St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Arbiter of Christendom
By Mrs. Brownsey (A True Catholic)
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts” Zech iv:6
The revelation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at Fatima, for whose Triumph we labour is clearly foreshadowed in this meditation of St. Bernard: “The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the prophecy of Simeon and the actual story of our Lord’s passion. The holy old man said of the infant Jesus: ‘He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted.’ And of Mary ‘Your own Heart will be pierced by a sword’.”
“Truly, O Blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart. For only by passing through your heart could the sword enter the flesh of your Son. Indeed, after your Jesus – who belongs to everyone, but is especially yours – gave up his life, the cruel spear which was not withheld from his lifeless body, tore open his side. Clearly it did not touch his soul and could not harm him, but it did pierce your Heart. For surely, his soul was no longer there, but yours could be torn away.
Thus, the violence of sorrow has cut through your Heart and we rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in you has gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering. “Or were those words, ‘Woman behold your Son, not more than a word to you, truly piercing your heart, cutting through to the division between soul and spirit? What an exchange!
John is given to you in place of Jesus, the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in place of the master, the son of Zebedee replaces the Son of God, a mere man replaces God himself. How could these words not pierce your most loving heart, when the mere remembrance of them breaks ours, hearts of iron and stone though they are!
“Do not be surprised, brothers, that Mary is said to be a martyr in spirit. Let him be surprised who does not remember the words of Paul, that one of the greatest crimes of the Gentiles was that they were without love. That was far from the Heart of Mary, let it be far from her servants.
“Perhaps someone will say ‘Had she not known that he would die?’ Undoubtedly. ‘Did she not expect him to rise again?’ Surely. ‘And still she grieved over her crucified Son?’ Intensely. Who are you and what is the source of your wisdom that you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary’s Son? For if he could die in body, could she not die with him in spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had ever known.
She died in spirit through a love unlike any since His.” -St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Sermo in dom. Infra oct Assumptionis 14-15: Opera omnia, Edit. Cist. 5, 273-274.
This is perhaps still the finest expression ever written upon the union of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary – the royal standard of our time. St. Bernard’s mystical theology is very much a contemporary meditation. Although the Revolution inaugurated 1789 has “uncrowned” our Lord Jesus Christ as King, it is by means of His Sacred Heart that our Lord both desires and intends to reconquer nations. Omnia instaurare in Christo.
It is the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart that will restore all things to His glory. As He said to Sr Lucia of Fatima at Tuy, quite simply: “This has been confided to her.” Even though the Spiritual union of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts had not yet been shown prophetically to the Church in the time of St. Bernard, nor its meaning in history begun to be revealed, yet it was always there in the Sacred Deposit to the eyes of faith, such as St. Bernard possessed. And here in the twelfth century, does St. Bernard, the contemplative theologian and doctor of the Church, begin to sound the great themes of this union. Co-redemption. Martyrdom of spirit. Vicarious exchange in filial relationship and by extension,“the works that I do, and greater will he do, because I go to the Father” John 14:12. Here, referring to the Apostolic works of our Lord’s Kingdom and his government, the Church, wrought by servants and disciples given to His Mother as sons and to whom He has committed His Mother as Co- Redemptrix – that is through Her Heart and the prayer of Her Heart, magnifying Him above all.
These supernatural realities and the great themes that attend them were always present in the Sacred Deposit. But the Church in time through Her saints participating in the things of heaven and living through this passing age of the world, discover to us the sacred realities that are to become manifest in history, and thus woven with our own lives. And in these latter times, Our Lord has invited us to become consecrated to Him through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This invitation, we see now, in the Providence and foreknowledge of God, was uniquely reserved for the Church in the time of the Revolution begun in 1789, when His Vicariate, the papacy would be overthrown. The terrible chapters in that Revolution – the loss of the papal estates in the 19th century, the world wars entraining from the destruction and subversion of nations by Masonry, the overthrow of the Holy See in Rome in 1958: “The Pastor having been struck” (1) closely concerns the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so much so that at Fatima, she comes to offer her Heart as the sanctuary and refuge of the Church in eclipse.
