“쓴 잔” – 목사관 서신 (믿음의 청사진 14번째 이야기), 윤 완희

Posted on July 25, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

미국인 교우 중에 마가렛 매고원이라는 부인이 있습니다. 세 명의 증손자까지 거느린, 올해 76세 된 마가렛을 볼 때마다 믿음 안에서 인간의 의지가 얼마나 강하고 끈질긴지 늘 깨닫곤 합니다. 그녀에게는 100세 된 친정어머니가 양로원에 계신데, 평생을 시력 장애인으로 사신 분이었습니다. 그녀는 다섯 자녀들에게는 엄하고 절도 있는 어머니요, 손자 손녀들에게는 인자하신 할머니였습니다.

또 마을에서는 없어서는 안 될 마을의 유지이며, 교회서는 평신도 지도자인 동시에 성가대에서는 알토 파트를 담당하고 있습니다. 또한 불우한 아이들에게는 훌륭한 어머니로서 평생 140여 명의 양자 (Foster Children)를 돌보았습니다.

한마디로 말하면 수퍼우먼인 그녀는 남다른 좋은 환경이나 특별한 은사를 지녔다고는 볼 수 없는 지극히 평범한 경찰관의 아내였습니다. 약 10여 년 전에 남편이 타계하고, 지금은 장성한 손자 한 명을 데려다가 빈집을 같이 사용하고 있습니다. 우리는 6년 정도 그녀의 삶을 지켜보면서, 이젠 그녀가 모든 사회 활동과 교회 생활을 조금은 게을리하거나 흥미를 갖지 않을 것이라고 생각하곤 했으나, 그녀는 단 한 번도 자신이 담당한 일을 포기하거나 게을리하질 않았습니다.

마가렛의 자녀 중 둘째아들인 빌이 물리학 박사학위를 받은 지 한 달 만에 교통사고로 세상을 떠난 사건은, 그녀의 삶에 지울 수 없는 흉몽이었습니다. 마가렛은 자신의 슬픔 속에서도 곧 정신을 차리고, 꽃 같이 아름다운 며느리의 슬픔을 속히 가라앉히려, 믿을 만한 청년을 주선하여 제2의 인생을 갖게 하였습니다. 그리고 그 며느리가 행여 과거의 충격으로 인해 임신하지 못할까봐 가슴 졸이며 기도하다가 임신 했다는 소식을 듣고는 그 누구보다도 기뻐하며 감격해 마지않았습니다. 자식을 앞세운 부모의 가슴에는 그 눈물이 마르지 않는다고 하였건만 그 후 4년 후에 막내아들 더글라스를 47세의 젊은 나이로 잃는, 또 한 번의 고통을 안게 되었습니다.

더글라스는 어렸을 때 고열로 인해 3개월을 무의식 상태에 있다가 깨어난 경험이 있습니다. 그 일로 인해 뇌를 손상당했던 더글라스는 연령에 뒤지는 사고와 간질까지 앓게 되었습니다. 더글라스가 22세 때에 가까스로 운전면허를 취득하여, 첫 운전을 하러 나가서 이 차 저 차 부딪치며 거의 다 찌그러진 차를 몰고 집에 돌아왔을 때 온 가족과 이웃이 그를 자랑스러워하며 감격해 하던 날을 늘 말씀하시곤 하였습 니다. 그리고 그가 해군에 입대하여 군복무를 마친 후, 제대 후엔 시청 국에 취직해 일자리를 얻어낸 일은 ‘위에 계신 보스’ 없이는 결국 있을 수 없는 기적이라고 더글라스는 늘 고백하곤 했습니다. 그러나 운 전중에 간질을 일으킨 더글라스는 더 이상 운전을 할 수 없게 되었고, 자전거로 출퇴근을 하게 되었습니다. 더글라스는 어느 여름날, 폭우 가 쏟아져 내리는 퇴근길에 중심을 잃고 남의 집 울타리에 부딪치는 바람에 머리를 심하게 다쳐 병상에서 세상을 뜨고 말았습니다. “더글 라스의 모습 그대로를 사랑해 줄 여인이 있었으면… …” 하고 바람을 지니고 있었는데… …. 장례식날, 마가렛은 처음이자 마지막으로 울부 짖었습니다.

그런 충격과 슬픔의 와중에도 마가렛은 한 번도 성가대 연습 시간에 결근이나 늑장을 부리지 않았습니다. 몇해 전, 크리스마스 즈음에 부른 성가 “외!거룩하신 아기여”의 알토 부분의 솔로를 훌륭히 해낸 그녀의 모습은 지금도 생생합니다. 그 곡은 약 삼십 년 전, 마가렛이 중년 때 부른 곡이었는데 다시 해내고야 말았습니다. “오! 거룩하신 아기여, 오 거룩하신 아기여!” 바람 빠진 고무 풍선과도 같이 연약하고 떨리는 음성의 마가렛은, 지휘자의 불호령 속에도 기권하거나 양보함 없이 끝내 해내고 말았습니다. 할 수 있을 때 무엇이든지 한다는 그녀의 정신력과 참여의식이 부럽기까지 합니다. 언젠가 담석증 수술을 받은 마가렛이 병원 퇴원 후, 일주일 만에 차를 운전하여 교회 예배 에 나온 모습은 강인한 인간의 의지 속에 숨은 그녀의 티없는 믿음을 엿보게 했습니다.

어느 날, 나는 그녀에게 이런 질문을 하였습니다 “당신은 어떻게 그 많은 양자를 데려다가 돌볼 수 있었습니까?” 그녀는 빙긋이 웃으며 대답하였습니다. “우리 애들이 모두 어렸을 때의 일이지요. 어느 날, 신문에 두 남자아이들의 사진 위에 이런 글이 있었어요! 당신의 가슴 속에 이 두 아이들을 품어 줄 빈 방이 있습니까?’ 라고요. 알고 보니 흘 어머니가 양육하다가 어머니가 범죄로 인해 감옥에 들어가야만 할 형편이었습니다. 우리 아이들이나 그 아이들이나 다른 것이 무엇이겠습니까? 그래서 가족들과 상의해서 그 애들을 데려왔지요. 그 후론 계속해서 다른 애들도 돌보게 되었습니다.”

마가렛은 평생을 가슴속에 빈방을 열어두게 되었다고 하였습니다.

그녀의 그 방을 거쳐간 양자 양녀들 중에는 자수성가하여 큰 사업을 일으킨 이들도 있고, 회사원, 공장의 일꾼, 사회 지도자 등 많은 분 야에서 봉사하며 살아가고 있습니다. 그러나 그중 마약 딜러의 꾐에 빠져 16세의 어린 나이에 살해된 소녀도 있어, 우리 모두의 가슴을 아프게 하였습니다. 최선을 다하며 끝까지 절대 포기치 않으며, 모든 결과 앞에 승복하며, 과거에 연연해하거나 절대 미련을 두지 않는 것이 그녀의 삶의 지침이었습니다.

여든을 바라보는 마가렛은 지금도 1년 내지, 2~3년 후의 스케줄대로 움직여 나갑니다. 그녀의 빽빽한 시간의 스케줄 속에서 한순간도 놓치지 않고 현실에 충실하며 사는 모습을 봅니다. 성경을 하루 한 차 례씩 읽고 그날의 말씀을 묵상하며, 봄이 오면 꽃씨를 뿌려 새싹들을 이웃과 함께 나눕니다. 동네 아이들에게는 친구이자 엄한 호랑이 할머니이기도 합니다. 또한 예의 없고 철없는 어른들에게는 여지없이 큰소리로 야단을 칩니다. 따뜻한 이야기를 들으면 금방 눈시울을 붉히며 감격해 마지않습니다. 끊임없이 다가오는 인생의 쓴잔들을 담담하게 마시며 오늘을 살아갑니다

‘나는 얼마나 많은 순간을 쓴잔 앞에서 포기하고 살아왔던가! 사람과 사람 사이의 관계에서 쉽게 토라져 버리고, 어머니로서, 아내로서, 신앙인으로서 … …. 내가 있어야만 하고, 감당해야 될 일들을 너무나 쉽게 포기하고 좌절하던 순간들이 얼마나 많았는가? 또한 교회와 사회 단체, 국가의 쓴잔들을 외면하고 무관심으로 살아올 때가 너무나 많지 않았던가? 홈레스, 가난, 어린이 학대, 각종 차별, 범죄, 병원 등 사회구석구석에 자원봉사자가 필요하고 관심과 대언자가 필요할 때, 나는 나의 빈방을 열어두었던가?’

올해도 주님은 십자가의 고난을 앞에 두고 깊은 밤, 감람산 위에서 피와 땀으로 얼룩진 기도를 올리십니다. 그리고 안타깝게 하늘을 향해 부르짖으셨습니다.

“아버지여! 이 잔을 내게서 지나가게 하옵소서. 그러나 아버지의 뜻 이거든 아버지의 원대로 하시기를 원하나이다.”

순종하며 믿음으로 삶의 쓴잔들을 마셔온 마가렛이, 부활의 새벽에 제일 먼저 주님께 달려갈 것을 확신합니다. 이 사순절, 풍요로운 삶의 완성을 위해 내 앞에 놓여진 쓴잔 앞에 무릎 꿇고 겸허하게 두 손을 모읍니다.
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“Treasure in an Earthen Vessel” – Letter from the Parsonage (13 of Faith Blueprint), Wan Hee Yoon

Posted on July 24, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

A few days ago, I came across a heartbreaking article in the newspaper. It reported that a young OB-GYN doctor had been arrested by the police for illegal medical practices. The article claimed he had placed advertisements for abortion services and, regardless of whether they were pregnant, performed abortion procedures on women who were not actually pregnant, just to collect surgery fees. These young women were mostly poor, relying on welfare, and were emotionally vulnerable due to unwise relationships and unwanted pregnancies. The young doctor exploited their situation with false diagnoses to make money. I couldn’t help but feel deeply sorrowful for this doctor.

Most of the doctors I know consider medicine their sacred calling and offer free services to countless poor and needy patients. One of them even treats his clinic like a life counseling center, healing not only physical illnesses but also the hardships of his patients’ lives. If a patient struggles to secure a student loan for their children’s college tuition, he would go with them to the bank and become their guarantor without hesitation. If there were issues with buying a car, he would personally go to the dealership and co-sign. He treats each patient as a friend and family member.

Children, the elderly, and young adults alike all respect and truly love him. In church, he faithfully supports the pastor and leads church ministries with devotion, earning the trust and admiration of the congregation. His children, following in their father’s footsteps, live lives of faith and dedication.

For first-generation immigrants to reach professional status in this land, it is undoubtedly the result of untold hardships, sleepless nights, and relentless effort. Particularly for those in the medical field, who deal with human life, the struggles are beyond words.

Perhaps the young doctor, after all his difficult efforts to gain a medical license, expected his skills to soar on the wings of human instinct—never to falter. But we sadly see how ugly and tragic the fall becomes when the fruits of intelligence and effort are used solely for personal gain. We cannot help but confess that we are all living in fragile jars of clay. If no one catches us when we fall, we shatter hopelessly, becoming something even we ourselves despise.

Don’t we often see ourselves becoming so-called “successful,” well-known, and seemingly secure—only to lose touch with our neighbors and even deceive our own conscience? We abandon noble values and boast about things that are, in truth, no more than flowers of the field—useless, unattractive, and short-lived.

Yet, there is something truly astonishing for us: within this lowly, unattractive body, a dazzling life—a burning, pure love—has been poured into us. This treasure, the most genuine and beautiful, the root of joy, the one and only precious gift of God, has been placed within our fragile clay bodies. Its price was the blood of the cross. And even today, He calls out to humanity with deep yearning:

“My beloved one! My beloved one! In your trials, in your pain, in your brokenness—place this treasure within!
You, who are swept away by the turbid currents of life!
You, who wait breathlessly for the dawn!
You, who stand on the edge of despair, sighing deeply!
You, whose heart has no peace—
Place this treasure within you!
If only you hold this treasure, green leaves will sprout in your soul, flowers will bloom, and fragrance will fill the air…”

All people are the same, but depending on what—or whom—we hold in our soul, the ultimate purpose of life can either lift us to greatness or drag us down into disgrace.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
—2 Corinthians 4:7

Someday, I pray that the young doctor, too, will have the opportunity to receive this treasure. On that day, he will likely be so overwhelmed by its brilliance that he will fall to his knees and weep uncontrollably. The scales that blinded his soul will fall away, and with eyes opened wide in joy, he will finally confess that he, too, was just a fragile jar of clay.

Every day we are broken countless times, but the loving hands of the Lord continue to mold us anew, yearning to fill us with His precious treasure. Today, more than ever, we long for the touch of His grace.

남자의 파란 드레스 셔츠
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“질그릇 속의 보배” – 목사관 서신 (믿음의 청사진 13번째 이야기), 윤 완희

Posted on July 24, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

며칠 전 신문을 읽다가 안타까운 뉴스를 접하게 되었습니다. 어느 젊은 한국인 산부인과 의사가 불법 의료 행위를 하다가 경찰에 체포 되었다는 이야기였습니다. 이유인즉, 신문에 임신중절 광고를 내어 임신을 하지 않은 스페니쉬계 여인들에게 무조건 임신중절 시술을 하여 수술비를 받아냈다는 것이었습니다. 대부분이 웰페어(welfare)에 의존하는 가난하고 불쌍한 젊은 여인들의 무분별한 성생활로 인한 원치 않는 임신을 중절하려는 심리를 이용한 거짓 진단으로 힘껏 장삿 속을 발휘했던 그 젊은 의사에게 동정(?)을 금할 길이 없었습니다.

