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Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.

Bernard of Clairvaux

Learn first to love yourself, and then you can love me.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Firsts Learning Love
Love is alone sufficient by itself, it pleases by itself and for it’s own sake. It is itself a merit, and itself it’s own recompense. It seeks neither cause, nor consequences beyond itself. It is its own fruit, its own object and usefulness. I love because I love you, I love that I may love.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Emotion Love May Recompose Sake Sufficient
A pretext is never lacking to him who would break with a friend.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Break Friendship Lacking
Nay, what is worse, turning over corrupt and evil thoughts in mine heart, I thrust a dreadful offensiveness into His presence.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Dreadful Offensiveness Presence
The piercing nail has become a key to unlock the door, that I may see the good will of the Lord. And what can I see as I look through the hole?
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Faith Heart Inspiration
If anyone makes himself his own master in the spiritual life, he makes himself scholar to a fool.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Fool Masters Spiritual
Pride only, the chief of all iniquities, can make us treat gifts as if they were rightful attributes of our nature, and, while receiving benefits, rob our Benefactor of His due glory.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Benefit Pride Receiving Recieve
It is a fault, not a virtue, to wish your humility recognized and applauded.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Faults Humility Wish
Grace is necessary to salvation, free will equally so – but grace in order to give salvation, free will in order to receive it.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Giving Grace Order
Prostrate, see Thy cross I grasp,And Thy pierced feet I clasp;Gracious Jesus, spurn me not;On me, with compassion fraught.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Compassion Fall Fraught Gracious Jesus
Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Hoe Lesson Needs
True love does not demand a reward, but it deserves one.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Demand Reward Rewards
Humility in furs is better than pride in tunics.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Better Fur Humility Pride
To serve Mary is a mark of eternal salvation to come.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Mark Mary Salvation
There is no greater misery than false joys.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Greater Joy Misery
The measure of love is love without measure.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Inspirational Love Measure
Persecution shows who is a hireling, and who a true pastor.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Catholic Pastor Persecution
As patience leads to peace, and study to science, so are humiliations the path that leads to humility.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Humility Path Study
Among us on the earth there is His memory; but in the Kingdom of heaven His very Presence. That Presence is the joy of those who have already attained to beatitude; the memory is the comfort of us who are still wayfarers, journeying towards the Fatherland.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Fatherland Heaven Joy Memories Presence
What we love we shall grow to resemble.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Creative Grows Love
We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Faith God Love Profitable
I have no other masters than the beeches and the oaks.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Beeches Masters Oaks
What does God hate or punish except self-will? Let self-will cease, and there will be no hell. On what does that fire feed except on self-will?
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Cease Except Feed Fire Hate Self
God will either give us what we ask, or what He knows to be better for us.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Giving Gods Will Knows
Believe one who has tried, you shall find a fuller satisfaction in the woods than in the books. The trees and the rocks will teach you that which you cannot hear from the masters.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Believe Book Nature Satisfaction Tree
And thus communicates, without loss to itself, its superabundant water. In the Church at the present day, we have many canals, few reservoirs.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Church Loss Present Reservoir Superbundant
Humility is, of all graces, the chiefest when it does not know itself to be a grace at all.
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Grace Humility Know

Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.

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Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet, what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.

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