Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot, Doctor, and Poet
The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Bernard (1090-1153), Abbot of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church, Poet (source):
O merciful redeemer,
who, by the life and preaching of thy servant Bernard,
didst rekindle the radiant light of thy Church:
grant that we in our generation
may be inflamed with the same spirit of discipline and love
and ever walk before thee as children of light;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Epistle: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
The Gospel: St. John 15:7-11
Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the most influential monastic figures and ecclesiastical leaders of the High Middle Ages. A key architect of the Cistercian order’s expansion, Bernard shaped 12th-century Western Christendom through his theology, monastic reform, political involvement, and leadership in church affairs.
Born into a noble family in Burgundy, Bernard entered monastic life with intense conviction. Around 1112, he joined the Cistercian monastery at Cîteaux, bringing with him thirty companions, including several members of his own family. He was drawn to the Cistercians’ commitment to a strict, literal adherence to the Rule of Saint Benedict, which emphasised manual labor, poverty, and austerity.
The community at Cîteaux grew rapidly after their arrival. In 1115, Abbot Stephen Harding sent the young Bernard, then about twenty-five, with twelve monks to establish a new foundation in a remote valley in northeastern France. The site was renamed Clairvaux (“Clear Valley”). Bernard became its first abbot and remained so for the rest of his life.