When there’s a job to get done, you don’t always win a popularity contest getting people to do their share. Especially if you think you’re right and everyone else (who doesn’t agree with you) is wrong. That pretty much describes Bernard of Clairvaux. He may not have had the most friends in the world, but he sure got things done!
Bernard had a great childhood, living with wealthy parents who loved him and provided a good home for him. The family lived in France and Bernard was born in 1090, just before the first Crusades.
When Bernard grew older, he trained to be a soldier but felt he could serve God better without killing people. He had some friends and family members who agreed with him. Bernard did an experiment with these family and friends. He had them all live, work, and pray together in his parents’ home for about a year.
He became a monk and wrote instructions for all monks called “The Rule of Benedict.” One important thing Bernard told monks in this document was not to have too much pride. Only by being humble could we be led to God. Eventually, Bernard became an Abbot at the Cistercian monastery of Clairvaux.
Even though Bernard seemed bossy to some people, he understood a lot about love. He believed that people could reach perfect love, which is a love of one’s self only for the sake of God. According to Bernard, there are four steps toward perfect love. Before arriving at that final stage, however, we might experience first a love for our own self for the sake of ourselves. The next stage involves a love of God because that love can bring rewards to us. In the third stage of love, we can love God for God’s sake. Bernard knew that we are a work in progress as we journey toward God.
Saint Bernard had a reputation for being very intelligent and very holy. He even was consulted by popes and monarchs. At the time of his death there were some 400 Cistercian monasteries in Europe. He was canonized in 1174 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830. Without doubt, Bernard’s true calling in life was to invite others to love God more deeply and more fully. It is unclear why Saint Bernard is the patron saint of candle makers, perhaps because candles reflect Christ as the Light of the World. His feast is celebrated on August 20.
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