The most scholarly of the remarkable nuns of Helfta composed these meditations, rituals, prayers, instructions on how to pray, chants, hymns, and litanies in the late thirteenth century. Her mastery of poetic prose attests to the level of women's education in the highly cultured abbey she entered as a child of five and never, so far as we know, left even once.
The most scholarly of the remarkable nuns of Helfta composed these meditations, rituals, prayers, instructions on how to pray, chants, hymns, and l...
The twelfth-century abbot and contemplative known to history as The Mellifluous Teacher' wrote sermons for the entire Christmas liturgical cycle--from the first Sunday of Advent (four weeks before Christmas) to the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul (25 January). As he reflects on the wonder of the Incarnation, he reminds Christians still today that Christmas celebrates the awesome condescension of God-with-us, not a commercial carnival.
The twelfth-century abbot and contemplative known to history as The Mellifluous Teacher' wrote sermons for the entire Christmas liturgical cycle--f...
Placed in the monastery of Helfa, in Upper Saxony, at the age of five, Gertrud began having visions and writing at twenty-five. Book 1, written by a nun of Helfta, reveals the personality and virtues of Gertrud. Avoiding hagiographical commonplaces, the writer reveals both the strenghts and the shortcomings of her very human and very committed heroine. Book 2, contains Gertrud's own account of her spiritual experiences.
Placed in the monastery of Helfa, in Upper Saxony, at the age of five, Gertrud began having visions and writing at twenty-five. Book 1, written by a n...
Saint Bernard was born in 1090 near Dijon, France. He joined the fifteen-year-old monastery of Citeaux in 1113. In 1115 he became the founding abbot of Clairvaux Abbey, whence his name, Bernard of Clairvaux. Saint Bernard was a gifted and prolific writer of theological treatises, Scriptural commentaries, letters, and many sermons. The sermons in the collection published here, styled Sermones de diversis (Sermons about Various Topics), lack the specific point of departure that characterizes his other sermons. That is, whereas the sermons on the Song of Songs are a verse-by-verse...
Saint Bernard was born in 1090 near Dijon, France. He joined the fifteen-year-old monastery of Citeaux in 1113. In 1115 he became the founding abbot o...
This practical guide to the spiritual life, cherished by monks, beguines, and lay folk for eight centuries, can still lead men and women to God.
The Golden Epistle first appeared in s1145 and has been ascribed to several different authors, among them Bernard of Clairvaux and Guigo the carthusian. Today its author is known to have been William of Saint Thierry, a Cistercian monk of the abbey of Signy and a friend of Saint Bernard.
It was read continuously throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times, especially y lay men and women seeking guidance in their spiritual...
This practical guide to the spiritual life, cherished by monks, beguines, and lay folk for eight centuries, can still lead men and women to God.
Aelred of Rievaulx possessed a personal charm which drew friends and disciples naturally to him. His own experience of human weakness in a worldly life at the court of King David of Scotland made him sensitive to the doctrine of charity which he found among cistercian monks. "The Mirror of Charity" gives us a solid theology of the cistercian life. Aelred's deep knowledge of Scripture, his joy in his brethren, and his love of Christ shine from every page. Because the divine nature is love, as the Bible tells us, directing our love to God-love conforms us to the image of God that has been lost...
Aelred of Rievaulx possessed a personal charm which drew friends and disciples naturally to him. His own experience of human weakness in a worldly lif...
Always a vigorous champion of papal reforms, Bernard of Clairvaux toward the end of his life saw one of his own monks raised to the papal throne as Eugene III. While acting as the new Pope's political and spiritual counsellor, the Great Cistercian abbot was tireless in advancing Eugene's policies and in defending his authority and prestige.
Both as a monk and as a strategist, Bernard realized that political astuteness needs the complement of sober and honest reflection. In Five Books on Consideration he defines 'consideration' for the Pope by examining the practical and the...
Always a vigorous champion of papal reforms, Bernard of Clairvaux toward the end of his life saw one of his own monks raised to the papal throne as...
The First Life of Bernard of Clairvaux, traditionally known as the Vita Prima, originated to prepare the case for canonization of Bernard, first abbot of Clairvaux. The work was begun by William of Saint-Thierry, continued by Arnold of Bonneval, and completed by Geoffrey of Auxerre. When the initial case put forth for Bernard was rejected by Innocent II, Geoffrey undertook a revision of the original vita (Recension A) and submitted another version (Recension B) to Pope Alexander III, who declared Bernard a saint in 1174. This work emphasizes the deep love in which Bernard was held during his...
The First Life of Bernard of Clairvaux, traditionally known as the Vita Prima, originated to prepare the case for canonization of Bernard, first abbot...
The always eloquent Bernard preaches on the joys and spiritual opportunities of summertime festivals: Rogation tide, Ascension Day, the Pentecost season, and the feasts of Saint John the Baptist and SS Peter and Paul. From a world still in touch with the seasons of nature and a lifestyle integrating prayer and physical work, he speaks to moderns with insight and calm sanity.
The always eloquent Bernard preaches on the joys and spiritual opportunities of summertime festivals: Rogation tide, Ascension Day, the Pentecost s...
On the anniversary of the dedication of the monastery church at Clairvaux, Saint Bernard spoke to the community to explain the meaning of the feast: What sanctity can these stones have that we should celebrate their festival? They do indeed have sanctity, but it is because of your bodies. . . . Your bodies are holy because of your souls, and this house is holy because of your bodies. The thirty-eight sermons in this volume carry forth this theme, revealing the holiness of the monastic life as monks alternate through the rhythm of the day and the year between the "opus Dei" and manual labor,...
On the anniversary of the dedication of the monastery church at Clairvaux, Saint Bernard spoke to the community to explain the meaning of the feast: W...