Christ’s Vicar on Earth, His Holiness Pope Innocent II, although seemingly invisible/hidden compared to the “popular” (Antipope) Anacletus II- summoned the man of prayer, St. Bernard, to defend His lawful claim to the throne of St. Peter.
These contemplative truths, beginning to dawn in the twelfth century and shining more strongly and clearly into focus with every passing century, these are the true light of Clairvaux, the light of that time to which we now turn. This is the history of St. Bernard’s century, the twelfth century. Indeed it was the piety and zeal and mystical theology of St. Bernard that made the twelfth century a great century in the age of the Church; when St. Bernard of Clairvaux, contemplative monk devoted to silence, prayer, the study of the sacred scripture and theology became the Arbiter of Christendom, summoned by Pope Innocent II to defend his claims and to contend against the antipope of the day Anacletus II.
This was century in which an antipapacy, the might of its temporal arm, its wealth and enormous popularity among all classes was weighed in the balance – and judged, even in its own day -a passing thing.
Briefly, the history of the antipapacy begins as the history of antipapacy always does with those who covet the temporal power. Since those who covet the temporal power, never get any really new or
interesting ideas, a brief synopsis will suffice to narrate the background to the antipapacy of the twelfth century. Cardinal Pietro Pierleone of the Pierleoni family, one the wealthiest and most powerful senatorial families, decided he wanted to become the pope.
“If we can believe his enemies, he disgraced his high office (Cardinal-Deacon of SS Cosmas and Damian) by gross immorality and by his greed in the accumulation of lucre… there can be little doubt that he was determined to buy or force his way into the papal chair.”
The Pierleoni, of Jewish extraction, had arisen to wealth and power through usury and with this wealth he could count upon the votes of 30 cardinals, the support of the populace upon whom he had lavished many favours, as well as the support of every noble family in Rome. When Pope Honorius II lay dying on the night of Feb. 13, 1130, the Pierleoni had the Romanita of the election of his successor in hand. It was as we would say in our century: “a done deal.” Whatever, they called it in the twelfth century, the pars sanior, who retained the leading power in the Sacred College and the election knew a ‘done deal’ when they saw one.
They determined to use their plenary powers in the Sacred College to block the election of Cardinal Pierleone. The Chancellor of the Sacred College, Cardinal Haymaric and the Cardinal – Bishop of Ostia together with four Cardinal – Bishops removed the dying pope from the Latern to St. Gregory’s. He was buried Feb. 14, and the election promptly called among the Cardinal- Bishops together with hand picked Cardinal – priests and Cardinal – deacons in sufficient number to secure valid election.
They elected Gregory Papareschi, Cardinal of San Giorgio. He took the name Innocent II. Later in the day, the Pierleone party assembled in the Church of St. Mark and proclaimed Cardinal Pietro Pierleone to be the pope. He took the name Anacletus II. Both claimants were consecrated on Feb 23, 1130: Anacletus II at St. Peter’s and Innocent II at St. Maria Nuova by the Cardinal – Bishop of Ostia to whom the function specifically belonged. The schism of the twelfth century had begun. The canonists were deadlocked over the entitlements of the opposed claimants. The majority of the Cardinals stood with Pierleone; including the Dean of the Sacred College; however, most of the Cardinal – Bishops stood with Innocent II. The populace supported the papacy of Anacletus II. His life at stake, Pope Innocent II fled the City under banishment of the antipope.
In France, Bernard of Clairvaux took up his cause. “Expelled by the City, he was welcomed by the world.” Summoned by a national council of French bishops at Etampes, St. Bernard was chosen to judge between the two claimants for the papacy. The Saint stated his reasons for his decision in favour of Innocent II. His election was purer in motive, more regular in form, earlier in time. The dignity and merit of Pope Innocent’s electors were an important consideration: cardinals, bishops, priests and deacons in sufficient numbers and according to the decrees of the Fathers to make a valid election.
