On Loving God: Pathways To The Past

“Love is the fountain of life, and the soul which does not drink from it cannot be called alive.” These are the ancient words of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153), a great lover of God and considered the last of the Church Fathers.

Bernard was Cistercian monk and followed very strict disciplines. He chose to live in a primitive hut in a marshy valley rather than a wealthy Benedictine monastery nearby. Why? He said, “I was conscious my weak character needed a strong medicine.” Later he founded 70 monasteries and was the leader of the monastery at Clairvaux, France. He taught that to know God we need to be devoted to him in poverty, simplicity, and solitude. His writings had a profound influence on Martin Luther, who called him “the best monk that ever lived,” and John Calvin.