Bernard of Clairvaux

Walking in the School of Love

Life 

Bernard was born in 1090. In 1098, he went to the chapter school of Saint-Vorles. In 1112, he was received into the abbey of Citeaux. In 1115, just 25 years old, he was sent to Clairvaux in the Champagne to found a new abbey. Under his inspiring leadership, the Cistercians rapidly spread over all of Europe. At the time of his death, there were about 350 abbeys. In 1146, he preached the Second Crusade, which turned out to be a failure. He was convinced that our thought only produces very limited knowledge of God and that such knowledge is only gained through the practice of love. His focus was on lived spirituality. For him, a Cistercian monastery is a “school of love”, while the “laws of love” constitute its rule. He died in 1153.

First Encounter

Book of Experience

The twelfth century read the Biblical Song of Solomon as a metaphor that introduces us into the consciousness of the overwhelming love-play between God and the human being. Bernard of Clairvauw calls the Song of Solomon “the book of experience” for in how our “heart is moved” (motus cordis), we recognize in ourselves the presence of Christ, the divine Word of Love. We only truly come to understand what Minne (Love) is in the practice of loving. Talking about is does offer “insight”, but necessarily remains superficial. It only reflects on the immediate experience of love, which takes place in the “face to face” encounter with the other. To ‘explain’ the dynamic of Minne is an objectification that is contrary to its own essence. One is forced to ‘articulate’ and explain in language what can only be perceived as an ‘experience of unity’. Confronted with this impossibility, but at the same time aware of the necessity of introducing others into the “school of Minne” step by step, Bernard tries to approach the “spiral of Minne” by means of a few circling motions.

Necessity of Discernment

The logic of God makes us completely different people. It nullifies the logic of fear and desire, not by forcing them back or repressing them, but by leading the human being to the fullness of existence. Fear and desire are not an illusion, for they proceed from an awareness of the vulnerability and limitation of human existence. As such, they focus the human being on the other. The illusion arises, when the human being seeks within himself the answer that can protect him against this fundamental vulnerability. He tries to seize control of life by declaring it ‘his own’.

Wounding of the Heart

“You ask then how I knew he was present, when his ways can in no way be traced? He is life and power, and as soon as he enters in, he awakens my slumbering soul. He stirs and soothes and pierces my heart, for before it was hard as stone, and diseased. So he has begun to pluck out and destroy, to build up and to plant, to water dry places and illuminate dark ones, to open what was closed and to warm what was cold, to make the crooked straight and the rough places smooth, so that my soul may bless the Lord, and all that is within me may praise his holy name.” (Sermon 74)

Scripture is the Source of Love

For him, as for all mystics, lectio divina introduces us into the School of Love. Scripture makes us aware of how God keeps breaking through all our resistance with His Love, in order to bring us to the freedom and joy of being His child. Scripture is not a rational and objective content that we can keep at a safe distance. On the contrary, it is immediate Address of God that breaks into our life and puts everything on edge.

Texts

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

[Titel alinea]

[Tekst]

Anthology

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Summary

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 1

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 2

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 3

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).

In-Depth

[Titel artikel]

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Summary

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 1

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 2

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Title 3

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).

[Titel boek]

Bibliographical data

Titel:
Auteur:
Redacteur:
Vertaler:
Jaar:
Plaats:
Uitgever:
Gepubliceerd in:[in geval van publicatie in tijdschrift. (Met vermelding van jaar, jaargang, reeksnr. enz.)]
ISBN:XX-XXX-XXXX-X
DOI:Zenodo

Table of contents

Voorwoord

  1. Hoofdstuk 1
    1. Paragraaf 1
    2. Paragraaf 2
  2. Hoofdstuk 2
    1. Paragraaf 1
    2. Paragraaf 2
  3. Hoofdstuk 3
  4. Hoofdstuk 4
  5. Hoofdstuk 5

    6. Bibliografie

Download

? MB
(fixed PDF for print)
? MB
(refloatable epub 3.0)
Ondersteund door:

Op dit boek is een Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licentie van toepassing (CC BY).