내가 알고 있는 대부분의 의사 선생님들은 의술을 천직이라고 여기며 셀 수 없이 많은 불쌍하고 가난한 사람들에게 무료로 봉사하는 분 들입니다. 그중 어떤 분은 진료실이 마치 인생 상담소와 같아 환자들 의 생활의 어려움까지도 치료하시는 분이 계십니다. 환자 중에 아이들의 대학등록금을 은행에서 빌리는 데 어려움이 있다고 하면 서슴없이 은행에 같이 가서 보증인이 되어 주기도 하며, 차를 사는 데 문제가 있다고 하여도 자동차 딜러에 가셔서 선뜻 보증을 서주시는 분이 계십니다. 그분은 환자 한 분 한 분을 그의 친구이며 가족으로 여깁니다.

아이들이나 노인들이나 젊은이들은 모두가 그를 존경하며 진심으로 사랑합니다. 교회에선 목사님을 도와 열심히 교회 일에 앞장서며 충성하는 모습 속에 성도들은 그를 믿고 따릅니다. 가정의 자녀들은 아버지를 닮아 모든 일에 충성하며 신앙생활에 열심을 다하는 모습을 볼 수 있습니다.

이민 1세로 이 땅에서 전문직을 갖게 되었을 때는 남모르는 수고와 노력, 밤잠을 못 자가면서 천신만고의 어려움을 이겨낸 결과임에 틀림 없습니다. 특히 사람의 생명을 다루는 일을 담당하는 의료직에 종사하시는 분들의 어려움은 이루 말할 수 없습니다.

젊은 의사 선생님은 천신만고 끝에 얻어낸 의술의 기회를 인간의 본능의 날개에 달아매어 영원히 꺾이지 않고 날아주기만을 기대했을 지도 모릅니다. 그러나 남보다 탁월한 지혜와 노력의 대가를 자신만 의 목적을 위해 사용할 때 얼마나 추하게 추락하는가를 안타깝게 보게 됩니다. 우리는 너나 할 것 없이 육신의 질그릇 속에 살고 있음을 고백하지 않을 수 없습니다. 누군가가 붙잡아 주지 않으면 형편없이 깨어져 버리고, 걷잡을 수 없는 추한 모습으로 나 자신조차도 혐오하는 꼴이 되고 마는 것입니다. 남과 비교해 이쯤이면 성공한 것 같고, 유명해진 것 같고, 무언가를 붙잡은 듯하면 이웃과의 관계를 잃어버리고 양심조차도 속이는 우리들의 모양새가 아닙니까? 고귀한 가치를 저버리고 이 땅에서 우리가 자랑하는 것들, 알고 보면 쓸모없고 아름답지 못하고 잠시 피었다가 시들어 버릴 풀의 꽃과 같은 것이 아니겠습니까?

그러나 참으로 놀라운 일이 우리에게 있습니다. 이 추하고 보잘것 없는 육신 속으로 눈부신 생명, 그 희고 고우면서 불타는 사랑이 우리에게 허락되었다는 사실입니다. 그것은 가장 진실하고 아름다운 것, 기쁨의 뿌리로서 하나님에게도 단 하나밖에 없는 귀한 보배를 우리 육신의 질그릇 위에 담으신 것입니다. 그 값은 십자가 보혈의 피의 값입니다. 그분은 오늘도 사람을 향하여 안타까이 부르고 계십니다.

“나의 사람아! 나의 사람아! 그 시련 속에서, 아픔 속에서, 추함 속에 이 보배를 담으려무나! 삶의 탁류 속에 밀려 떠내려가는 사람아! 새벽 이 오기를 목메이게 기다리는 사람아! 절망의 절벽 위에 서서 깊은 한 숨을 내쉬고 있는 사람아! 마음 속에 평화가 없는 사람아! 나의 이 보 배를 네 안에 담으려무나! 이 보배를 담기만 하면 영혼에 파란 잎이 돋고 꽃이 만발하고 향기가 가득할 텐데… … .”

모든 사람은 같을진대, 그 영혼에 누구를 담고 있느냐에 따라 궁극적인 일의 목적이 그 사람을 위대하게 만들기도 하고, 추하게 만들기도 하는 것을 볼 수 있습니다.

“우리가 이 보배를 질그릇에 가졌으니 이는 능력의 심히 큰 것이 하나님께 있고 우리에게 있지 아니함을 알게 하려 함이라”(고후4: 7).

언젠가 그 젊은 의사 선생님에게도 이 보배를 담을 기회가 찾아오기를 기도합니다. 아마도 그날엔 그 보배가 너무 눈부셔서 그는 목이 메인 채 엎드려 통곡할 것입니다. 그리고 그의 영혼의 눈을 가렸던 육신의 비늘은 벗겨지고 개안의 환희 속에 뛰며 비로소 그 자신이 질그릇이었음을 고백할 것입니다. 하루에도 수없이 깨어지는 우리를, 새로 빚으사 그 귀한 보배를 담아 주시기 원하시는 주님의 뜨거운 사랑의 손길이 오늘은 더욱 기다려집니다.

남자의 파란 드레스 셔츠
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“A Broken Circle” – Letter from the Parsonage (12 of Faith Blueprint), Wan Hee Yoon

Posted on July 23, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

Eight-year-old Justin, who lives next door, is picked up on weekends by his tall, towering father. As always, when Justin climbs into his father’s car, his grandmother and mother watch him go from the window for a long time. Even the family dog barks toward the window, wagging its tail at Justin. Watching this from a distance, my son Sejun also grumbles with a touch of jealousy.

“Today Justin’s going with his dad, so who am I going to play with?”

Since the 1960s, when the foundation of Puritan values began to crumble, the traditional family values in American society have been shaken. As a result, the illegitimacy rate, which was 5.4% in the 1960s, rose to 26.2% in the 1990s. Children in foster care increased from 3.5% to 11.9%. Single-parent households rose from 8% to 22%, and the teen suicide rate grew from 3.6% to 11.3%. Today, about 50% of American marriages end in divorce.

Among these, 15% of children experience the psychological pressure of being forced to accept second or third stepfathers before they even turn 18, due to repeated divorces and remarriages. These children form bonds with unfamiliar kids as step-siblings, only to be separated again, causing confusion and deep psychological wounds. Many lose interest in their studies due to depression, and the pain they experienced in their upbringing often repeats itself in their own marriages. Reports from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal even connect the decline in American family values with broader economic decline—a reality we cannot ignore.

At some point, the old stories of families laughing and crying together through hardships have become relics of the past. Society has moved toward materialism, meritocracy, and individualism. As a result, the patience and perseverance once found in family life have faded away. In the past, it was natural to think of a family as a husband, wife, and children living together. But now, the definition of family goes far beyond that traditional form.

A few years ago, after moving into a new parsonage, I greeted my neighbor, who introduced her family to me. She looked to be in her late forties and said she had two children: a 19-year-old son adopted from Guatemala at age three, and a three-year-old cat.

Among our youngest child’s friends is a boy named Ramo. After his parents divorced, he began seeing a child psychologist regularly. Ramo’s mother works tirelessly, day and night, juggling debt and raising two children alone, always looking exhausted.

In today’s world, people can have or adopt children without marrying. Women live with women, men with men, and still raise children. In such a world, we worry about how our children will grow up—morally and spiritually. As a mother, I’ve come to realize the limitations of what I can do alone, and how essential a father’s presence and role are. Without the balanced love and guidance of both parents, it’s almost impossible to raise a child whole and healthy.

A circle is where a line’s beginning and end meet. When that meeting point is distorted or broken, the circle loses its meaning. A man and a woman, two equal individuals, come together and draw a circle called “family.” That circle continues to grow, forming rings both small and large. Yet somehow, as the generations change, the circle begins to deny itself. It tries to become a square. It tries to become a triangle. It tries to become a star. Out of curiosity, the circles test themselves.

“Hmph, I can break my shape too! Look at me—look at my new form. Isn’t it great? I’ve broken free of all those old restraints! Look how light and free I feel…”

But the circles endure the pain of breaking. And then, they keep drawing new shapes.

After the car carrying Justin disappears at the far end of the alley, his mother, who had been watching from the window, finally steps outside. Silently, she gazes at the fading traces of the man who was once her husband and the son they once shared. Her mother and their dog slowly follow her out onto the street. They look at each other wordlessly and then wave toward the window where Sejun and I are standing. Sejun lifts his limp hand and waves back a couple of times.

Our eyes meet. Without a word, Sejun and I embrace more tightly than ever.
In that moment, time stood still in our alley—within the space of a broken circle.

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“깨어진 동그라미” – 목사관 서신 (믿음의 청사진 12번째 이야기), 윤 완희

Posted on July 23, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

이웃집에 살고 있는 여덟 살 난 저스틴(Justin)은 주말이면 키가 장대 같은 아버지가 데리러 옵니다. 언제나 그렇듯이, 저스틴이 아버지의 차에 올라타는 시간이면, 저스틴의 할머니와 엄마가 창문 너머로 아이가 떠나는 모습을 오래도록 바라봅니다. 강아지도 창문 너머로 짖어대며 저스틴에게 꼬리를 흔들어댑니다. 저스틴의 모습을 멀찌감치 바라보던 우리집 세준이도 왠지 심통을 내면서 투덜댑니다.

“오늘은 저스틴이 아빠한테 가는 날이라서 누구하고 놀지?”

청교도 신앙이 무너지기 시작하던 1960년대부터, 미국인들의 전통 가족 가치관은 뒤혼들리기 시작하였습니다. 그 결과 1960년대의 5.4% 라는 사생아 출생률은 1990년대에는 26.2%를 기록했고, 복지기관 수 용 아동은 3.5%에서 11.9%로 늘어났습니다. 또한 외짝 부모 양육은 8%에서 22%로 늘어났으며, 10대 자살률은 3.6%에서 11.3%가 되었습니다. 결혼한 50%의 미국인 가정이 이혼을 하고 있는 현실입니다.
그중에 15%의 어린이들이 18세가 되기도 전에 부모의 거듭되는 재혼과 이혼 속에, 두서너 번째의 새 아버지를 따르도록 강요를 받는 심리적인 중압감을 느낀다는 것입니다. 또한 생면부지의 아이들과 의붓 형제자매들로 맺어졌다가는 다시 흩어지는 아픔과 혼란은 아이들로 하여금 깊은 심리적 장애를 일으키게 하고 있다는 보고를 듣게 됩니다. 아이들은 친구를 잃는 슬픔과 새로운 환경에 적응하느라 대부분 깊은 우울증 속에 학업에 흥미를 잃고, 자신들의 결혼생활에서 더 큰 고통을 겪는 일을 되풀이한다는 것입니다. 또한 미국 경제의 침체 원인도 이러한 가정의 가치관 쇠퇴와 연관되어 있다는 뉴욕타임지와 월 스트리트저널의 보고를 우리는 무시할 수 없습니다.

언제부터였는지 가정이 어려울 때면, 가족과 가족이 함께 울고 웃으며, 난관을 극복해 나가던 시절의 이야기는 해묵은 이야기가 되어 가는 시대가 되었습니다. 시대의 변천은 물량주의, 능력주의, 개인주의로 치달아 가게 되었습니다. 그러다 보니 가족끼리 참고 인내하는 과거의 아름다운 모습은 사라져 가고 맙니다. 과거엔 가족의 개념을 남편과 부인, 자녀들이 함께 사는 것으로 당연하게 생각했으나, 지금은 전통적인 가족의 모습만을 가족이라 하지 않습니다.

몇년 전 새 목사관에 이사한 후에, 이웃집 부인에게 인사를 하였더 니 자신의 가족을 소개해 주었습니다. 그녀는 40대 후반으로 보였는데, 가족으로는 자녀가 둘 있는데, 세 살 때 과테말라에서 입양했다는
19살짜리 아들과 3년 된 고양이라고 소개하였습니다. 또한 우리집 막내의 친구 중에 라모라는 아이는 부모가 이혼한 후에, 정기적으로 아동 심리 치료사를 만나러 가는 것을 보게 되었습니다. 라모의 엄마는 아이 둘의 양육과, 부채를 갚기 위해 밤낮으로 일을 하느라 정신없이뛰어다니며 늘 피곤해 있는 것을 알 수 있습니다.

결혼하지 않아도 아이들을 낳거나 양자로 삼을 수 있고, 여자끼리, 또는 남자끼리 살아도 엄연히 자녀를 양육할 수 있는 시대에서 자라 나는 우리의 아이들이 도덕적으로, 신앙적으로 어떻게 자라줄지 염려 될 뿐입니다. 아이들을 키우면서 느끼는 것은, 어머니로서 할 수 있는 한계가 있고, 또 아버지가 담당해 주어야 될 부분들이 너무 많음을 깨닫게 됩니다. 양쪽 부모의 조화된 사랑과 훈계로 양육하지 않으면 채워지지 않을 것들을 혼자 해결한다는 것은 참으로 어려운 일인 것 같습니다.

동그라미는 하나의 선의 시작과 끝의 만남입니다. 이 시작과 끝의 만남의 이그러지거나 깨어졌을 때, 동그라미는 그 가치를 인정받지 못합니다. 남자와 여자의 동등한 두 인격체가 하나로 만나 가족이라는 동그라미를 그립니다. 그 동그라미는 계속 고리를 이어나갑니다, 작고 큰 모양을 내면서. 그러나 웬일인지 세대가 바뀌면서, 동그라미가 동그라미 자신을 부인케 됩니다. 네모의 모양을 그려봅니다. 삼각 형을 그려봅니다. 별을 그려봅니다. 호기심에 찬 동그라미들이 자신을 시험해 봅니다. “흥 나도 내 모양을 깨어 볼 수 있어! 자, 여기를 보라고! 나의 새로운 모습을… … . 얼마나 멋있어! 그 굴레들을 벗어 버려! 내 모양을 보아! 얼마나 홀가분한지 … … .” 동그라미들은 깨어지는 아픔을 겪습니다. 그리고 자꾸만 새 모양을 그려봅니다.

저스틴을 태운 차가 멀찌감치 골목 어귀로 사라지자, 창문에서 내다보던 저스틴의 엄마가 비로소 문을 열고 밖으로 나와, 한 시절의 그 의 남편이었던 낯선 남자와 아들이 남기고 간 자취를 하염없이 바라 봅니다. 그녀의 뒤를 이어 할머니와 강아지가 힘없이 거리에 나섭니다. 그녀들은 말없이 서로를 바라보다가 세준이가 내다보고 서 있는창가를 향해 두 손을 흔듭니다. 세준이의 맥없는 손이 두세 번 흔들립니다. 아이와 나는 두 눈이 마주치자 어느 때보다도 뜨거운 포옹을 아무 말없이 나눕니다. 우리가 사는 골목길은 깨어진 동그라미 속에서 한동안 시간이 멈추었습니다.

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“Look at the Birds of the Air” – Parsonage Letter (10), WanHee Yoon

Posted on July 22, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

These days, when we read the newspaper or listen to the news, we can’t help but feel the urgent need to stay mentally alert. It’s because this generation is suffering from a serious illness of chaos and disorder.

A few days ago, I read a front-page article in the New York Times (9/29/94) that was both shocking and saddening. Two senior officers and fourteen other police officers from the Harlem precinct—who were supposed to lead and protect the public—were arrested by their fellow officers for charges of bribery, robbery, and perjury. It was truly tragic. Rather than cleaning up drugs and crime in Harlem, they resold confiscated drugs, took bribes from drug dealers, and even used threats to extort money, which they then used to buy homes and enjoy luxurious lifestyles—sharing the gains among themselves. When they raided secret drug dens and faced large amounts of cash and drugs, it seems they slowly gave in to temptation. The price of a single bag of drugs—called modern-day gold—was equivalent to a year’s salary for a police officer. In such disparity, they stepped onto the path of self-destruction.

Similarly, in Korea, the tax corruption scandal involving officials in Incheon’s Northern District and the horrifying serial murders committed by the so-called “Jijon Group” (a criminal organization targeting the rich, reported 9/21/94) show the extreme end of materialism. This obsession with wealth leads to disregard for human life, the collapse of values and morality, and a loss of awareness. Those who should have managed material wealth became completely consumed by it. Even though people are meant to be loved and material things are meant to be used, the order has reversed—material things are loved while people are treated as disposable tools for wealth. This opens a dark chapter in our society, nation, and history.

Our greed for material things spreads like a plague. If it’s not treated promptly, it festers and stinks—manifesting in luxury and indulgence, hastening our mutual destruction. Often, we complain that we have nothing to wear, even though our closets are full, or nothing to put on our feet, even though our shoe racks are overflowing. Unlike the past, we don’t throw away clothes because they’re torn or shoes because they leak—we discard perfectly good things simply because they’re out of fashion. Then we return to the department store windows like modern-day beggars.

In the 1980s, during President Marcos’s height of power in the Philippines, his wife Imelda became infamous for her obsessive shopping. Her hoarding of goods became legendary. Whenever she visited Macy’s in Manhattan, the store would close to the public and the managers and assistants would rush to fulfill her requests. It’s said that her purchases alone could match the store’s daily revenue. Although their time has passed—marked by crimes exploiting public taxes and privatizing national wealth—her 3,000 pairs of shoes may still represent a piece of our collective greed.

Like bacteria that invade our bodies without warning, materialism seeps into our lives, sometimes settling when our defenses are weak, sometimes retreating. The worries, depression, and conflicts born of materialism spread imbalance and anxiety in families and society. They infect our whole being until we suffer from a grave illness—and eventually death.

When I examine myself, I feel ashamed. Although I seem to live in peace, every month’s bills remind me how recklessly I use my credit card. Living in America, I’ve come to realize the only thing that grows is credit card debt. I wonder if the illness of greed has taken deep root in my life.

There’s a saying: “It is wise to prepare carefully for the future, but not to exhaust our hearts, drain our strength, or torment ourselves with worry.” In this age of indulgence and consumerism, we must deeply reflect on whether the dam holding back our spiritual lake has cracked. Instead of trusting in the promises of our Heavenly Father, we often find ourselves curious about the ways of the world—and before we know it, our feet are caught.

Just as it is natural for parents to protect and love their children, it is certain that God—who watched over us yesterday—will guard us today and in the days to come.

“Look at the birds of the air: they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

In the depth of our spiritual life, we must rediscover the simplicity of living that the Lord calls us to. That is the only way to survive in this chaotic generation.

May the bird that once freely soared above the blue sea of Galilee two thousand years ago also fly freely within our ailing hearts today.

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“공중의 새를 보라” – 목사관 서신 (10), 윤 완희

Posted on July 22, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

요즈음 신문을 읽거나 방송을 듣다 보면, 우리가 정신을 바짝 차리지 않으면 안 되겠다는 생각에 미치게 됩니다. 세대가 혼돈과 무질서 의 중증을 무섭게 앓고 있기 때문입니다.

며칠 전 신문(9/29/94 N.Y.Times)에 대서 특필된 글을 보니, 민중을 선도하고 보호해야 할 뉴욕의 할렘 관할 경찰서의 간부 2명과 14명의 경찰이 뇌물, 강탈, 위증죄로 무더기로 동료들의 손에 의해 구속 되었습니다. 실로 안타까운 일이었습니다. 그들이 민중의 지팡이로 할렘 지역의 마약과 범죄를 소탕하기는커녕, 오히려 압수한 마약을 되팔거나 마약 딜러들로부터 뇌물을 챙기고, 때로는 협박하여 챙긴 돈으로 집을 사거나 호화로운 생활을 즐기며 동료들과 나눠갖기도 하였다는 것입니다. 경찰들은 마약 거래가 비밀리에 이뤄지고 있는 장소에 급습했을 때 발견되는 마약과 엄청난 현금 앞에 자신들도 모르게 조금씩 빠져들게 되었을 것입니다. 현대의 황금이라고 불리는 마약 한 봉지 가격이 경찰의 일년 봉급에 상당하는 괴리(?) 속에 그들은 스스로 몰락의 길에 발을 내디딘 것이 아니겠습니까?

또한 한국의 인천 북구청 세무 직원들의 세금 비리 사건과 지존파 (가진 자에 대한 중오 범죄 조직 9/21/94)라는 엽기적 살인 보도 속에, 물질만능주의의 극치를 보게 됩니다. 물질만능주의는 인명 경시풍조, 가치관 하락과 도덕성의 파멸, 의식 부재 현상을 불러옵니다. 물질을 다스려야 될 사람들이 물질에 송두리째 잡혀 먹혀버린 꼴이 되었습니다. 사람은 사랑을 받게 되어 있고 물질은 쓰임을 받게 되어 있음에도 불구하고, 물질은 사랑 을 받고 사람이 물질을 위한 소비물 취급을 받게 되다 보니 사회와 나라, 그리고 역사에 암흑기를 열게 되는 것입니다.

물질에 대한 우리의 탐욕은 전염병과 같아 곧바로 치료하지 않으면 썩을 대로 썩고 그 냄새는 사치와 향락으로 내달아 서로의 파멸을 자초합니다. 흔히 우리는 옷장에 옷이 가득한데도 입고 나서려면 입을 것이 없고, 신발이 신장에 가득해도 막상 나서려면 신을 것이 없다고 불평하기 일쑤입니다. 옛날처럼 옷이 구멍이 났다거나 신발 바닥이 떨어져 물이 새어 들어와서 버리는 것이 아니라 유행에 뒤떨어져 멀쩡한 것들을 버리게 되고, 또다시 백화점의 쇼 윈도를 기웃거리는 현대판 걸인들이 되었습니다.

필리핀의 마르코스 대통령이 한창 위세를 떨치던 1980년대, 부인 이멜다의 걸신들린 물건 사재기는 세기에 남을 정도로 유명한 전설이 되었습니다. 그녀가 맨해튼의 메이시 백화점에 나타나는 날은 상점을 아예 닫아버리고 외부 손님을 사절한 채, 매니저와 비서진은 그녀로 부터 주문받기에 분주하였다는 것입니다. 단 한 사람인 그녀만의 주문에도 백화점의 하루벌이에 넉넉했다는 이야기입니다. 국민의 혈세 를 뜯어내거나, 권력을 이용하여 국가 재산을 사유화하기 위해 온갖 범죄를 저질렀던 그들의 시대는 이미 흘러갔음에도 불구하고, 그 유명한 그녀의 3,000 켤레 이상의 신발은 어쩌면 우리 모두의 탐욕의 일 부로 남게 되었는지도 모릅니다.

우리 몸에 침투하는 작은 병균들은 단 한 번도 우리에게 신고하지 않고 언제나 들어왔다가, 약한 저항력에 스스로 자리를 틀거나 혹은 스스로 물러나가기도 합니다. 물질로 인한 근심 걱정과 우울증, 불화는 가정과 사회에 불균형과 불안의 균을 가져다 주고 환부를 도려낼 수 없을 정도로 온몸에 중병을 앓게 하며, 끝내는 죽음에 이르게 합니다.

나 자신을 돌아보면 너무 부끄러워집니다. 평소엔 마음의 평정을 얻고 사는 것 같은데, 한 달에 한 번씩 끊어내는 각종 청구서들을 보면 얼마나 규모없이 크레디트카드를 그어대며 살고 있는지를 알게 됩니 다. 미국에 살면서 늘어나는 것은 크레디트카드의 빛밖에 없다는 말을 실감하며, 어느새 나 자신 속에 자리잡고 있는 탐욕의 병이 중증에 걸려 있는 것은 아닌지 자가 진단을 하게 됩니다.

“장래를 위한 조심성 있는 준비는 옳다. 그러나 우리의 마음을 지치게 하고, 힘을 빼며, 스스로 괴롭히는 염려는 옳지 않다.” 라는 말이 있습니다. 우리 마음의 호수를 막고 선 거대한 댐을 오늘도 사정없이 두 드려대는 향락과 소비성 물질 문명 앞에 행여 금이 가지는 않았는가 하는 사려가 그 어느 때보다도 깊어져야 될 것 같습니다. 천부께서 말씀하신 언약을 신뢰하기보다는 오히려 이방인들의 길에 호기심을 갖게 되었을 때, 이미 자신도 모르게 깊게 발이 빠지지 않았는지 경계해야 하겠습니다. 부모가 자녀를 보호하며 사랑하는 것이 지극히 당연한 것처럼, 하나님께서는 우리의 어제를 지켜주셨듯이 오늘과 미래도 지켜주실 것을 확신합니다.

“공중의 새를 보라 심지도 않고 거두지도 않고 창고에 모아들이지도 아니하되 너희 천부께서 기르시나니 너희는 이것들보다 귀하지 아 니하냐”(마6 : 26).

우리 영성의 깊음속에 자리잡고 있는 삶의 단순성(Simplicity)으로 부르시는 주님의 말씀만이 이 혼돈의 세대에서 살길임을 깨닫게 됩니다.

2,000년 전 푸른 갈릴리 해변가를 자유롭게 날던 그 새가, 중병을 앓고 있는 우리의 가슴에도 훨훨 날기를 기도합니다.

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“고양이 이야기” – 목사관 서신 (9), 윤 완희

Posted on July 1, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

고양이 이야기

아이들이 어렸을 때 ‘타이거’ 라는 이름의 고양이를 기른 적이 있습 니다. 이 고양이는 교우 한 분이 둘째 아이의 생일 선물로 가져온 것이 었습니다. 타이거는 회색 바탕에, 검은 털이 띠처럼 중간 중간에 둘러 져 있어 마치 호랑이 새끼를 방불케 했습니다. 타이거가 우리 집에 올 때는 어미의 젖을 금방 떼낸 아주 어린 놈이었습니다.

타이거의 일과는 하루종일 낮잠을 자거나, 사람들의 무릎 위에 올 라앉아 사랑을 받는 일이었습니다. 행여나 우리가 모르는 척하면 관심과 사랑을 얻어내기 위해 온갖 어리광을 부렸으며, 어찌나 장난기가 심한지 틈만 나면 아이들과 함께 온 집안을 위아래로 뛰어다녔습 니다.

