Saint of the day · August 20
St Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
MemorialThursday, week 20 in Ordinary Time
Liturgical colour : White
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a towering figure in the Church during the twelfth century, known both for his deep spirituality and his profound influence on Western monasticism. Born in Burgundy, France, around 1090, Bernard entered the Cistercian order as a young man and rapidly became its most prominent leader. As abbot of Clairvaux, he founded numerous monasteries, revitalizing the Cistercian tradition through his example of austerity and devotion. Bernard was also renowned as a spiritual writer and preacher, especially on the topics of the love of God and mystical union with Christ. His writings, such as sermons on the Song of Songs, had a lasting effect on the development of Western Christian mysticism. St. Bernard's wisdom was not confined to the cloister; he played an active role in the broader Church, advising popes, mediating conflicts, and preaching the Second Crusade, though the outcomes of this campaign were complex and controversial. Revered as a Doctor of the Church, Bernard's legacy endures in his emphasis on humility, charity, and the pursuit of contemplative prayer. The Church remembers him for his holiness, his leadership, and his commitment to deepening Christian life, holding him up as an example for all who seek to balance action and contemplation.
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Mass readings
“I will give you a new heart, I will put my spirit within you” — Ez 36, 23-28
These are the words of the Lord:
“I will sanctify my great name,
which has been profaned among the nations,
my name that you have profaned in their midst.
Then the nations will know that I am the Lord
– says the Lord God –
when through you I manifest my holiness before their eyes.
I will take you from among the nations,
I will gather you from all the countries,
and I will bring you into your own land.
I will sprinkle you with clean water,
and you shall be purified;
from all your uncleanness, from all your idols,
I will purify you.
I will give you a new heart,
and put a new spirit within you.
I will remove the heart of stone from your body,
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will put my spirit within you,
I will make you walk according to my laws,
so that you keep my commandments
and remain faithful to them.
You will live in the land that I gave to your ancestors:
you will be my people,
and I will be your God.”
– The word of the Lord.
Ps 50 (51), 12-13, 14-15, 18-19
Create in me a pure heart, O my God,
renew and strengthen in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
do not take from me your holy spirit.
Restore to me the joy of salvation;
let a willing spirit sustain me.
I will teach your ways to sinners;
the lost will return to you.
If I offer a sacrifice, you do not desire it;
you take no pleasure in holocausts.
A sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit;
you do not reject, O my God, a broken and contrite heart.
“Invite everyone you find to the wedding feast” — Mt 22, 1-14
At that time,
Jesus once again spoke
to the chief priests and elders of the people,
and he spoke to them in parables:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
He sent his servants to call those who had been invited to the banquet,
but they refused to come.
He sent other servants again to say to those invited:
‘Look: I have prepared my banquet,
my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered;
everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.’
But they paid no attention and went off,
one to his farm, another to his business;
the others seized the servants,
mistreated them and killed them.
The king was furious,
he sent his troops,
killed those murderers
and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants:
‘The wedding feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy.
So go out to the crossroads:
everyone you find,
invite them to the wedding feast.’
The servants went out into the streets,
gathered all they found,
the bad as well as the good,
and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
The king came in to see the guests,
and he saw there a man who was not wearing the wedding garment.
He said to him:
‘My friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’
The man was silent.
Then the king said to the servants:
‘Bind him hand and foot,
throw him into the outer darkness;
there, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For many are called,
but few are chosen.”
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org