• Home
  • About
    • Monastic Life
    • Gallery
    • History
      • Holy Cross Abbey
      • Cistercian Order
      • Property and Battlefield
    • FAQs
    • Videos
  • Take Part
    • Pray with us
    • Visit
      • Service Times
      • Directions
    • Vocation
    • Lay Members
  • Vocation
  • Retreat House
    • Testimonials
  • Cemetery
    • Overview
    • Stones
    • Rules Overview
    • Pricing
  • Store
    • Gift Shop / Porter’s Cottage
    • Bakery Products
    • Webstore
  • Updates
    • News
    • Liturgy
    • Abbot’s Lectio Post
  • Contact

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane Berryville, Virginia 22611

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

A Word from the Cistercian Fathers

April 2, 2019 by Fr Joseph

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Anyone who wishes to come after me, through me, to me.  After me because I am Truth, through me because I am the way, to me because I am the life.

Any who wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God, messenger of great counsel, proposed three things to the rational soul made in the Trinity’s imaged:  servitude, worthlessness, severity. 

Servitude is indicated by denial of self, worthlessness by enduring of the cross, and severity by imitation of Christ. Thus a soul who has fallen from a state of triple happiness by disobedience may arise from a humiliated torment of triple misery by obedience.  She had indeed fallen from herself, from the fellowship of angels, from the vision of God, that is, from freedom, from dignity, from blessedness.

Let her listen therefore to counsel so that by denying herself, that is, denying self-will, she may restore freedom of herself.  By taking up her cross, that is, by crucifying her flesh with its vices and concupiscence, by the good of self- control, she restores her fellowship with angels: by following Christ, that is, by imitating his passion, she restores the vision of his clarity, because if we suffer with him, then we shall also reign with him. 

Bernard of Clairvaux, Monastic Sermons, Sermo 63:  Concerning Matthew 16:24 (CF 68. P. 281)

Share

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: Featured, News

Documentary Trailer

Watch the full-length documentary on the videos page.

More Video

Support Us with a Donation

Contact Us

Newsletter Signup

Holy Cross Abbey

901 Cool Spring Lane
Berryville, Virginia 22611-2700
Phone: (540) 955-4383

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Quicklinks

  • Cemetery
  • Retreats
  • Directions
  • Links
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Get Involved

  • Pray with us
  • Visit
  • Vocation
  • Support Us

Copyright © Holy Cross Abbey - All Rights Reserved
Website Development and Management by MarketSpark
Maintenance Log -  Webmail -  Admin