그런데 나이가 들게 되자 창턱에 올라 앉아 밖을 내다보며 밖의 세계를 동경하기 시작했습니다. 행여나 앞마당에서 다람쥐들이 나무 위로 뛰어오르는 것을 보면, 두 귀와 입을 쫑긋거리며 앞발로 다람쥐를 잡는 시능을 하곤 했습니다. 또한 꽃밭 위에 노랑나비라도 팔랑거리는 것을 보면 나비의 날갯짓을 좇아 그 눈동자가 쉬임없이 반짝이곤 하였습니다.

그런데 언제부터인지 타이거는 밤만 되면, 거리 고양이들의 울음소리에 귀를 기울이고 밖에 나가기를 소원하기 시작하였습니다. 타이거가 발톱으로 문을 긁어대는 것을 보다 못한 우리는 타이거의 외출을 허락하게 되었습니다. 그런데 웬일인지 밖에 나가기만 하면 비명소리와 함께, 집 앞에 있는 100여 년은 족히 되었을 성싶은 도토리나무 꼭대기로 올라가 내려올 줄을 몰랐습니다.

처음에는 배가 고프면 나무 위에서 내려오겠지 하고 기다렸으나, 고양이는 하루가 지나도 내려올 줄을 몰랐습니다. 찬 겨울 날씨는 사나워지고 바람은 빈 도토리 나뭇가지를 사정없이 때리니, 타이거가 산채로 박제가 될 형편이었습니다. 아이 셋은 애가 타서 발을 동동 구르고, 먹을 것을 나무 밑에 놓아주고 아무리 달래도 밑으로 내려올 줄을 몰랐습니다. 우리는 나무 위에 올라앉은 고양이 때문에 밤새 잠을 설치면서 날이 밝기만을 기다렸습니다.

다음 날, 그 높은 나무 위를 오를 엄두도 못 내고 궁리하던 중, 소방소에 전화를 걸었습니다.

“우리 고양이가 나무 위에 올라가서 내려올 줄 모르고 있는데, 좀 내려주시겠어요?”

소방서에선 “미안합니다. 예전에는 그런 일을 도와주긴 했지만, 이제는 인력과 재력이 달려서 할 수가 없습니다.”라고 말했습니다.

보기 좋게 거절당한 우리는 이리저리 궁리하던 중에, 교회를 관리 하시는 엘 리브가 생각이 났습니다. 크리스마스 때에는 높다란 사다리를 놓고 성전의 높은 벽에 큰 크리스마스 장식을 달던 것이 생각났기 때문입니다. 관리인은 우리의 안타까운 사정을 듣고는 당장에 달려와 그 특수사다리를 나무 위에 걸쳐두고 조심스럽게 올라가기 시작 했습니다.

“타이거! 자 이리 와. 착하지!” 그런데 타이거는 저를 살려주기 위하여 팔을 벌리는 관리인을 무섭게 노려보면서, 발톱으로 관리인의 팔을 할퀴며 저항하는 것이었습니다. 그러고는 관리인의 손을 피해 더 높은 가지 위로 곡예를 하면서 기어 올라갔습니다.

“타이거! 괜찮아! 믿어 봐.”

아이들이 밑에서 응원을 하며 아무리 달래도 요지부동이었습니다. 마음씨 좋은 관리인이 사다리 위에서 한창 애를 쓰고 있는데, 타이거가 발을 헛짚는 바람에 그만 밑으로 떨어지고 말았습니다. 타이거는 비명과 함께 열려 있던 목사관 문으로 총알같이 달려들어가, 소파 밑에서 반죽음이 된 채 신음하고 있었습니다.

나중에 알고 보니, 옆집에 살고 있는 관리인의 늙은 고양이가 우리 타이거가 나타나기만 하면 영토 싸움을 하느라고 다짜고짜 달려드는 것이었습니다. 겁이 많고 순진한 타이거는 그 늙은 고양이의 공격을 피하기 위해 사력을 다해 나무 위로 줄행랑을 칠 수밖에 없었던 것입 니다.

나는 타이거의 겨울 소동을 생각할 때마다, 하나님의 보호하심과 사랑을 외면하고 늘 배척하며 달아나는 나 자신을 보게 됩니다. 주님은 늘 인간을 찾으시고 가까이 오라고 부르시며 구원의 손길을 내미시는데도 불구하고, 내 안식처를 엉뚱한 곳에서 찾으려 합니다. 결국 인간이 어떤 상황에서도 돌아갈 길은 오직 하나님 품밖에는 없음에도, 고집을 부리고 과감히 자신을 맡길 줄 모르는 철부지가 아닙니까!

우리는 그 해 겨울 내내, 이틀이 멀다 하고 도토리나무 위에 올라가 있는 타이거를 내리느라고 소란을 피워야 했지만, 그 겨울의 추억을 사랑합니다. 이미 타이거는 떠나가버렸으나, 도토리나무는 지금도 꿋끗이 서서 내가 종국에 안겨야 될 곳이 어디인지 말해 주고 있습니다.

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“The Story of a Cat” – Letter from the Parsonage (9), WanHee yoon

Posted on July 1, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

When our children were young, we had a cat named Tiger. One of our church members gave him to us as a birthday gift for our second child. Tiger had gray fur with black stripes like a tiger cub, which is how he got his name. When he came to us, he had just been weaned—still a tiny kitten.

Tiger’s daily routine consisted mostly of napping or curling up on someone’s lap to receive affection. If we ignored him, he would go to great lengths to get our attention, using every form of kittenish charm. He was so mischievous that he would dart around the house with the children, up and down the stairs, playing endlessly.

But as he grew older, Tiger began to gaze longingly out the window, sitting on the sill watching the outside world. If he saw squirrels climbing trees in the front yard, his ears would perk up and he’d reach out with his paws as if trying to catch them. When butterflies fluttered over the flower bed, his eyes sparkled, tracking their every movement.

Eventually, he started listening intently to the cries of stray cats at night, yearning to go outside. Unable to ignore his clawing at the door, we finally allowed him to venture out. But every time he did, he would climb up the towering old oak tree in front of our house—perhaps over a hundred years old—and refuse to come down.

At first, we thought hunger would bring him down. But even after an entire day, he stayed put. The bitter winter winds whipped the bare branches, and we feared Tiger might end up a frozen statue. The children were in a panic. They placed food at the base of the tree and pleaded with him to come down, but he didn’t budge. We spent many sleepless nights waiting for morning with hearts full of worry over a cat in a tree.

One day, with no way to reach him ourselves, we called the fire department:

“Our cat is stuck in a tree and won’t come down. Could you help us?”

“We’re sorry,” they replied. “We used to help with those things, but now we no longer have the resources.”

Disappointed, we tried to think of someone else who might help and remembered Mr. Eli Reeve, the church custodian. At Christmas, we had seen him use a tall ladder to hang decorations high on the sanctuary walls. Hearing of our situation, he came right away and carefully leaned his special ladder against the oak tree, climbing up slowly.

“Tiger! Come on, good boy,” he coaxed. But instead of being rescued, Tiger glared at him and clawed his arm in resistance. Then, slipping out of his grasp, he climbed even higher.

“Tiger! It’s okay! Trust us!” the kids pleaded from below. But Tiger wouldn’t move.

As Mr. Reeve struggled to reach him, Tiger suddenly lost his footing and fell. With a cry, he bolted straight into the parsonage and crawled under the sofa, half-dead with fright.

Later, we learned that the old cat living next door—also belonging to the custodian—would attack Tiger every time he saw him. Gentle and timid, Tiger had been running for his life, climbing that tree to escape the bully.

Every time I think of Tiger’s winter misadventure, I see myself in him—how I often resist God’s love and protection, running away instead of resting in His arms. Though the Lord reaches out to us, calling us to draw near and offering salvation, we often look elsewhere for refuge. Yet, in the end, there is no place of rest but in God’s embrace. Still, like foolish children, we hesitate to surrender and trust completely.

All that winter, we stirred up commotion every few days trying to get Tiger down from the oak tree—but I cherish those memories. Tiger is gone now, but the oak tree still stands strong, silently reminding me where my final resting place will be.

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The Mysticism of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Posted on June 30, 2025 by TaeHun Yoon

Mysticism in Western Tradition, THETH 352S-001, A course work of TaeHun Yoon with Dr. Pieter de Jong on October 25, 1984 in Drew Theological School, Madison, New Jersey. Certain notes/bibliography are updated with recent publications.

The foundation of St. Bernard’s entire theological system is love—not merely the inquiry into what love is, but the exploration of what love ought to be. For Bernard, authentic love is found only in God; indeed, Deus caritas est—God is love itself.¹ Accordingly, God sent Christ into the world for human redemption, and calls humanity to believe in Him without limit. Likewise, the reception of divine love is boundless. According to Bernard, the human person is both the object of God’s love and capable of becoming truly authentic by recognizing and responding to that love.²

What follows is an analysis of Bernard’s Christocentric mysticism, focused on three dimensions: his theological anthropology (view of the human person), his Trinitarian theology, and the mystical method that flows from both.

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1974), chap. 1.
  2. Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard, trans. A.H.C. Downes (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 55.

A. HUMAN-PERSPECTIVE

(1). The Character and Structure

<a> The Character

St. Bernard affirmed that the human person is created imago et similitudo Dei—in the image and likeness of God—and is thus ontologically distinct from all other creatures. This foundational anthropological insight, rooted in Scripture and tradition, merits careful theological attention.¹

According to Bernard, the similitudo Dei—the likeness of God—can be obscured or lost through sin, particularly through the loss of infused virtue. The imago Dei, however, remains indelible and cannot be eradicated, even in the fallen state. Étienne Gilson identifies this distinction as the theological center of Bernard’s thought.² The image of God is singular and immutable, constitutive of human nature itself, and serves as the basis for human participation in divine majesty and dignity.

The loss of likeness constitutes a rupture in the moral and spiritual resemblance to God, diminishing the fullness of human flourishing. Nevertheless, the enduring divine image provides the ontological ground for spiritual renewal. In returning contemplatively to the self—uncovering the self concealed beneath sin—one is drawn back into conformity with God.³ Bernard refers to this movement of self-knowledge, born from the recognition of the divine image within, as humilitas (humility), which marks the true beginning of the soul’s ascent toward union with God.⁴

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, trans. Kilian Walsh and Irene Edmonds (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1971), sermon 82.
  2. Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard, trans. A.H.C. Downes (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 75.
  3. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Steps of Humility and Pride, trans. M. Ambrose Conway (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1989), chap. 2.
  4. Ibid., chap. 4.

<b> The Structure

St. Bernard distinguishes the human person as composed of both corpus (body) and anima (soul). The body, he teaches, is formed from the four classical elements—fire, air, water, and earth—while the soul is structured according to a Trinitarian pattern: memory (memoria), reason (ratio), and will (voluntas).¹ Though both body and soul are subject to corruption due to sin, each can be purified: the body through ascetic discipline, and the soul through the transforming power of divine love.²

A distinctive feature of Bernard’s anthropology is his rejection of a dualistic antagonism between body and soul. The soul does not yearn to be liberated from the body; rather, Bernard affirms their mutual interdependence. In alignment with the Pauline teaching—“It is not the spiritual that is first but the physical, and then the spiritual” (1 Cor. 15:46)—he affirms that the natural order precedes the spiritual.³ For this reason, Bernard identifies amor carnalis (carnal love) as the necessary starting point for the soul’s gradual ascent to spiritual and divine love.⁴

Bernard writes, “The body is indebted to the soul for its life, without which it would be a senseless trunk; but the soul is indebted to the body for its very existence, which consists in animating the body.”⁵ This integrated anthropology highlights Bernard’s concern with the lived, embodied nature of human existence and reveals that, for him, true spiritual transformation must take place within the context of concrete, daily life.

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1974), chap. 2.
  2. Jean Leclercq, Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Spirit, trans. Claire L. Baker (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1976), 45.
  3. 1 Cor. 15:46 (NRSV).
  4. Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard, trans. A.H.C. Downes (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 78.
  5. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, trans. Kilian Walsh and Irene Edmonds (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1971), Sermon 83.1.

(2) The Characters, Elements and the Function of Human Soul

<a> The Characters

Bernard of Clairvaux described the nature of the soul in Sermon 81 on the Song of Songs with remarkable precision: “The soul is life, living to be sure, but not by virtue of anything other than itself: and therefore, strictly speaking, not so much living as life. It follows that, when it is infused in a body, it vivifies the latter, so that the body becomes, from the presence of life, not life but living.”1 Here, Bernard presents the soul not merely as something that lives, but as life itself—an animating principle that imparts vitality to the body. In this framework, the soul functions as the intermediary of divine love, conveying animation from God to the human person. Bernard affirms that just as the soul animates the body, so too God relates to and vivifies the soul.2

Bernard further explored the relationship between soul, body, death, and resurrection: “There are two kinds of death and two kinds of resurrection. The first death is of the soul, the second of the body; the death of the soul is separation of the soul from God, the second is separation of the body from the soul. The former is effected by sin. Moreover, the first resurrection is of the soul by grace; the second is of the body, perfected by Christ’s glorious and open coming.”3 In this dual framework, Bernard emphasizes that the soul’s alienation from God through sin is its true death, while restoration through grace constitutes its resurrection. His vision of human nature thus rests on a profound theological union: between God and the soul, and between the soul and the body.

[Notes]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, vol. 3, trans. Kilian Walsh (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1976), Sermon 81.7. 2. Ibid., Sermon 81.8. 3. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Resurrection of the Body, in The Works of Bernard of Clairvaux, trans. Robert Walton (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1950), 42.

<b> The Elements

Bernard of Clairvaux understood the soul as comprising three fundamental faculties: memory (memoria), will (voluntas), and reason (ratio). He correlated these with the three divine Persons of the Trinity—the Son, the Spirit, and the Father, respectively—thereby establishing a theological anthropology deeply rooted in Trinitarian theology. This triadic structure of the soul serves as the cornerstone of Bernard’s mystical theology. As he writes: “That blessed and eternal Trinity, Father and Son and Holy Ghost, one God indeed—supreme power (summa potentia), supreme wisdom (summa sapientia), supreme goodness (summa benignitas)—created a certain trinity in its own image and likeness, namely the rational soul, which exhibits a certain trace of that supreme Trinity in this: that it consists of memory, reason, and will.”¹

[Note]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Love of God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1973), ch. 1.

(i). Memory

Memory, for Bernard of Clairvaux, is the most essential faculty of the soul, functioning as the seat of thought and reflection. In the state of sin or spiritual death, memory becomes fixated solely on past experiences, particularly those marked by guilt or separation from God. In such a condition, the soul echoes the state of spiritual death, unable to move beyond its former self. However, when the soul is enlivened by grace, memory is transformed: it becomes a vehicle for spiritual renewal by recalling God’s mercy, the hope of forgiveness, and the possibility of redemption. Through this recollection, the soul is drawn into contemplation and restored to life.¹

[Notes]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, trans. Kilian Walsh and Irene Edmonds, vol. 1 (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1971), Sermon 80.

(ii). Will

Bernard of Clairvaux distinguishes between two kinds of will: the voluntas communis (common will) and the voluntas propria (proper or self-will). Charity, he writes, “is the common will”—that is, the will shared between God and humanity, in contrast to the self-centered proper will.1 The voluntas propria inclines a person to love themselves more than God, distorting the soul’s orientation and creating a kind of spiritual “curvature”—a turning inward away from God. In contrast, the virtue of humility serves to discipline and redirect this self-will, conforming it to the voluntas communis. Through humility, the human being comes to see themselves rightly, submitting their personal desires to God’s will and judgment.2

[Notes]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1995), ch. 9.

2. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, trans. Kilian Walsh, vol. 1 (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1971), Sermon 80.

(iii) Reason

Bernard describes reason as the faculty of choice, responsible for discerning good and evil through ethics or moral philosophy, distinguishing falsehood through logic or speculative science, and determining what is expedient or inexpedient by means of natural philosophy.¹ Reason functions infallibly when illuminated by divine light. However, once deprived of this illumination, reason becomes fallible and prone to error. Because of this inherent fallibility, reason cannot restore itself independently but requires the aid of faith, which infallibly enables the distinctions that corrupted reason can no longer make.

[Note]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1995), ch. 11.


(iv) Will and Free will of Reason

The combined operation of will and reason is termed free choice or the consenting faculty. Bernard explains, “The consenting faculty, that is, the joint faculty of will and reason, is called free choice; the word ‘free willing’ and the word ‘choice’ means the action of reason.”1 He further distinguishes voluntary moral decision-making from free will itself. Free will, for Bernard, is the essential freedom from necessity — the fundamental capacity to accept or reject something. This freedom is notably distinct from the mere freedom possessed by animals, which lacks moral deliberation.2

Moreover, the freedom of free choice presupposes two conditions: freedom from sin and freedom from suffering. Only a person possessing true wisdom can exercise this freedom fully. Such wisdom is attained through mystical contemplation, which enables one to build genuine freedom.3

[Notes]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1995), ch. 12. 2. Ibid. 3. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, trans. Kilian Walsh (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1986), Sermon 65.

<c> The Function of Human Soul

The human soul comprises three fundamental functions: thought (cogitatio), emotion (affectio), and intention (intentio), which correspond to the three elements of memory, will, and reason, as previously discussed.1

[Note]

1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, trans. Robert Walton (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1995), ch. 5.

(i) Thought

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, thought originates from three sources: the human soul, evil spirits, and God.¹ Bernard maintained that it is impossible to make a clear distinction between thoughts that arise from the human mind and those influenced by evil spirits.² He further affirmed that every truly good thought is produced solely through the pre-existent grace of God.³ Ultimately, there is only one true cause of good: God, who acts without requiring human cooperation or merit.⁴

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio [On Grace and Free Will], in Sancti Bernardi Opera, vol. 3, ed. Jean Leclercq and Henri Rochais (Rome: Editiones Cistercienses, 1963), 123.
  2. Ibid., 124.
  3. Ibid., 125.
  4. Ibid., 126.

(ii) Emotion

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, there are four primary emotions: love (amor), joy (laetitia), fear (timor), and sadness (tristitia).¹ These emotional elements are interrelated and often overlap in human experience.² From them arise the fundamental moral virtues: fear gives rise to prudence (prudentia) and justice (justitia); sadness produces prudence and fortitude (fortitudo); love gives rise to both justice and fortitude. Joy and sadness are considered the dominant emotional experiences, while love and fear represent the core orientations—or objective figures—of the soul.³ In particular, Bernard emphasized that the ultimate direction of fear is toward God and others.⁴

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, De Consideratione, in Sancti Bernardi Opera, vol. 3, ed. Jean Leclercq and Henri Rochais (Rome: Editiones Cistercienses, 1963), 210.
  2. Ibid., 211.
  3. Ibid., 212.
  4. Ibid., 213.

(iii) Intention

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, reason operates through three distinct forms of intention, each oriented toward a particular end: the useful (expedient), the good (bonum), and the true (verum).¹ Intention directed toward the expedient is called counsel (consilium), intention toward the good is called religion (religio), and intention toward the true is called consideration (consideratio).²

Furthermore, Bernard identifies three specific forms of consideration: dispensative, estimative, and speculative.³ These correspond respectively to the active life, the academic (or intellectual) life, and the contemplative life.⁴ Each form reflects a distinct mode of reasoning and spiritual engagement within Christian life and vocation.

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, De Consideratione, in Sancti Bernardi Opera, vol. 3, ed. Jean Leclercq and Henri Rochais (Rome: Editiones Cistercienses, 1963), 217.
  2. Ibid., 217–18.
  3. Ibid., 218.
  4. Ibid.

B. GOD’S PERSPECTIVE OF TRINITY

In this chapter, I will explore the character and structure of the God-perspective from a Trinitarian viewpoint, not to present each function from a human-centered lens, but to illuminate how it serves the restoration of the corrupted human soul.

(1) Christology

Christ stands at the center of Bernard of Clairvaux’s theology. For Bernard, the first step toward truth is humility, found through the suffering Christ. Accordingly, there is no path to God apart from Christ. As Scripture affirms, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”¹

Bernard interprets this verse in the following way: Jesus is the way (ego sum via) for the unbeliever and the one oppressed under authoritarianism; the truth (ego sum veritas) for the stubborn person entrenched in fallen human nature; and the life (ego sum vita) for the weary soul.² Christ reveals Himself to us as our most faithful friend. He entered into human lowliness through His pre-existent love³ and offered Himself in death to satisfy divine justice. Through this profound act of self-emptying, He separated humanity from the stain of sin.⁴ “Learn from me,” Jesus says, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart.”⁵ Christ models true humility.

Therefore, Bernard asserts that knowledge of the truth is the fruit of humility, and that the union between the Word and reason gives birth to humility.⁶ In this light, the restoration of the corrupted human being—and the recovery of true reason—is possible only through Christ, who is the eternal Word. Bernard refers to this as Spiritual Marriage in his Sermon 86 on the Song of Songs, identifying Christ as the Bridegroom.⁷ Drawing on the biblical image of “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb”⁸ and “the Spirit and the Bride,”⁹ Bernard portrays a deeply intimate relationship between Christ and the soul.

In his commentary on Song of Songs 1:2—“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth”—Bernard outlines three stages of spiritual development.¹⁰ The first is the purgative stage, represented by a kiss on the feet of Christ, which signifies conversion. The second is the illuminative stage, symbolized by a kiss on Christ’s hands, representing the fruits of piety and good works accomplished through grace. The third is the unitive stage, expressed by a kiss on the lips of Christ, signifying mystical union, when Christ dwells within the soul.

It is essential to remember that these steps of spiritual marriage are not achieved through human effort alone, but through the love of the Crucified Christ, who humbly seeks the sinner and the afflicted.¹¹ In Christ, the fallen human being regains the image of God, recovers right reason, discovers her or his true self, and is drawn into the way of love.

[Notes]

  1. John 14:6 (RSV).
  2. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 86.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Matthew 11:29 (RSV).
  6. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Humility and Knowledge.
  7. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 86.
  8. Revelation 21:9.
  9. Revelation 22:17.
  10. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 2.
  11. Ibid., Sermon 3.

(2) Holy Spirit

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, the Holy Spirit is the gift of love.¹ Through the love of the Holy Spirit, humanity regains the common good originally given to us.² In other words, love itself is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This love embraces those who have attained the first step of truth through humility in the Son.³ It then moves them toward the second step: engaging in acts of charity for others, in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.⁴ Thus, the role of the Holy Spirit is to generate love by uniting the Spirit of God with the human will.⁵ The Spirit purifies the human will so that individuals may freely and genuinely love others—even their enemies—by obeying the command of Christ in the Word: “Love your enemies.”⁶

At this point, love (or charity) becomes the shared will of God and the human person. The Holy Spirit is the mutual love between the Father and the Son.⁷ Through this divine love, we are drawn into the hearts of others, and in turn, come to truly understand them. This inner transformation bears the flowers and fruits of virtue and holiness. Ultimately, through love, we are led to the fullness of truth itself.⁸

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 8.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid., Sermon 11.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Love of God.
  6. Matthew 5:44 (RSV).
  7. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 71.
  8. Ibid., Sermon 74.

(3) Holy Father

For Bernard of Clairvaux, the Holy Father is Truth itself—the very Being of all things.¹ The soul advances toward this Truth in three stages: the first through the effort of humility, the second through the affection of piety, and the third through the ecstasy of contemplation.² In Bernard’s words, love—by which we sympathize with others—draws us into purity, which then lifts us to invisible heights and transports us into contemplation.³

Thus, the knowledge of truth ultimately leads to union with the Holy Father, who is Truth itself.⁴ In Bernard’s theology, God is not merely described as great, good, just, or wise; rather, God is greatness, goodness, justice, and wisdom.⁵ He writes: “God is not formed; He is form. God is not affected; He is affection. God has no composition; He is pure simplicity.”⁶

The journey toward divine knowledge begins with self-knowledge.⁷ To know oneself is the beginning of wisdom; to know God is its fulfillment.⁸ In other words, the essential condition for spiritual development is self-knowledge that dispels pride and fosters humility.⁹ This humility is made possible through Christ. The second step is the knowledge of others, which becomes possible only through the window of love. When the mind is purified by love, it becomes capable of contemplating the Truth. Thus, knowledge of others becomes a bridge that connects self-knowledge to the knowledge of God—this, according to Bernard, is the work of the Holy Spirit.¹⁰

The third and final stage is the contemplation and understanding of Truth itself, where the soul recognizes that divine light is imparted to the essence of the Creator, not to creatures themselves.¹¹

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid., Sermon 84.
  4. Bernard, On Loving God, ch. 15.
  5. Bernard, On the Knowledge of Self and of God.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Bernard, On Consideration, II.
  8. Ibid., III.
  9. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 36.
  10. Ibid., Sermon 74.
  11. Ibid., Sermon 75.

(4) Character of God-Perspective

As mentioned above, the central focus of Bernard of Clairvaux’s Trinitarian theology is love. “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”¹ Since Deus caritas est—God is love—the essential condition for knowing and understanding God is to know what love is.²

According to Bernard, love exists in two forms.³ First, love is God Himself. Second, love is a gift given by God to human beings.⁴ This distinction is crucial in Bernard’s theology. He draws this insight from the scriptural text: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (Caritas ex Deo est).⁵ For Bernard, this gift of love is identical with the gift of the Holy Spirit.⁶

This understanding was shared broadly among the Cistercian mystics. The gift of the Holy Spirit enables the soul to understand God through love.⁷ While no one can see God directly, when love—given as a divine gift—dwells in us, God dwells in us.⁸ In this sense, perfect love is not something we generate ourselves, but something given and completed in us by God.⁹ Thus, the reason we are called to love God is clear: because God first took the initiative to love us.¹⁰

Étienne Gilson summarizes Bernard’s Trinitarian perspective by noting that the Holy Spirit is the mutual love that unites the Father and the Son, and the Son with the Father.¹¹ Love, therefore, is the unifying force within the Divine Life itself, a bond that grants humanity both the peace and grace of God. Importantly, love is not something external or added to God, but the very essence of God.¹²

[Notes]

  1. 1 John 4:8 (RSV).
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Love of God, ch. 4.
  4. Ibid.
  5. 1 John 4:7 (RSV).
  6. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 8.
  7. Ibid., Sermon 11.
  8. 1 John 4:12.
  9. Bernard, On the Love of God, ch. 7.
  10. Ibid., ch. 1.
  11. Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 119.
  12. Ibid.

