Many / One

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Compiled by JoAnn Kite

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Bernard of Clairvaux, Essential Writings
Dennis E. Tamburello, O.F.M.

1 “Even a weak or half-hearted faith is enough of an opening for God’s grace to work effectively in our lives.”

2 “God is the one in whom ‘we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). Without God’s sustaining presence, we cannot even breathe or think, let alone accomplish anything.”

3 “Free choice constitutes the essence of our being made in the image of God.”

4 "God is the one in whom 'we live and move and have our being' (Acts 17:28). Without God's sustaining presence, we cannot even breathe or think, let alone accomplish anything."

5 “Free choice is what constitutes fundamental human freedom.”

6 “God creates us with the gift of free choice.”

7 "We become united with the divine will by our own voluntary consent." Bernard of Clairvaux, 'Divine Grace and Free Choice'

8 "In the first work He gave me myself; in His second work He gave me Himself; when he gave me Himself, he gave me back myself." Bernard of Clarvaux, 'Five Books on Consideration', 5.15

9 “As St. Gregory the Great put it: love itself is knowledge.”

10 “To live rightly in any community, we have to let go of the idea that our will is always supreme. We need to be attentive to the needs and insights of others, and be willing at times to sacrifice our personal preferences for the sake of the common good.”

11 "We were created with free will and willing freedom, a creature noble in God's eyes….we are raised up to glory, a perfect creature in the Spirit." Bernard of Clarivaux, 'Divine Grace and Free Choice'

12 "Why should I not tirelessly concentrate on searching into the mystery of His glorious will, which I know I must obey in all thinsg?....We are transformed when we are conformed." Bernard of Clairvaux, 'Sermon on the Song of Songs', 62.5

13 “First, we need to know ourselves for what we are. This is the truth of humility. Then, we need to know our neighbors, which we can only do by learning how to be compassionate toward them. This is the truth of love.”

14 "To be humble is to accept the truth about oneself; this means accepting our talents as well as facing up to our deficiencies."

15 “It is the one Truth who works at all these stages: in the first, teaching as a Master, in the second consoling as a Friend and Brother, in the third embracing as a Father.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux

16 “As a well-known prayer puts it: ‘Lord, grant that I may not so much seek to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive.”

This body of quotes compiled by JoAnn Kite