We shall tonight read some text of the Steps of Humility, the second treatise Saint Bernard wrote in 1125, which is perhaps more characteristic of his doctrine, where he certainly describes the main line of his spiritual theology. Saint Bernard, as any Benedictine abbot had to comment the rules on Benedict, which is the summary of all Western monasticism. And in this rule, especially the chapter seven on the steps, degrees of humility, which is certainly also the the core of all the traditional spirituality of the West and the East, of course.

[01:02]

But it's this chapter 7, at the center of the rule there, certainly is the best expression of the progress of a monastic soul toward God. So we start in the chapter the third, page nine. I have shown so far as I could to what end the steps of humility should be ascended. I will show so far as I can in what order they lead to the promised prize of truth. Since the knowledge of truth consists itself of three steps. Again, three steps. It's maybe artificial, but it's also natural. If you like to speak of structure or structure of the mind, there is certainly a structure of the mind which normally, these three steps are naturally a node of thinking about the whole reality.

[02:17]

I found them in Teilhard de Chardin. the same system. Actually, Theodore Charnin certainly never read the medieval philosopher. I will briefly distinguish them, if I can, that I may thus appear more clearly to which of the three of truths the Twelve of Humility leads. Very often St. Bernard announced things like that and I just forget about it completely afterwards. Anyway, the twelfth degree of humility is the first degree of truth. But he forgets to develop that later on. For we seek truth in ourselves, judging ourselves, in our neighbors, sympathizing with our hills, and in its own nature contemplating with pure heart. It is important perhaps to point out from the very start that the truth in question here is not the logical truth.

[03:26]

Logical truth according to the scholastics, the adequatio rei intellectus, that you are exact. You don't make any fault in your statement. You say the truth in that way, that it's a logical truth. You have not made any fault in your reasoning. It's not the ethical truth. I mean, it's not a question of saying the truth or to be sincere or to lie. It's not a question of that. It's much deeper than that, much wider. It's almost metaphysical truth, truth in itself. Of course, in also a biblical sense. what is real, what is really solid, which is not vanity in the sense of the Bible, not vanishing, illusory, or Mendex in the sense of the Bible.

[04:36]

Lying because you cannot can build upon it, because it's vanishing. And so the process is a reflection, means se ante se, to have one self before one self, and it goes from the individual to the universal. And it's a question of intuitive knowledge. because by which we shall reach the knowledge of truth in itself as an intuition. The three degrees are the progress of the soul, and that is what is interesting about this method, this treatise. Now, this first page, Saint Bernard will go backward and say that if you want to see the truth in itself, You are first of all to seek it in your neighbors, and in order to seek it in your neighbors, you need to seek it first in yourself.

[05:48]

And it takes an example of which is traditionally the way in the Bible. where he says, well, in the list of beatitudes which he distinguished in his sermon, he placed the merciful before the pure in heart. Merciful quickly grasped truth in their neighbor, extending their own feeling to them and conforming themselves to them through love, so that they feel their joys or troubles as their whole. They are weak with the weak, and they burn with the offended. After the spiritual vision has been purified by this brotherly love, they enjoy the completion of truth in its own nature. Then be others healed for lovely. See, it's a purification. So sharing in bodily love is a purification of the vision.

[06:50]

It's very important that everything is good. Freedom step which is ascetic spiritual purification, catharsis. But those who do not unite themselves with their brethren in this way, but on the contrary, either revile those who weep or dispel those who rejoice, not feeling in themselves that which is in others, because they are not similarly affected, how can they grasp truth in their neighbors? For the popular proverb will apply to them, the healthy do not know how the sick feel. Not the sick feel, no, the fool how the angry suffer. The sick sympathize with sick and angry with hungry. The more closely, the more they are alike. It's knowledge by similarity. The same seeks the truth, the same, the like understands the like, which is a great principle, very important, and everything is based on that.

[07:58]

Including the doctrine on the image, which we will develop later on. But in order to have a miserable heart, I've been told several times that this miserable heart is a very miserable translation. But, we better say merciful, merciful heart, or understanding heart, or compassionate heart. So, compassionate heart, because, you know, to have a compassionate heart, because of another misery, you must first know your whole. so that you may find your neighbor's mind in your horn and know from yourself how to help him. Everything is there now. Again, in order to understand truth in itself, you understand it in your neighbor. And in order to understand it in your neighbor, obviously you have to understand it in yourself, because it's impossible to know.

[09:08]

And you see very well here that it's not an intellectual knowledge. You can imagine or understand intellectually what it is in another mind, even in another heart, but you cannot understand it by experience. That is real knowledge. Because the main thing which are reaffecting people, as we say here, to feel sick, to feel angry, it's absolutely necessary that you have your salary experience. Otherwise you don't know what it is. I have often headaches and if I have a headache or something, somebody would want to console me. Just ask him if he knows what a leg is. If he doesn't, well... So you have to know yourself first, what you are, in order to begin to understand another, in order to help him, you see.