Recognition by the great Catholic powers followed. St. Bernard accompanied Innocent to Italy and reconciled the city states of Pisa, Genoa and Milan with the Pope and with Lothair. In the spring of 1130, two great synods: Reims and Piacenza, swayed by the advocacy of St. Bernard, declared for Innocent II.
The Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, Italy was illegally held by Antipope Anacletus II who was well-fortified, do to his plundering of the treasures of the Church Pope Innocent II entered Rome, supported by the army of Lothair, but Lothair felt himself too weak to resist the partisans of Anacletus in Rome where he was maintaining himself in great popularity by lavish expenditure and the plundered
treasures of the Church. Furthermore, Anacletus had enlisted the support of Duke Roger of Apulia for his temporal arm. And on Christmas Day 1130, a Cardinal legate of Anacletus anointed Roger as ‘King of the Two Sicilies’ at Palermo. Thus Anacletus held the castle of Sain Angelo. Although Lothair had received the imperial crown from Innocent II at the Latern, he could not open the way to St. Peter’s for him. The armies of King Roger could not be defeated by the imperial forces that were weakened in the quarrel Anacletus had stirred up between himself and the House of Hohenstaufen. Upon Lothair’s departure from Rome, Innocent was forced to retire to Pisa and Anacletus remained in possession of Rome for four more years.
Anno Domini 1135 found St. Bernard at Bamberg where he successfully persuaded Frederick of Hohenstaufen to end his quarrel with Lothair and submit to the emperor’s authority. In June, he was back in Northern Italy. The Council of Pisa deferred to the saint and excommunicated Anacletus. Milan, a city of the Lombards, swayed by the eloquence, piety and learning of St. Bernard, was recalled by the Saint to their allegiance to Innocent. In 1137, St. Bernard was again summoned to the world of affairs from the solitude of Clairvaux where he was occupied on his theology of the Canticle of Canticles. By order of the Pope, he was charged to put an end to the quarrel between Lothair and Roger of Sicily. At Palermo, St. Bernard succeeded in convincing King Roger of the claims of Innocent II. Lothair’s army marched upon Rome, the main purpose of which expedition was to punish King Roger. But, the conquest of Rome, itself, was left to St. Bernard. The power of the Saint proved more effective than the imperial weapons.
When Anacletus died on Jan 25, 1138, the Romans had so completely abandoned his cause that the antipope Victor IV elected by Anacletus own cardinals to succeed him abandoned his predecessor’s claim and became a penitent of St. Bernard’s. So the schism of the two popes was ended. After the death of Innocent in 1143, two popes reigned briefly before Eugenius III acceded to the Chair of St. Peter. Previously, Eugenius had been a disciple of St. Bernard’s at Clairvaux and he recalled his former Abbot to again serve the papacy as his spiritual director and confessor. St. Bernard of Clairvaux composed the famous prayer to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary known as The Memorare. St. Bernard of Clairvaux was the man of his century in the world of political and ecclesial affairs. As a saint he is a man for all centuries in his great devotion to our Lord crucified through Holy Mary, his sorrowful Mother.
His theology of Marian devotion clearly foreshadows St. Louis de Montfort’s consecration to Jesus through Mary and the revelation at Fatima: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge.” “In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may more surely obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for your guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart. So long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception, while she holds your hand, you can not fall, under her protection you have nothing to fear, if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary, if she shows you favour you shall reach the goal.” (Leonard Foley OFM. Saint of the Day. C.f. St. Bernard of Clairvaux. In the days of the Great Apostacy from the faith, Catholics who desire to persevere in the faith are encouraged by the great doctor of the Church, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a man for all centuries: “With (Mary) for your guide, you shall never go astray, while invoking her, you shall never lose heart.” “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge.” Our Lady of Fatima
Notes 1. “Where the See of Blessed Peter and the Chair of Truth have been set up for the light of the gentiles, there they have placed the throne of the abomination of their wickedness, so that, the Pastor having been struck, they may also scatter the flock.” Exorcism against Satan and the Rebellious Angels. Published by order of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII, May 18th, 1890.
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