St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (20 August) ~ Dom Prosper Guéranger

About this sermon

On August 20, the Church honors St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church, one of the great spiritual masters of the Middle Ages. In this reading from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger, we contemplate the extraordinary vocation, sanctity, influence, and Marian devotion of St. Bernard. Entering the Cistercian life at the age of 22 with thirty companions, Bernard helped bring new life to the monastic reform and eventually became Abbot of Clairvaux. His preaching and spiritual direction drew countless souls away from worldly vanity and toward prayer, penance, poverty, charity, and the love of God. His spiritual principle could hardly be expressed more beautifully: “The reason for loving God is God Himself, and the measure of loving Him is to love Him without measure.” Bernard’s influence eventually extended far beyond the cloister. He became an adviser of princes, an arbitrator of disputes, a defender of Church unity, and a trusted servant of the Roman Pontiffs—yet he continued to long for the solitude and spiritual family of Clairvaux. Dom Guéranger also celebrates Bernard as one of the great heralds of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose mercy, intercession, and maternal protection shine throughout the closing meditation. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us. Bernard’s famous teaching that the measure of loving God is to love Him “without measure” appears in the reading’s meditation on his consuming love of God. 0:18 St. Bernard, Abbot & Doctor of the Church 0:26 Clairvaux — The Bright Valley 0:50 The Voice of Bernard 1:13 St. Bernard on the Blessed Virgin Mary 2:03 Mary, Star of the Vast Sea 2:19 Venerating Our Lady With Our Whole Heart 2:34 Bernard’s Scriptural Eloquence 2:52 Bernard Enters the Monastic Life 4:04 Bernard Arrives With 30 Companions 4:29 The Expansion of the Cistercian Order 5:21 Bernard’s Extraordinary Austerity 6:09 Why and How We Must Love God 6:17 “Love Him Without Measure” 6:40 Bernard Leaves to Found Clairvaux 7:12 Learning Charity & Moderation 8:30 Bernard’s Tenderness Toward Souls 9:09 Hundreds of Monks at Clairvaux 10:07 The Miracle of Monastic Conversion 10:49 Bernard’s Voice Echoes Through the World 11:12 Adviser of Kings & Popes 11:30 Bernard Longs for Solitude 12:03 His Moving Letter to the Monks of Clairvaux 13:18 Bernard’s Desire to Die Among His Spiritual Sons 14:15 His Final Years at Clairvaux 15:21 The Church’s Account of St. Bernard 15:44 Entering the Cistercian Order at Age 22 15:59 Thirty Young Men Follow Bernard 16:08 Prayer, Fasting & Christian Poverty 16:32 Humility, Mercy & Charity 16:56 Bernard Becomes Abbot of Clairvaux 17:19 Pope Eugene III & De Consideratione 17:44 Adviser & Arbitrator to Princes 17:59 Defending Pope Innocent II & Church Unity 18:15 St. Bernard Declared Doctor of the Church 18:46 Hymn in Honor of St. Bernard 20:26 Bernard, Herald of the Mother of God 20:58 Honoring Bernard Through Devotion to Mary 21:38 Our Lady Goes Before Us to Heaven 22:18 The Mercy of the Blessed Virgin 23:01 Prayer for Sinners, the Sick & Afflicted 23:17 O Clement, O Merciful, O Sweet Virgin Mary https://sensusfidelium.com/the-liturgical-year-dom-prosper-gueranger/august/august-20-feast-of-st-bernard-abbot-and-doctor-of-the-church/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 ✝️ SUPPORT THE MISSION 🙏 Donate https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 📬 Free Catholic Newsletter https://sensusfidelium.com/newsletter/ 📰 Read on Substack https://sensusfidelium.substack.com/ ──────────────────── 📺 WATCH & READ 📺 Sensus Fidelium App https://sensusfidelium.tv/ 📚 Sensus Fidelium Press https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ 👕 Official Merchandise https://sensusfidelium.com/merchandise/ ──────────────────── 🤝 PARTNER WITH US 📣 Advertise on Sensus Fidelium https://sensusfidelium.com/advertise-with-sensus-fidelium/ 🎤 Invite Steve Cunningham to Speak https://sensusfidelium.com/speaking/ ⛪ Parish Formation & Consultation https://sensusfidelium.com/for-parishes/ ──────────────────── 🌎 CATHOLIC COMMUNITY ✝️ Trusted Catholic Businesses https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 #StBernardOfClairvaux #DomProsperGueranger #TheLiturgicalYear #CatholicSaints #DoctorOfTheChurch #SaintOfTheDay #August20 #Cistercians #CatholicTradition #BlessedVirginMary #MarianDevotion #CatholicHistory #CatholicSpirituality #TraditionalCatholic #CatholicChurch

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