It addition to their great historical importance, the letters of Saint Bernard give us an indicator of St. Bernard's religious and political influence. St. Bernard exchanged letters with men and women of many different statures--his correspondents included monk, deacons, bishops, abbots, kings, holy virgins, countesses, popes, dukes, and duchesses. St. Bernard was always lively in his presentation and pleasant in his tone, even when he was fiercely defending his faith. He frequently incorporated biblical allusions in his writing. He also relied heavily on the trusted teachings of St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, two of his favorite church fathers. There is much truth and warmth to be found in the letters of St. Bernard.

Emmalon Davis
CCEL Staff Writer

St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh -- from Project Gutenberg