BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Lay Cistercians of Gethsemani Abbey
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250820
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250821
DTSTAMP:20260404T071251
CREATED:20250817T122530Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250817T122530Z
UID:13813-1755648000-1755734399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading - St Bernard
DESCRIPTION:THE SAME ETERNAL GOAL \nA letter from Pope St John Paul II to the Cistercian Abbots General \n◊◊◊ \nOur age is frequently called “the hour of the laity” due to the fact that it \nhighlights the efforts made to offer the laity within the Church those ministries \nwhich correspond to their state in life. No less truly\, we could also call the times \nin which St Bernard lived such because while the Church was making efforts to \nbreak her ties with feudal institutions\, a movement of the laity was born which \nundertook holy enterprises under the banner of the cross\, and moreover\, the \nlaity\, already in the 12th century began to make its voice heard as much in \npreaching the word of God as in poetry and in other disciplines. The religious \nmovement which launched the construction of magnificent churches could be \ncalled the first European labor movement. \nThe Abbot of Clairvaux…very frequently had to abandon the silence of the \nmonastery in order to involve himself with the life of the laity\, in order to have a \nguiding hand in the unfolding of the events and above all in order to bring peace \nbetween kings and princes\, and between kings and cities. As it has been stated of \nSt Bernard in the “Vita Prima”\, he taught the path of perfection and wisdom to \nspiritual persons as one who was “cultured among the cultured” and “simple \namong the simple”; he adapted himself to everyone in his desire to gain them for \nChrist”. \nTo the clerics and the laity he pleaded that they unite into one body: \n“Since the Lord has commanded us to ‘watch and pray that we may not fall \ninto temptation’\, it is evident that without the common effort of the faithful \n(laity) and the custodians (clerics)\, it is not possible to maintain the city with \nsecurity\, nor the beloved (spouse)\, nor even a single sheep. Do you want to know \nthe difference that exists among them? They are one and the same thing. \nIn his opinion it is incumbent upon the laity in collaboration with the \nclergy\, to build the Church\, a thing that they can accomplish above all by means \nof exercising obedience and the works of charity\, especially the corporal works \nof mercy. In fact\, addressing himself to the laity\, he states: “Obey your bishop \nand other authorities of the Church who counsel you on what you have to do. \nPractice hospitality for many have pleased God by it… Welcome the Lord of the \nangels in the pilgrims\, feed him in the hungry\, clothe him in the naked\, visit him \nin the sick\, set free the captives. \nConsequently\, the Abbot of Clairvaux\, although he dealt principally with \nmonastic life and considered it as a third order along with that of clerics and \nlaity\, yet being a father of souls\, he had the same esteem for the laity of the \nChurch; thus he was convinced that all of them\, whatever be the order to which \nthey belong\, tend toward the one and the same eternal goal.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-st-bernard-4/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR