St. Bernard of Clairvaux
A while ago, I was captivated by this text of St. Bernard (circa 1090–1153). It seems to fit well into this issue of the magazine for several reasons. It was meant to be published around Advent and Christmas (alas!), but also – as is still true today – Bernard's words on the Song of Songs (Cant. 85,12–13) are a suitable complement to the article by Paul Menteuer, and moreover: Bernard's concluding sentence aligns with what Kees Waajiman states in a commentary excerpt on the Rule: our experience of the gift of contemplation usually lasts only a short time.
And a few words for those who may be encountering such a text for the first time: following the pattern of the Song of Songs, the relationship between the believing person (soul) and Christ is metaphorically likened to marriage. The term “Word” always refers to Christ, the incarnate Word of God, the Beloved. And for the most meticulous: the passages from Holy Scripture that St. Bernard quotes or alludes to:
Phil 1:21; Prov 31:11; Phil 3:8; Acts 9:15; Gal 4:19.
When you see a soul,
that has abandoned everything to cling with all its desire to the Word,
to live for the Word, to be guided by the Word
and always beginning with the Word, producing what it births from the Word,
a soul that can say: “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,”
then you may consider her a bride, wedded to the Word.
It is said of her: “The heart of her husband trusts in her”;
he knows that she is faithful,
that she values nothing besides him,
that she considers everything worthless rubbish to gain him.
The Lord acknowledged such a one in Paul, of whom he said: “He is my chosen vessel.”
And indeed, Paul's soul was a loving mother, faithful to her husband,
as his words show: “My children, I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”
And yet: notice that in spiritual marriage there are two ways of giving birth,
and therefore also different (though not opposing) offspring:
(these) holy mothers “give birth” to souls when they help others come to faith,
or they “give birth” to spiritual knowledge when they contemplate in (prayer).
When they give birth in the second way,
the soul sometimes finds itself outside of itself and detaches far from bodily senses,
so that when it feels the Word, it no longer feels itself.
This happens when a person, drawn by the ineffable sweetness of the Word,
almost alienates himself from himself, or better: is taken out of himself and disappears from himself,
to perceive the Word.
A person thus invests himself differently – depending on
whether he bears fruit for the Word
or whether he consumes the Word:
in the first case, he is led by the restlessness caused by the needs of his neighbors,
in the second, he is attracted by the tenderness of the Word.
As a mother delights in her offspring
and as a bride delights – even more so – in (her groom's) embraces.
Dear and precious are his children to him, signs of his love,
but even more does he find refreshment in kisses.
It is good to save many,
and yet
coming out of oneself and dwelling with the Word gives more pleasure.
But when does this happen and how long does it last?
It is a sweet mutual closeness,
but it lasts only a brief moment and is a rare experience.
Translated from German by P. Gorazd, O.Carm., according to the translation by Elisabeth Hense.