[10:18]

And then St. Bernard starts here, a very long excuse, as he used to make long excuses. And you have to know, by the example of Savior, who willed this passion in order to learn compassion, this misery to learn commiseration. For just as it is written of him, he hath learned the obedience by the thing which he suffered, so also he learned mercy in the same way. Not that he did not know how to be merciful before. He used mercies from everlasting to everlasting. He knew it by nature from eternity, but learned it in time by experience. In today's report, a new explanation on how cancer develops. Five paragraphs will develop this knowledge of Christ through experience.

[11:26]

It's very difficult, you know, it's all a mystery of incarnation, the two natures, two natures in Christ. It's very difficult to know what means he knew by nature and he learned by experience. Anyway, we certainly have to believe that there is a human experience which was necessary for our salvation, and that it was absolutely true. If a foreign invader enters the body, antibodies immediately rush and kill the invaders. When a cancer virus enters the cell, It's a very vague idea of the humanity of Christ. Either we don't believe, of course, in the divinity, which is sometimes, today, some people completely forget about the divinity. But sometimes, somehow, most Christians and most pious Christians don't believe really fully in the humanity of Christ.

[12:35]

So vaguely they are all Apollinarist. They think that the world is the soul of Christ. That Christ is not the complete humanity. Recently, or two years ago, there was a symposium, novel, something very similar to the symposium in Serbia, on prayer. Now, there are not enough antibodies. And the body itself... And there was a G-suite there, Pierre Trois-Fontaines, who is one of the best commentators of Gabriel Marcel. He wrote two big books on Gabriel Marcel. Even so good that Gabriel Marcel wrote him a letter after that. He said, at last you understand what I meant. He is a good philosopher. He is a professor in Amur, faculty of philosophy in Amur. And for a long time, several years, I know he is a leader.

[13:39]

He thinks that He has a theological opinion which is free, I believe, not completely free, but anyway, he thinks that it is free to say that Christ renounced to enjoy the beatification during his life. Because he says it is very difficult to understand that Christ was a fully man, he was all the time enjoying beatification. in the old time what was coming was happening. It's very difficult to understand the human reaction. It's temptation. He's surprised sometimes. He asked me if we cannot accept that Christ made mistakes. Just like men accept sin.

[14:40]

So it is very difficult to deal. If you speak of that, if you propose such an opinion, very quickly people think that you don't believe in the infinity of Christ. It's not the same question at all. Because it's more God, it is more man. Mystery is, it's only God who is capable of this mystery. So the more is man, the more is God. This article has been published in the Collectanea. And I can't say that I regret it, but I had a lot of trouble with this article. The Abbot General wrote me a very stiff letter, and said that all the theologians in Rome could, from community to community, be careful of this article. It would be dangerous.

[15:46]

No article of the review has been so much read. Anyway, I think he's been condemned. So this is very close to the problem we have. Your theologian will say that, especially in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ is definitely there. We are not enjoying the beatification when he was. It's the truth. It's the truth. crisis. Using a tank might be dangerous. Why not, if for half an hour, why not just a slight time? It's a geological problem, but it's on this problem there, where is he here? If he learned the experience, he must have had the full human experience. And in order to have an experience which is fully human, he cannot have been helped except by the means men have, grace and faith and hope and charity.

[16:59]

Now, let us return to our thesis and then ask these so long excuses. Very, very often on peace time. But now, and if he made himself wretched, who was not wretched before, in order to learn what he already knew, how much more should you, I don't want to say make yourself what you are not, but observe what you are. that you are wretched indeed and so learn to be merciful, a thing you cannot know in any other way. You cannot be merciful in any other way than by knowing yourselves very deeply as you are. and could take the place of gasoline, now in short. So, paragraph 14, let us see how a disciple of truth follows the master of liberty, which is referred to above, just as the merciful are mentioned before the pure in heart. So are the meek before the merciful.

[18:12]

And when the apostle exhorted the spiritual to restore the carnal, he added in the spirit of meekness. The carnal plays easily with reference to the scripture. Restoring your brethren is the work of the merciful. The spirit is that of the meek. As if he had said, none can be considered merciful who is not meek in himself. So, C or the Apostle clearly shows what I promised to show above, that truth is to be sought in ourselves before we seek it in our neighbors. Considering thyself, he says, that is, how easily tempted are liable to sin. Do not deceive yourself. For by considering yourself, you grow meek and thus you come to succor others in the spirit of meekness.

[19:16]

But if you will not observe what the disciple commands, It was the master's command that the hypocrite first cast out the beam out of their own eyes. Then you will be able to help your neighbor. The great big beam in the high is pride in the mind. By its great size, although empty, not sound, swollen, not solid, it dims the mind's eye and overshadows truth in such a way that when pride fills your mind, you can no longer see yourself. You can no longer feel yourself such as you are actually or potentially. But you either fancy that you are or hope you will become such as you would love to be. For what is pride but love of your own excellence as some saints have defined it.

