St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Saturday of Week 20 in Ordinary Time

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot, Doctor

Reading the ‘About Today’ tab in my Universalis Ap I quickly found so much to admire in St. Bernard…apart from the adorable dog and the kindred name;)

-Born near Dijon (love mustard of all kinds)

-Up in arms about the creeping laxity and worldliness of the Benedictine order

-Worked for a return to primitive poverty and austerity (for the monks of        course…maybe he means that for me too)

-Founded new monastery in Clairvaux in Champagne (mustard AND champagne!)

But the biographical note that caused me real pause was:  He was also a prolific writer, of an inspiring rather than technical kind.

There is a kind of active battlefield in the air…a bombardment of the inflammatory.  Nothing inspiring there.  And yet the inflammatory exerts a strong magnetic pull on my psyche.  The Good News is that the inspiring is more attractive still…I just have to find it and get close enough.

St. Bernard, show me way…GPS coordinates would make it nice and easy;)