C. MYSTICAL METHODOLOGY OF BERNARD

As mentioned above, we observed that the essence and function of the soul is to breathe life (animation) into the human body. I also noted that the Trinitarian perspective of God aids us in attaining knowledge of God. Now, I will seek to explore practical methods for uniting with God, grounded in both the human perspective and the divine perspective.

(1) The Humility and the Purification of Reason

<a> The Definition of Humility

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, humility consists in humbling oneself through sincere self-examination.¹ This process involves coming to a true understanding of oneself. Without humility, no one can fully comprehend their own nature.² Moreover, it is impossible to grasp the truth without first attaining self-knowledge grounded in humility.³ Bernard affirms this, stating, “It is clear enough, I think, from the verse cited that knowledge of the Truth is the fruit of humility.”⁴

Humility is therefore the path to truth because God reveals the truth to the humble while concealing Himself from the proud.⁵

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Humility and Pride, Sermon 3.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, On Self-Knowledge, ch. 2.
  4. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 36.
  5. Bernard, On the Knowledge of God, ch. 5.

<b> The Character of Humility

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, humility is the essential condition for receiving grace, because God grants grace to the humble but withholds it from the proud.¹

Building on this, Burch distinguishes two kinds of humility in Bernard’s thought, as articulated in the 34th Sermon on the Song of Songs: cognitive humility and conative humility.² Cognitive humility is necessary and involuntary; it is a function of the will that does not depend on human merit. This form of humility constitutes the essential condition for grace, enabling the soul to receive it. In contrast, conative humility is voluntary and associated with human merit; it is the love that arises as the reward for grace already given.³

Bernard describes three stages of grace relating to humility. The first is preventing grace, given in the state of nature, in which God grants humiliation to restore the noble nature of the human being—this corresponds to cognitive humility.⁴ The second is proceeding grace, given to one already in the state of preventing grace, where God bestows true humility, a delight in humiliation—this is conative humility.⁵ The third stage is rewarding grace, given to those in the state of proceeding grace, wherein God grants exaltation.⁶

Therefore, in Bernard’s theology, humility is primarily caused by pre-existent grace, preceding any voluntary human effort or merit. Moreover, true humility involves progressing from cognitive to conative humility—moving from mere self-awareness to active love. Thus, humility is the indispensable condition for attaining both love and truth.⁷

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 34.
  2. James Burch, Humility and Grace in Bernard of Clairvaux, Journal of Medieval Theology 12 (1998): 45–60.
  3. Ibid.
  4. Bernard, On Grace and Humility, ch. 3.
  5. Ibid., ch. 5.
  6. Ibid., ch. 7.
  7. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 36.

(c) The Twelve Steps of Humility and Pride

In his work De Gradibus Humilitatis (On the Steps of Humility), Bernard of Clairvaux outlines twelve steps that lead a person from pride to humility, following the Rule of St. Benedict (the Benedictine Rule).¹ Bernard describes these twelve stages in detail, pairing each step of pride with its corresponding stage of humility.

The first step of pride is curiosity (curiositas), while the final and twelfth step of humility is reached when a person not only harbors humility in their heart but also visibly displays it to all who observe them.² The second step of pride is frivolity (levitas animi), and the eleventh step of humility is when a person speaks quickly but humbly, gravely, and briefly, without laughter or a loud voice.³ The third prideful step is foolish mirth (inepta laetitia), and the tenth step of humility is attained when a person is not easily moved to laughter.⁴

The fourth step of pride is boastfulness (jactantia), contrasted with the ninth step of humility when a person restrains their tongue, practicing silence and only speaking when questioned.⁵ The fifth prideful step is singularity (singularitas), while the eighth step of humility is doing only what the example of one’s elders enjoins.⁶ The sixth step of pride is conceit (arrogantia), opposed by the seventh step of humility, in which a person not only confesses verbally that they are lowly and inferior but also truly believes it in their heart.⁷

The seventh prideful step is audacity (praesumptio), balanced by the sixth humility step where a person is content with all things mean and vile and regards themselves as a poor and worthless servant in obedience.⁸ The eighth prideful step is excusing sins (defensio peccatorum), with the fifth humility step involving humble confession to one’s spiritual father of all evil thoughts and secret faults.⁹ The ninth prideful step is hypocritical confession (simulata confessio), while the fourth humility step is patience and quiet acceptance of suffering, even when unjust or contrary to nature.¹⁰

The tenth prideful step is wearied defiance (rebellio), opposed by the third humility step when a person submits obediently to their superior for the love of God.¹¹ The eleventh prideful step is freedom to sin (liber peccandi), with the second humility step reached when a person does not seek to satisfy their desires but imitates humility in daily life.¹² Finally, the twelfth step of pride is habitual sinning (consuetudo peccandi), while the first step of humility is keeping the fear of God ever before one’s eyes and remaining mindful of all God’s commandments.¹³

Bernard prefers the path of humility over the pursuit of pride. He advocates the careful descent into humility rather than an ambitious ascent.¹⁴ Magil comments that by studying this descending way—which protects us from pride—we can discover the true path toward humility. These twelve steps represent the recovered path that leads to Bernard’s ideal humility after understanding the descent.¹⁵

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, De Gradibus Humilitatis, in Sancti Bernardi Opera, vol. 3, ed. Jean Leclercq and Henri Rochais (Rome: Editiones Cistercienses, 1963), 145.
  2. Ibid., 146.
  3. Ibid., 147.
  4. Ibid., 148.
  5. Ibid., 149.
  6. Ibid., 150.
  7. Ibid., 151.
  8. Ibid., 152.
  9. Ibid., 153.
  10. Ibid., 154.
  11. Ibid., 155.
  12. Ibid., 156.
  13. Ibid., 157.
  14. Bernard, On Humility, Sermon 3.
  15. John Magil, Humility and the Spiritual Life, Journal of Medieval Theology 10 (2000): 78.

<d> The Result of Humility

Humility, according to Bernard of Clairvaux, gives rise to five key spiritual results.

The first result of humility is self-knowledge.¹ This is the most direct fruit of humility and constitutes the first form of knowledge on the path to truth. The second result is self-examination, which emerges when we examine ourselves with sorrow and contrition.²

The third result is justice, which Bernard identifies as conative humility—a virtue that flows from cognitive humility.³ Justice here involves acting rightly in response to the truth we discover about ourselves. The fourth fruit is charity, which arises when we become deeply aware of our own weaknesses—clearly seen not only by ourselves but often by others as well. This honest recognition, borne of humility, prepares the soul to love.⁴

The fifth and final result is the profound knowledge of our own nothingness—the sense of spiritual emptiness that we experience as we long to draw closer to God.⁵ In this recognition of our lowliness, the soul becomes more receptive to grace.

Through these effects of humility, reason is enabled to reach the first stage of truth: self-examination. Ultimately, we advance to the second stage, which is charity, by reclaiming the will to love and to understand others.⁶

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 36.
  2. Ibid., Sermon 37.
  3. Ibid., Sermon 38; see also James Burch, Humility and Grace in Bernard of Clairvaux, Journal of Medieval Theology 12 (1998): 53.
  4. Bernard, On the Love of God, ch. 7.
  5. Ibid., ch. 12.
  6. Bernard, On Consideration, II.5.

(2) Love and Purification of will

<a> The Character and Motive of Love

Bernard of Clairvaux distinguishes between two types of love: spiritual passion and carnal passion.¹ Spiritual passion corresponds to caritas (charity), while carnal passion is identified with concupiscentia (concupiscence or disordered desire).²

In Bernard’s theology, love involves the transformation of concupiscence into spiritual passion.³ Without this transformation, what may appear to be emotional charity—love as an act of the will—remains rooted in natural or secular desire. However, true love becomes active and properly ordered when it aligns with the commandment to love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… and your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”⁴

Thus, a distinctive feature of love in Bernard’s thought is its development from natural, self-centered inclination to spiritual, God-centered devotion. This transformation enables the human person to move from passive affection to active love—fulfilling the will of God.⁵ However, Bernard teaches that this active love ultimately becomes ecstatic love—a love that goes beyond the self in self-forgetful union with the divine.⁶

Étienne Gilson further develops Bernard’s understanding of love by distinguishing between natural love (which he describes as physical or realistic love) and ecstatic love (or spiritual love).⁷ Natural love follows an essential inclination toward one’s own good and reflects the original tendency of created beings. But ecstatic love, in contrast, transcends the self—it moves the lover to be “outside of oneself” and to exist “for another.”⁸

Bernard maintains that the human being, in their original nature, does not possess grace and cannot recover it by their own power.⁹ True love, therefore, can only be restored through the grace of God.¹⁰ This divine grace is the motive force that empowers love—not merely self-love but love directed toward God, who is Love itself.¹¹ This, Bernard argues, is why we must love God. God can even be loved by those who do not yet know Christ, because divine love precedes human knowledge.¹²

Ultimately, love in Bernard’s theology seeks no reward beyond union with the beloved. Yet paradoxically, in giving itself away, love still receives its greatest reward—perfect union with God.¹³

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 4.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 20.
  4. Matthew 22:37–40 (RSV).
  5. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 7.
  6. Ibid., ch. 10.
  7. Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 127.
  8. Ibid., 129.
  9. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 2.
  10. Ibid., ch. 3.
  11. 1 John 4:8.
  12. Bernard, On Loving God, ch. 15.
  13. Ibid., ch. 16.

<b> The Steps of Love

Love is one of the four basic human emotions, along with fear, joy and sorrow.

(i). The Love of Self For Self

As Bernard of Clairvaux quotes, “It is not the spiritual that comes first, but the physical; then the spiritual.”¹ This statement reflects a fundamental theological principle: love begins with the carnal (carnalis) and progresses toward the spiritual. While carnal love is not directly addressed in the commandments, it functions as the necessary starting point of all forms of love.² This is an apodictic truth—we cannot love God or others unless we first possess life, and we cannot sustain life unless we possess a form of self-love. In other words, “we must live in order to love God, and we must love ourselves in order to live.”³

According to Bernard, this initial form of love begins in the body and is intertwined with human desires and the avarice of the flesh.⁴ Because we are embodied beings, we often fall into sin by loving our physical selves more than we love God’s commandments. This disordered love—rooted in fleshly desires, anxieties, and weaknesses—disturbs the soul and distances us from divine love.⁵

Thus, Bernard emphasizes the need to listen to God’s commands, for they guide us back toward ordered love. In our fallen condition, grace becomes essential: it is through the grace of God that we are redirected from self-centered desire to love for God and others.⁶ At this point in the spiritual journey, Bernard teaches that we begin to love others not merely out of self-interest, but as a means of participating in God’s redemptive love. In loving others, we are, by grace, drawn back into the proper order of love and into deeper union with God.⁷

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 20.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, On Loving God, ch. 2.
  4. Ibid., ch. 3.
  5. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 4.
  6. Ibid., ch. 5.
  7. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.

(ii). The Love of God for One’s Own Sake

Even when a person claims to love God, their perspective may still not be aligned with God’s own.¹ Though such a person may exhibit prudence, the motivation behind their love often remains self-centered. In this case, the individual seeks God’s grace not purely out of love, but for personal benefit—for safety, comfort, or security.²

In other words, this person loves God not for God’s sake, but for their own. They turn to God in times of hardship, relying on divine love to gain protection or maintain dignity amid life’s challenges.³ This form of love, while sincere to a degree, is still rooted in self-preservation. Such a person has already realized that they cannot overcome life’s difficulties by their own strength, and thus depends on God’s help—yet without fully transcending their own self-interest.⁴

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 9.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  4. Ibid., ch. 10.

(iii) The Love of God for God’s Sake

At this stage, the person no longer loves God for their own benefit, but purely for God’s own sake.¹ As Bernard of Clairvaux wrote, “He loves God now, not for his own sake but for Himself.”² This transformation occurs when one truly hears and receives the Word of God—not merely secondhand, but through personal encounter. As the people of Samaria declared: “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”³

The soul that loves God in this way has already tasted the sweetness of the Word, as described in Scripture: “Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”⁴ Such love flows from direct experience of God’s kindness and truth, not from obligation or self-interest.

At this level of spiritual maturity, the Christian no longer experiences God’s commandments as burdensome. Instead, obedience becomes a joy, especially when it involves love and service to others.⁵ In this way, the soul reaches a higher state of authentic Christian life—where love is not merely reactive or utilitarian, but pure, selfless, and sustained by grace.⁶

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 10.
  2. Ibid.
  3. John 4:42 (NRSV).
  4. 1 Peter 2:1–3 (NRSV).
  5. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  6. Ibid., ch. 11.

