Today is August 20, the memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church.
We read in the psalm at today’s Mass, “Great is his glory in your victory; majesty and splendor you conferred upon him. You made him a blessing forever, you gladdened him with the joy of your face” (Ps 21:5).
The psalmist’s words today call to mind the one who most perfectly saw “the joy of your face” — the Blessed Virgin Mary. Imagine her joy in gazing on the face of her Son, her Savior. That joy is the inheritance of every disciple who loves him.
When I was growing up, I learned to love the Memorare, a prayer often linked to St. Bernard but in fact popularized later by a French priest named Claude Bernard. Still, it captures well the Marian devotion that today’s saint embodied. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church and towering figure of Cistercian reform, had a deep love for Mary and taught that in all things, we should turn to her.
He writes, “In dangers, in distress, in uncertainty, think of Mary, call upon Mary. She never leaves your lips, she never departs from your heart; and so that you may obtain the help of her prayers, never forget the example of her life. If you follow her, you cannot falter; if you pray to her, you cannot despair; if you think of her, you cannot err. If she sustains you, you will not stumble; if she protects you, you have nothing to fear; if she guides you, you will never flag; if she is favourable to you, you will attain your goal.”
A lifeline
St. Bernard reminds us that devotion to Mary is not sentimental ornamentation to the spiritual life — it is a lifeline. If we follow her, he says, we cannot falter; if we pray to her, we cannot despair; if she protects us, we have nothing to fear.
We all encounter dangers, trials and uncertainties. Bernard’s counsel is simple: keep Mary in mind, on your lips and in your heart. She will guide, sustain and protect you, leading you ever closer to her Son.
Today, let us renew our trust in her intercession. Look to her example and call upon her with confidence. She will never abandon you — and through her, you will one day share in the joy of God’s face.
Let us pray,
O God, who made the Abbot Saint Bernard a man consumed with zeal for your house and a light shining and burning in your Church, grant, through his intercession, that we may be on fire with the same spirit and walk always as children of light. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
