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Holy Cross Abbey

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A Word From The Cistercian Fathers For May

May 1, 2014 by James

No one is saved without self-knowledge, since it is the source of that humility on which salvation depends, and of the fear of the Lord that is as much the beginning of salvation as of wisdom. No one, I repeat, is saved without that knowledge, provided he is old enough and sane enough to possess it. But what if you have no knowledge of God? Is hope of salvation compatible with ignorance about God? Surely not. For you cannot love what you do not know, nor possess what you do not love. Know yourself and you will have a wholesome fear of God; know him and you will also love him. In the first, wisdom has its beginning, in the second, its crown, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and love is fulfilling of the law. You must avoid both kinds of ignorance: without fear and love, salvation is not possible. Other matters are irrelevant in this context: to know them does not guarantee salvation, nor does ignorance of them mean damnation.

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

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