(iv) The Love even of Self only for God’s Sake

When a person reaches the fourth and highest degree of love, they love even themselves for God’s sake.¹ In this state, there is complete harmony between the will of God and the will of the human person. The individual becomes a “new being,” whose deepest desire is to do the will of God through self-negation.² Unlike the first degree of love, which is self-centered and seeks God only for personal benefit, this final stage reflects self-affirmation through surrender—a life wholly grounded in God’s presence.³

This degree of love cannot be attained by human effort alone. It is the result of divine grace—a gift granted by God.⁴ Bernard illustrates this transformation with vivid imagery: a piece of iron, when heated to the point of melting, begins to resemble fire. Its original nature seems to disappear, but it remains iron. Similarly, when a soul is fully immersed in God’s love, it becomes so united with the divine will that it radiates God’s light.⁵ Like air illuminated by a sunbeam, the self shines with God’s glory, though it is not light itself—it is still human.⁶

This mystical union is not about the annihilation of the self, but about the transfiguration of the self in love. It is the ultimate state of Christian maturity, where the believer’s identity is no longer defined by self-will, but by communion with God’s will.⁷

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 15.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  4. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 6.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Bernard, On Loving God, ch. 16.

<c> The Result of Love

Love is, at its core, the image of God imprinted on the human soul.¹ It is most fully revealed and activated through the human will, especially when that will is restored and aligned by the work of the Holy Spirit.² Once the human will is renewed, it becomes capable of uniting with the divine will through love.³

At this stage, love does more than express emotion—it becomes the dynamic force that draws the soul toward truth itself.⁴ This movement of the soul, propelled by love, leads the believer into the third and highest degree of truth, which Bernard describes as contemplation.⁵ In contemplation, the soul no longer seeks knowledge for practical ends or moral insight alone, but enters into the mystery of divine presence—a knowing born out of loving union with God.⁶

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 1.
  2. Ibid., ch. 3.
  3. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  4. Ibid., ch. 9.
  5. Bernard, De Consideratione, Book V.
  6. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 7.

(3) Contemplation and Completion of Truth

Bernard of Clairvaux understood the knowledge of Truth as unfolding in three progressive steps. The first step is the knowledge of self, which is attained through humility and allows the soul to regain its right use of reason. The second step is the knowledge of others, made possible by a purified heart that sees others through the lens of love. Finally, the third step is the knowledge of God, reached through contemplation—where the soul enters into communion with God as the Truth itself.

<a> The Process and Essence of Contemplation

For Bernard of Clairvaux, the core of his mystical theology is the practice of contemplation, which he defined as the soul’s ascent toward God, the Supreme Good.¹ The ultimate aim of this mystical contemplation is not mere knowledge, but union with truth itself.²

In his Sermons on the Song of Songs, Bernard identified three progressive stages of contemplation.³ The first stage is for those who are not yet capable of contemplation due to spiritual immaturity. To overcome this limitation, they begin by meditating on the crucified Christ, drawing close to God’s mercy through humility.⁴

The second stage is for those who are more spiritually advanced. Here, the contemplative experiences a kind of spiritual vision—a glimpse into the heavenly realm where saints and angels dwell. This stage inspires awe and longing for holiness.⁵

The third and highest stage is reserved for those who are more perfected in humility and love, having developed the capacity for mystical union. At this level, the contemplative encounters the Word of God in three dimensions: as natural law, moral law, and divine law.⁶

Bernard describes this in three movements:

  1. The soul is rapt in wonder at the vision of natural law, which imparts knowledge.
  2. The soul is rapt in fear and trembling before the vision of moral law, which brings wisdom.
  3. The soul is rapt in love and joy in the vision of the divine law, which is love itself and brings peace.⁷

This highest vision—the law of God as love—is experienced through the sensitivity of the soul, in which love becomes the mode of seeing. It is the mystery of spiritual marriage, the consummation of perfect contemplation, in which the soul is united with God in ineffable intimacy.⁸

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 10.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 74.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Ibid., Sermon 77.
  6. Bernard, De Consideratione, Book V.
  7. Ibid.
  8. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.

‹b> The Cause of Contemplation and the Condition of Spiritual Marriage

For Bernard of Clairvaux, the grace of God is the fundamental cause of contemplation.¹ As he wrote, “Pure truth is seen only with a pure heart.”² This vision of truth, therefore, is not attained through rational discourse alone, but rather through the holiness of life.³

Contemplation requires that both understanding and love be purified. The organ of understanding is reason, and the organ of love is the will. Bernard teaches that reason is purified by humility, and the will is purified by love.⁴ When both are purified, the soul becomes capable of union with God—an ineffable consummation of divine intimacy.⁵

Bernard’s concept of mystical communion, however, must not be misunderstood as a fusion of essences between the divine and the human.⁶ Rather, it is a perfect communion of wills.⁷ That is, the will of the lover and the will of the Beloved do not become one by nature or substance, but by their shared purpose and desire.⁸ In this lies true mystical union—not in identity, but in intentional unity.

Bernard describes this mystical union as akin to the relationship between a fish and water.⁹ Though they remain distinct, they are inseparably connected. Water is necessary for the life of the fish, while the fish, in motion and life, gives meaning to the water. This mutual dependence and harmony represent the distinctive character of Bernard’s mystical theology.¹⁰

Finally, contemplation in Bernard’s thought has two essential dimensions: it is both cognitive and erotic.¹¹ No one can understand truth without loving it, and no one can truly love it without understanding it. Thus, Bernard famously described the contemplative act as a kiss.¹² But this kiss must be without distortion or coldness. To become the Bride of Christ, the soul must prepare two lips—the lip of reason for understanding, and the lip of will for wisdom.¹³ This represents the third stage of reaching the Truth through right reasoning, and the fourth stage of loving others on the way to God.¹⁴

[Notes]

  1. Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God, ch. 10.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 83.
  4. Ibid., Sermon 74.
  5. Bernard, De Consideratione, Book V.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 71.
  8. Ibid.
  9. Ibid., Sermon 78.
  10. Ibid.
  11. Bernard, On Grace and Free Will, ch. 7.
  12. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 86.
  13. Ibid.
  14. Ibid.

<c> The Result of Contemplation

According to Bernard of Clairvaux, the final result of contemplation is beatitude.[1] Among all living beings, only the human being possesses the capacity for this blessed state. This is because only the human soul is capable of uniting reason and will through contemplation.[2]

When contemplation is brought to completion, it leads to perfect understanding by refining the faculty of reason and purifying the soul through divine love. In this way, contemplation restores the will, making it fully aligned with God’s will.[3]

At its highest point, this process produces perfect communion between the human will and the divine will. Through this communion, the soul enters into beatitude—the blessed happiness of union with God.[4] This state is also described by Bernard as deification (deificatio), where the human soul is not absorbed into God’s essence, but participates in the divine nature through grace and love.[5]

[Notes] 1. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 85. 2. Ibid., Sermon 73; see also On Loving God, ch. 12. 3. Bernard, De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio, sec. 6. 4. Bernard, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 80 5. Jean Leclercq, Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Spirit (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1976), 132.

D. CONCLUSION

Several theologians supported Bernard’s view, including E. Gilson, A. Harnack, P. Tillich, Aulén, and others.

Gilson writes, “We may remark here as in the case of the First Epistle of St. John, that St. Bernard would seem to have exhausted all the resources with the text in question put at his disposal. … St. Bernard so welded it with the Johannine bloc that the two become altogether one.”1 In other words, God is love. God gives us love, and we live in Him/Her who dwells in us as love. Ultimately, God lives within us.2

This shows that Bernard’s theological perspective is deeply rooted in love. Humility is essential for the capacity to love, and true humility is fulfilled through love. According to Bernard, one can reach God through contemplation. In this sense, Bernard’s mystical theology clearly contains a practical dimension.

Secondly, the path to God, for Bernard, is fundamentally Trinitarian in nature. Once a human being reaches humility and regains corrupted reason through Christ, he or she can come to the knowledge of God and fulfill every faculty of the soul in the state of love.

Thirdly, Bernard’s theology may be described as Christocentric mystical theology. As Gilson notes, Bernard was not only a theologian but also a profound contemplative—one with a great capacity for spiritual insight. His theological pursuit was deeply oriented toward the practice of the spiritual life, centered on love realized through humility.3 In this regard, his theology is practical in character.

Therefore, Bernard may be considered one of the key figures who laid the foundation for speculative mysticism in the Western tradition. Gilson recognized Bernard as holding a central place in the history of theology.4

[Notes]

1 Étienne Gilson, The Mystical Theology of St. Bernard, trans. A. H. C. Downes (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990), 88.

2 Ibid., 89.

3 Ibid., 91.

4 Ibid., 93.

5 Ibid., 95.

Paul Tillich distinguished two forms of mysticism: concrete mysticism, which participates in the loving and saving God, and transcending mysticism, which seeks to reach the ultimate ground of all being, beyond all finite realities. Bernard’s mysticism falls under the former category—concrete mysticism—which is specifically Christ-centered. This form of mysticism is revealed in humility and enables the believer to participate in the reality of God through Jesus Christ.6

[Note]

6 Paul Tillich, A History of Christian Thought, ed. Carl E. Braaten (New York: Touchstone, 1968), 205.

In the case of Adolf Harnack, he observed that Bernard revived the Augustinian tradition of contemplation within Christian mysticism. Bernard emphasized union with God through love, centered on the person of Jesus Christ. His mysticism was a form of Christ-centered contemplation, in which truth and love are revealed through the image of the suffering Christ.7

[Note]

7 Adolf Harnack, History of Dogma, trans. Neil Buchanan (New York: Dover Publications, 1961), 6:132.

On the other hand, Gustaf Aulén argued that Bernard avoided the danger of pantheism because his theology was rooted in the themes of spiritual marriage and the revelation of Christ.8

[Note]

8 Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement, trans. A. G. Hebert (New York: Macmillan, 1969), 117.

As discussed above, Bernard’s mysticism clearly reveals the practical and historical dimensions of Christian mysticism. If we appropriate his mystical vision as a source of spiritual vitality in our modern context—an age often characterized by a deep, hollow nihilism—we may rediscover a path for genuine, passionate faith that does not drift into mystical fantasy devoid of ethical and historical consciousness.9

Secondly, Bernard’s vision may help to revitalize the Church, which in many contexts has lost its spiritual fervor due to rigid institutionalization and excessive systematization.

Thirdly, his mystical theology opens the door to a renewed humanization—recovering both the dignity and grandeur of the human person—especially relevant in a time when modern individuals are worn down by the dehumanizing effects of scientific and material (or mechanical) civilization.

These are tasks entrusted to us, as contemporary Christians, through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.10

[Notes]

9 See Jean Leclercq, Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Spirit, trans. Claire Lavoie (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1976), 102–3.

10 Ibid., 105.


(The sex-inclusive language terms in this paper are myown.)

Conclusion: A Gentle Challenge

Bernard’s mystical theology invites us not to retreat into isolation or esoteric spirituality, but to let humbled hearts, loving wills, and transformed minds flow into every aspect of life.

He calls us to a radical faith: loving for God’s sake, praying for transformation, and serving others in a spirit of spiritual marriage. As we integrate his vision into our homes, churches, and communities, we enact the timeless truth that in God-centered love and contemplation, we find true life, true purpose, and true joy.

Summary Table: Bernard’s Mystical Path and Its Relevance

Stage/ThemeBernard’s EmphasisContemporary Application
HumilitySelf-knowledge → purified reasonCounsels authenticity, mental health, and character formation
LoveSelf-negation → spiritual charityInspires social action, volunteerism, compassion work
ContemplationMystical union via purified willSupports mindfulness, presence, and inner peace
Communion with GodSpiritual marriage, will-alignmentLeads to vocational clarity and creative vocation

Bernard of Clairvaux offers more than medieval nostalgia—he provides a living tradition of spiritual formation rooted in humility, love, and contemplation that addresses modern maladies of isolation, anxiety, and surface-level religion. By engaging his theology:

  • Individuals can rediscover depth of faith and purposeful living beyond routine.
  • Churches can foster vibrant spiritual communities centered on transformation, not just programming.
  • Society can rediscover meaningful integration of thought, heart, and service in an era starved for authenticity and unity.

Final Reflection: Love as the Final Word

Bernard’s theology, mystical yet accessible, reminds us that:

“Love is not only the path to God. Love is the face of God.”

In a world broken by division, striving, and distraction, Bernard’s vision invites us into a holy simplicity: to know ourselves truly, to love others sincerely, and to dwell with God intimately.

In the words of Bernard himself:

“Where love is, there God is. Where God is, there is no lack.”

Challenges in Contemporary Application

While Bernard’s insights are rich, modern readers may struggle with:

  • The language of hierarchy and subordination
  • The medieval framework of sin and merit
  • The tension between eros (desire) and agape (divine love)

These can be navigated by reframing Bernard’s core insights in psychological and existential terms. For example:

Bernard’s TermContemporary Language
Self-love (first stage)Ego-centered identity or survival instinct
HumilityPsychological integration and emotional maturity
Union with GodSpiritual awakening or consciousness of divine presence
Kiss of the WordIntimate communion with mystery or truth

1. Individual Renewal Through Mystical Practice

Bernard’s emphasis on humility, love, and contemplation provides a clear path for personal spiritual growth. In today’s fast-paced world, these practices invite individuals to:

  • Cultivate inner stillness: Through daily meditation on the Crucified Christ and Scripture, believers learn to quiet inner turmoil and open their hearts to divine grace.
  • Develop moral integrity: As one progresses through Bernard’s stages, the purification of reason and will produces sincerity, patience, and compassion in daily life.
  • Experience intimacy with God: Contemplation transforms religious devotion from duty to a living relationship—mirroring Bernard’s call to spiritual marriage with God.

