{"id":25202,"date":"2009-12-27T18:20:33","date_gmt":"2009-12-27T22:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/12\/on-the-holy-family-by-saint-be\/"},"modified":"2009-12-27T18:20:33","modified_gmt":"2009-12-27T22:20:33","slug":"on-the-holy-family-by-saint-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2009\/12\/on-the-holy-family-by-saint-be\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Holy Family by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\"Virign<\/a><\/p>\n

In Mary we praise that which places her above all others,
\nthat is, fruitfulness of offspring together with virginity<\/b>. For never has it
\nbeen known in this world that anyone was at the same time mother and virgin.
\nAnd see of Whom she is mother. Where does your astonishment at this so wondrous
\ndignity lead you? Is it not to this, that you may gaze in wonder yet never
\nsufficiently revere? Is she not in your veneration, no, in the esteem of Truth
\nitself, raised above choirs of angels? Does not Mary address the Lord and God
\nof all the angels as Son, saying: Son, why have you done so to us<\/i>?<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Who among the angels may thus presume? It is enough for
\nthem, and for them their greatest honor, that while they are spirits by nature
\nthey have become and are called angels, as David testifies: Who makes your
\nangels spirits. [Ps.103: 4] Mary, knowing herself a mother, with confidence
\ncalls that Majesty Son Whom the angels in reverence serve<\/span>. Nor does God disdain
\nto be called that which He disdained not to be. For the Evangelist adds a
\nlittle later: He was subject to them<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Who was subject to whom? A God to men.
\nGod, I repeat, to Whom are the angels subject: Whom principalities and powers
\nobey<\/i>: subject to Mary; and not alone to Mary, but to Joseph also, because
\nof Mary. Admire and revere both the one and the other, and choose which you
\nadmire the more: the most sweet condescension of the Son, or the sublime
\ndignity of the Mother<\/i>. For either am I at a loss for words: for both are
\nwondrous<\/i>. For that God should obey a woman is humility without compare; and
\nthat a woman should have rule over God dignity without equal. In praise of
\nvirgins is it joyfully proclaimed: that they follow the lamb withersoever he
\ngoes. [Rev. 14: 4] Of what praise shall you esteem her worthy who also goes
\nbefore Him?<\/p>\n

Learn, O Man, to obey. Learn, O Earth, to be subject. Learn, O
\nDust, to submit. The Evangelist in speaking of his Maker says: He was subject
\nto them<\/i>; that is, without doubt, to Mary and to Joseph. Be you ashamed, vain
\nashes that you are. God humbles Himself<\/span>, and do you exalt yourself? God becomes
\nsubject to men, and will you, eager to lord it over men, place yourself above
\nyour Maker? O would that God might deign to make me, thinking such thoughts at
\ntimes in my own mind, such answer as He made, reproving him, to His apostle: Get behind me, Satan: because you savor not the things that are of God. [Mark 8:
\n33]<\/o:p><\/p>\n

For as often as I desire to be foremost among men, so often
\ndo I seek to take precedence of God; and so do I not truly savor the things
\nthat are of God. For of Him was it said: And he was subject to them. If you
\ndisdain, O Man, to follow the example of a Man, at least it will not lower thee
\nto imitate thy Maker. If perhaps you cannot follow Him wheresoever He goes, at
\nleast follow in that wherein He has come down to you.<\/p>\n

If you are unable to
\nfollow Him on the sublime way of virginity, then follow God by that most sure
\nway of humility; from whose straightness should some even from among the
\nvirgins go aside<\/span>, then must I say what is true, that neither do they follow the
\nLamb to wherever he goes. He that is humble, even though he be stained, he
\nfollows the Lamb; so too does the proud virgin; but neither of the two
\nwhithersoever He goes: because the one cannot ascend to the purity of the Lamb
\nthat is without stain, nor will the other deign to come down to the meekness of
\nthe Lamb, Who stood silent, not merely before the shearer, but before the one
\nthat put Him to death. Yet the sinner<\/span> [you and me] who follows Him in humility<\/b>, has
\nchosen a more wholesome part than the one that is proud in his virtue; since
\nthe humble repentance of the one washes away uncleanness, but the pride of the
\nother contaminates his own virtue.<\/p>\n

\"Holy<\/a><\/p>\n

T<\/span>ruly blessed was Mary who possessed both
\nhumility and virginity. And truly wondrous the virginity of those whose fruitfulness is not stained, but adorned her; and truly singular the humility, which this
\nfruitful virginity has not troubled<\/span>, but rather exalted; and wholly
\nincomparable the fruitfulness which goes hand in hand with her humility and her
\nvirginity. Which of these things is not wondrous? Which is not beyond all
\ncomparison? Which that is not wholly singular? It would be strange if you did
\nnot hesitate to decide which you regard as most worthy of praise: whether the
\nwonder of fruitfulness of offspring in virginity, or of virginal integrity in a
\nmother: sublimity of Offspring, or humility joined to such dignity: unless it
\nbe that we place both together above each one singly: and it is truly beyond
\nany doubt more excellent and more joyful to have beheld these perfections
\nunited in her, than to see but one part of them.<\/p>\n

And can we wonder that God, of
\nWhom it is written that He is wonderful in his saints, [Ps. 67: 36] shows
\nHimself in His own Mother yet more wondrous still. Venerate then, Ye spouses,
\nthis integrity of flesh in our corruptible flesh. Revere likewise, you virgins,
\nfruitfulness in virginity. Let all men imitate the humility of God’s Mother.
\nHonor, you angels, the Mother of your King, you who adore the Offspring of our
\nVirgin<\/b>; Who is your King and our King, the Healer of our race, the Restorer of
\nour fatherland: Who among you is so sublime, yet among us was so lowly: to
\nWhose Majesty as well from you as from us let there be adoration and reverence:
\nto whose Perfection be there honor and glory and empire for ever and ever.
\nAmen.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Mary we praise that which places her above all others, that is, fruitfulness of offspring together with virginity. For never has it been known in this world that anyone was at the same time mother and virgin. And see of Whom she is mother. Where does your astonishment at this so wondrous dignity lead … Continue reading On the Holy Family by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[1875,2269,2270],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}