Apostleship of Prayer - Saints
August 20 - St BernardBernard was born at Dijon in France in the year 1090. His family life was very religious and at the age of sixteen, with five of his brothers, two uncles and thirty young friends, he joined the Abbey of Citeaux. The monastery was dying and was quite immoral. But after four years of Bernard's influence this community was recovering to such an extent that Bernard was sent to start another monastery with him as Abbot in a nearby valley. He was outstanding in directing the monks under his charge both by his work and by his example. The valley was soon renamed Clairvaux, the valley of clear light.
Because of his ability as an arbitrator, he was often called away from Clairvaux to restore peace and unity within the Church. When an anti-pope was elected, it was Bernard who was called to arbitrate between the two Popes and it was the Pope of Rome that was restored to his See. He also preach to the people so that a Second Crusade could begin to restore the Holy Lands back to the Christian church. This Crusade was a complete disaster for not all the leaders of the Crusade had the same values that Bernard had.
Bernard carried on a crusade against Abelard who was introducing the philosophy of the east into the schools of France. Again Bernard was successful.
He wrote much on theology and on spiritual theology and his treatise on The Love of God is still a very important book within spiritual theology.
Bernard died in 1153. His life was noted for his intense devotion that he had to Mary, the Mother of the Lord and these still have a great effect on Marian Theology,
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