2. Community and Ecclesial Formation

The communal and sacramental dimensions of Bernard’s scheme encourage churches and faith-based organizations to:

  • Foster mentorship: Spiritual maturity flourishes in communities where experienced believers guide others through the stages of spiritual growth—from humility to contemplation.
  • Integrate spiritual formation: Beyond institutional programming, Bernard’s framework promotes discipleship that cultivates the heart as much as the mind.
  • Revitalize worship: A renewed focus on contemplative silence, liturgy, and sacrament preserves the mystical core of Christian worship.

3. Dialogue with Secular Culture

Bernard’s theology offers vital conversation points with modern society:

  • Countering existential emptiness: As materialism and consumerism exhaust the human spirit, contemplative practices rooted in humility and love reawaken purpose and transcendence.
  • Bridging science and spirituality: Bernard’s vision of deificatio—participation in divine life—provides a philosophical model for dialogue between faith and reason, where spirituality enriches, rather than opposes, scientific inquiry.
  • Uniting personal faith with social action: Bernard insists that mystical union must translate into loving service—bridging the divide between personal devotion and active love toward others.

4. Integrating Bernard’s Approach into Personal Devotion

Implementing Bernard’s framework in daily spiritual life involves a rhythmic interplay of humility, love, and contemplation:

  • Morning Reflection: Begin each day with a brief self-examination, inviting the Spirit to reveal hidden pride or self-interest. This primes the heart for humility.
  • Midday Meditation: Pause at a transitional moment in your day to meditate on the crucified Christ. This helps interrupt natural self-centered urges and restores focus on divine love.
  • Evening Contemplation: Conclude with a moment of silent presence before God, allowing the purified reason and will (through prayer and scripture) to rest in divine truth—opening the door to mystical union.

Over time, these patterns orient the soul toward consistency in spiritual awareness, transforming the mundane into opportunities for grace encounters.

5. Mentorship and Formation in Churches

To cultivate maturation as Bernard envisaged, communities can adopt structured yet flexible guidelines:

  1. Spiritual Mentors or “Elders”: Individuals who embody humility and spiritual depth can meet regularly with mentees to guide them through the contemplative stages.
  2. Small Group Practices: Focused groups can engage in lectio divina, shared periods of silence, and discussions on Bernard’s sermons—promoting both understanding and shared holiness.
  3. Sacramental Rhythms: Frequent reception of the Eucharist and confession mirrors the theological moves of sanctity—restoring union with God and neighbor.

6. Societal Impact Beyond the Church Walls

Bernard’s mysticism extends outward into the marketplace, civic life, and global concerns:

  • Ethical Work Ethos: When work springs from a heart transformed by humility and love, it becomes an act of worship, influencing industries to prioritize dignity, justice, and purpose.
  • Restorative Justice: Forgiveness and reconciliation reflect Bernard’s vision of self-negating love. Communities shaped by contemplative hearts foster more compassionate justice systems.
  • Environmental Stewardship: Contemplation cultivates attention to beauty and life. Humble reverence for creation leads to sustainable care and ecological advocacy.

7. Inviting a New Generation

Bernard’s theology speaks to those who crave depth, spiritual identity, and impact in a fragmented age:

  • Youth Engagement: Retreats, pilgrimages, or digital guides inspired by Bernard can attract spiritually searching young people needing authentic experiences beyond hobbyist faith.
  • Interfaith Conversations: Contemplation and mystical union resonate with many religious traditions. Bernard’s Christ-centered path can anchor Christologically while engaging other wisdom streams.
  • Leadership Formation: Whether in nonprofit organizations, families, or schools, leaders shaped by contemplative love are equipped to lead with integrity, vision, and empathy.

8. A Three-Year Spiritual Formation Curriculum

Inspired by Bernard’s progressive stages, faith communities could offer a structured three-year formation program, designed to guide participants from humility to mystical union:

YearFocusPractices
Year One: HumilitySelf-awareness and repentanceDaily examen; confession; mentorship on identifying pride and seeking grace
Year Two: Purified LoveLove of God and neighborLectio divina; midweek service projects; prayer circles focused on charity
Year Three: ContemplationMystical union in GodExtended retreats; Eucharistic adoration; silent contemplative prayer

This curriculum offers both structure and flexibility, integrating communal formation with deep personal spiritual growth.

9. Spiritual Retreat and Pilgrimage

Drawing from Bernard’s own practice, communities can incorporate immersive spiritual retreats modeled after monastic rhythms:

  • Three-Day “Cruciform Retreat”: Focus on the Cross through solitude, journaling, and meditative prayer.
  • Weekend “Mystical Bridge” Pilgrimage: A shoreline walk or mountain climb accompanied by guided silence, symbolizing ascent toward spiritual union.
  • “Marriage with God” Retreat: Extended time in Eucharistic adoration, lectio, and sacred reading aimed at deepening spiritual intimacy.

These retreats cultivate inner clarity, spiritual resilience, and a renewed sense of calling.

10. Incorporating Technology in Contemplation

Even in a digital era, Bernard’s pathways can be adapted for wider access:

  • Guided Meditation Apps: Short, contemplative prayers rooted in Bernard’s imagery—cross, fish-and-water, kiss of contemplation.
  • Virtual Lectio Groups: Weekly online gatherings combining Scripture, silence, and gentle facilitation.
  • Social Media “Humility Challenges”: Short reflections encouraging participants to name pride, express gratitude, or perform humble acts of service.

These tools help sustain spiritual rhythms in busy or scattered communities.

11. Measuring Spiritual Fruit

Transformation through Bernard’s mysticism can be evaluated not by program metrics, but by spiritual markers:

  • Growing Compassion and Sensitivity: Is there a noticeable shift in how individuals respond to suffering and need?
  • Interior Peace and Resilience: Do participants show greater ability to endure hardship or uncertainty?
  • Consistent Contemplative Practice: Are forms of silence, meditation, and solitude becoming habitual?
  • Communal Impact: Are participants initiating acts of service, reconciliation, or ecological stewardship?

These signs, though qualitative, demonstrate lives shaped by Bernard’s mystical grace.

12. Future Directions

By taking inspiration from Bernard, faith communities can pioneer:

  • Contemplative Leaders Networks rising from grassroots practitioners.
  • Books and Devotionals introducing Bernard’s path to a broader audience.
  • Academic Scholarship and Dialogue bridging Benedictine, Cistercian, and contemporary spiritual streams.

13. Bernard’s Relevance in Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue

Bernard’s mystical theology, centered in love and humility, offers a universal spiritual language that can bridge intercultural and interfaith communities. In today’s pluralistic society, his emphasis on:

  • Self-knowledge through humility,
  • The universal longing for divine love, and
  • Transformation of the will toward peace and communion

provides a foundation for dialogue that transcends doctrinal barriers. In interfaith gatherings or multicultural settings, Bernard’s stages of love (from self-love to God-love) could be explored as shared human experiences—inviting understanding, not conflict.

Example Application:

  • A “Path of Love” symposium, where Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, and Muslim scholars present on the stages of love and contemplation in their traditions.
  • Community workshops using Bernard’s steps of humility as a framework for restorative justice and reconciliation.

14. Renewing Preaching and Teaching

Bernard’s deeply contemplative yet pastoral theology also revitalizes preaching and theological education:

  • Preachers are encouraged not only to inform, but to transform, leading listeners from awareness of pride to participation in divine love.
  • Theological students and seminarians can be trained in “mystical reasoning”—a mode of theological reflection that integrates head, heart, and will.
  • Sermons might follow Bernard’s structure: beginning with self-examination, moving to love of neighbor, and culminating in union with God.

Suggested Preaching Series (based on Bernard’s stages):

  • Week 1: “Curiosity and Pride: The First Step Downward”
  • Week 2: “Confessing Our Condition: The Turning Point”
  • Week 3: “Knowing Myself, Knowing God”
  • Week 4: “The Kiss of Christ: Love as Union”

15. Spiritual Leadership through Bernard’s Lens

Church leaders shaped by Bernard’s mystical path embody a leadership style that is:

  • Non-coercive (marked by humility rather than power),
  • Grounded in contemplation,
  • Oriented toward healing,
  • Capable of discerning truth in the stillness of love, and
  • Radically inclusive, because love recognizes the dignity in every soul.

Bernard’s model of leadership encourages servant-leaders to recognize when to speak and when to be silent, when to act and when to surrender. The mystical path equips them with depth and discernment, so needed in times of uncertainty.

16. Bernard’s Mysticism in the Context of Pastoral Care

Bernard’s insights provide rich resources for pastoral care, especially for those navigating suffering, spiritual dryness, or identity crises. His emphasis on Christ as the center of all healing and the gradual transformation of the soul through love and humility can be translated into a healing model that resonates deeply with individuals today.

Applications in Pastoral Counseling:

  • The First Degree of Love (loving self for self’s sake) can help individuals acknowledge their needs without shame—a starting point for healing.
  • The Second Degree (loving God for self’s sake) allows one to experience divine support during suffering.
  • The Third Degree (loving God for God’s sake) calls the person into deeper trust and surrender, even amid unanswered prayers.
  • The Fourth Degree (loving self for God’s sake) becomes the fruit of long-term spiritual healing and the restoration of one’s divine image.

Through these stages, a counselor or spiritual director can help individuals identify where they are on their journey and how grace is already active in their transformation.

17. The Role of the Church in Cultivating Mystical Life

Bernard’s vision invites the church to become more than a doctrinal institution; it becomes a school of love, a community of contemplation, and a sanctuary for the soul. His writings inspire us to imagine a church that nurtures:

  • Silence as sacred space
  • Simplicity as spiritual practice
  • Service as a fruit of contemplation

Worship services shaped by Bernard’s theology would emphasize mystery, sacred reading (lectio divina), and time for interior reflection. Christian formation would not just be about knowledge of doctrine, but transformation into the likeness of Christ.

18. Mysticism and Justice: A Modern Synthesis

Though Bernard’s writings are deeply contemplative, their implications for justice and solidarity are profound. The love of God necessarily opens into the love of neighbor, especially the oppressed, forgotten, or marginalized. Bernard’s call to humility breaks the ego that sustains systems of power, while his contemplation of Christ crucified identifies God with those who suffer.

A Bernardian approach to justice begins in the soul—but it does not end there.

“No one can truly gaze upon the broken body of Christ without being moved to compassion for the broken body of the world.”

Churches rooted in Bernard’s mysticism can become centers of quiet revolution, where interior transformation fuels public action rooted not in anger or ideology, but in love purified by grace.

19. Final Theological Summary: Bernard’s Contribution

To summarize Bernard’s mystical theology, we can outline his key contributions:

  1. Christocentric Spirituality – Christ is both the path and goal of the soul’s journey.
  2. Trinitarian Perspective – The dynamic of divine love (Father–Son–Spirit) becomes the model and means of human transformation.
  3. Humility as the Gateway to Truth – All spiritual knowledge begins with self-knowledge.
  4. Love as the Ladder to Union – Through the four degrees of love, the soul climbs toward divine intimacy.
  5. Contemplation as Divine Participation – Not merely vision, but union of will and heart with God.
  6. Practical Mysticism – A theology that integrates contemplation with action, doctrine with experience, and soul with community.

20. A Closing Word to the Modern Reader

In a time of technological noise, moral fragmentation, and spiritual fatigue, Bernard’s mystical theology offers not only a historical treasure but a prophetic invitation:

  • To slow down.
  • To turn inward.
  • To rediscover God not as idea, but as love who dwells within.
  • To live a life shaped by humility, purified by grace, and anchored in truth.

May Bernard’s words echo in the hearts of those who still seek the Kiss of the Word, and may his vision help guide us all “from knowledge to love, and from love to union.”

“The soul’s true life is to love God; its perfection is to be one with Him.” – Bernard of Clairvaux

Final Invitation

Bernard of Clairvaux invites us into a transformative journey: from humility, through purified love, into mystical union with God. It is a journey neither passive nor remote, but deeply engaged and resolutely practical.

May our communal embrace of Bernard’s path lead to hospitable churches, integrated lives, and a kinder, more contemplative world, where people discover that God-centered love reveals our truest humanity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The works of the St. Bernard de Clairvaux, Spencer, Mass., Cistercian Publications, 1970- . This translation is based on the critical Latin ed. prepared by Jean Leclerq and Henri Rochais, Rome, Editions Cisterienses, 1957. Including: Vol. 1. Treatises I, Vol. 2. On the Song of Songs I, Vol. 3. One the Song of Songs II, Vol. 4. On the Song of Songs III, Vol. 5. Treatises II, Vol. 6. On the Song of Songs IV, Vol. 5. Treatises III, Vol. 10. The Life and Death of Saint Malachy the Irishman, Vol. 13. Five Books on Consideration, Vol. 25. Sermons on Conversations

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Gilson, Étienne. The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard. Translated by A.H.C. Downes. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990.

Leclercq, Jean. Bernard of Clairvaux and the Cistercian Spirit. Translated by Claire L. Baker. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1976.

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