[20:22]

You may say likewise that humility is contempt of your own excellence. Numeritas virtus qua homo verissima sui cognitione sibi ipse villaship. Verissima, very true knowledge of itself doesn't precede in self-immersion, contempt of self. very important basic statement, truth is knowledge of self. From more antiquity you have this knowledge of self. as a basis of wisdom. Modern psychology have insisted very much on that. The Jungian description of the mask, the persona. All distinction you find in other psychologies between empirical self and true self, which Thomas Merton was very keen on using.

[21:43]

And we know very well by experience and all the religion, then once to come back to this naturalness, be what you are, simply trying to play, or have a show, or have an idea of yourself. Even Saint Bernard said, you fancy that you are, or hope you will be, not even that. Don't try to imagine what you could be. Perfect. Because we all live with that mask. And some old men, is living a life which is short. Even people die saying a very famous word which will be repeated in the community after a while. So that's human, that's human.

[22:51]

But you see, to know that, that we are false and we are trying to cover up, is the beginning of wisdom. And of course it's not very modern, popular today to say that we are wretched. I mean in one minute you would, young men say, well I don't feel wretched. You are to develop today and be what you are with all your talents and so on. And you are beautiful and admirable. You have to encourage people to be what they are instead of trying to find out that they are wretched or to diminish the human value. Well, it's not a question of that. And especially here, it's very important to see this wretchedness or this state of humility.

[23:52]

It's not a question of your personal history. It's not a question of guilt, personal guilt. It's a question of knowing what man is, what you are. And if you really go deep enough and avoid all this false truth about yourself or your imagination or your fantasies, And even if you hope to be something great, then you realize your weakness, your sinfulness. And at that level, you understand what your brother is, because at that level he is just like you. And then you become to be understanding and loving. Now, if you... Lumiere will quote the text of Kierkegaard. at Kierkegaard this much time. Kierkegaard is certainly one of the great masters who has influenced our time.

[24:57]

Dostoevsky and Nietzsche believed in this doctrine at that time. Now, at least a hundred years after, it has become a popular race. But Kierkegaard As regard to monks, he's very important. I've been reading Kierkegaard for a long time, almost being an addict, but I can recommend you read Kierkegaard. He's very deep. And as regards monks, he always, in all his great treatises, great books, he has passages on monks. In the big book on the proscriptum, he has certainly ten pages on monks. In his diary, he always speaks of monks. And in his major book, Fear and Trembling, he always refers to monks as a sort of ideal. which cannot accept fully because of his Lutheran criticism of monastic vows, and also of his criticism of Eagle, because monks are exteriorizing.

[26:08]

It should be completely interiorized. But he said, we know very well what happens when everything is interiorized. There is nothing at all. So, his criticism is very interesting to follow. But he considered the monk as really the knight of the absolute renunciation or renouncement, you see, in his steps and description of the stage to truth, I think. Aesthetic, ethic and spiritual. Now, this is a text of In Fear and Trembling, which is the problem, the third, of the appendix. It is my opinion that it is not the highest thing to enter the monastery. But this here will say something else, another place. He's very, very changing his mind about this question of the monastery and the monks.

[27:09]

But for all that, It is by no mean my opinion that in our age, when nobody enters the monastery, everybody is greater than the deep and earnest souls who found peace in a monastery. How many are there in our age who have passion enough to think this thought and use himself honestly? This mere thought. of taking time upon one's conscience, of giving it time to explore with its sleepless vigilance every secret thought. With such effect, one is able with dread and horror to discover, and by dread itself, to lure forth the obscure evil which is concealed, after all, in every human life.

[28:12]

Whereas, on the contrary, when one lives in society, one so easily forgets, is let off so easily, is sustained in so many ways, gets opportunity to start afresh, and so on. And what loftier emotion has the age found since men gave up entering the monastery? It's a very beautiful text. And in footnote, Kierkegaard himself says, people do not believe this in our age so serious. Yet in paganism, more easygoing and less given to reflection, the two representatives of the Naughty Sultan, know yourself, know thyself as a conception of existence. To know yourself as a conception of existence, intimated by that, by delving into oneself, one would discover, first of all, the disposition to evil.

[29:24]

These two great wise men were Pythagoras and Socrates. With Saint Bernard, who whose system has sometimes been called Christian Socratism, we are really in the tradition of Greek philosophy and classic and the Fathers. Then, then Saint Bernard goes on describing this especially in this second step, where if you discover what you are really, you understand what all men are. And especially on these words of the scripture, all men are fools. Omnis Homo Mendax. It was on the whole page 11 and 12. You may be pleased to read that if you like.

[30:25]

We have no time. And paragraph 18, page 12, now to return to the thesis, those whom truth has caused to know and so condemn themselves must now find...

[30:45]

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