1. This day, Brethren, we celebrate the beginning of Advent; of which indeed the name, like those of the other solemnities, is truly honored, and known to all the world, though the reason for the name is not. For the unhappy children of Adam, turning aside from serious and salutary reflections, give their minds only to that which is perishable and transitory. To whom shall we liken the people of this generation? Or to whom shall we compare those whom we see cannot be torn from, separated from, earthly and bodily satisfaction? They are indeed like those in danger of death by drowning. For these as you may know cling fast and never let go their hold upon whatsoever may come into their grasp, whatever the thing may be, even if it is something that can be of no help to them, as the roots of grass, and such things. And if others should come to their assistance, seizing hold of them, they not infrequently involve these also in the same peril as themselves; so that aid can now come neither to themselves, not to these others.
And so they perish. In this wide and spacious sea so perish those unhappy ones, who, clutching hard at transitory things, lose what is enduring, of which had they taken fast hold they might have escaped and saved their immortal souls. For it was of Truth, not of worldly vanity it was said: You shall know it, and it shall make you free (Jn. 8:32). You therefore, Brethren, to whom as to little children, God reveals what He has hidden from the wise and the prudent, dwell in earnest reflection upon the things that are truly salutary, and diligently seek out the reason of this season of Advent, asking namely: Who is it that is coming; whence He comes and how He comes; to what purpose; when, and where, does He come? Praiseworthy indeed is this curiosity, and most salutary: nor would the universal Church commemorate so devoutly this present time of Advent unless that there was contained within it some deep significance, some sacred mystery.
2. Before everything else, consider with the awed and wondering Apostle, how great a man this is (Heb. 7:4) Who is coming: He is, according to the testimony of Gabriel (Lk. 1:32), the Son of the Most High, and, accordingly, co-equal with Him. Nor is it lawful to suppose that the Son of God is less than the Father: we must confess Him equal in majesty, wholly equal in dignity. For who does not know that the sons of princes are princes, and that the sons of kings are kings? Yet why is it that of the Three Persons Whom, in the Most Holy Trinity, we believe, confess and adore, it is not the Father Who comes, nor the Holy Spirit, but the Son? I cannot believe that this is without special cause. But who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor? (Rom. 11:34.) It was not without the most high deliberation of the Trinity that it was decreed that the Son should come. And if we reflect upon the reason of our own exile, we may perhaps discern, at least in part, how supremely fitting it was that we should be redeemed by the Son. For Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning (Is. 14:12) aspired in his mind to be like the Most High, and thought it to be but a matter of violence to be equal to God, which is the prerogative of the Son; but being cast headlong down he was ruined: for the Father hath a zeal for the Son, and here He appears to make known by deed, that vengeance is Mine, I will repay (Rom. 12:19). Then suddenly, I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven (Lk. 10:18).
In what then do you pride yourself, you who are but dust and ashes? If God spared not the prideful angels, how much the less shall He spare thee, who art but corruption and a worm? He did nothing, he wrought nothing. He but said in his heart, and, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, he was cast down for ever; because, according to the Evangelist, he stood not in truth (Jn. 8:44).
3. Flee from pride, my Brethren: fly, I beseech you, from all pride. Pride is the beginning of every sin (Ecclus. 10:15); pride it was that so speedily thrust even Lucifer himself into eternal night, though he had shone more brightly than all the stars! Pride it was that transformed into a demon, not simply an angel, but the first of all the angels. And, forthwith, through jealous hate, he brought forth in man the iniquity he had conceived in his own heart, deluding him that tasting the forbidden tree he would become as God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5).
What is it that you promise, wretch: what is it that you offer, since it is only the Son of the Most High that has the Key of Wisdom; nay more, He is Himself the Key of David; He that openeth and no man shutteth (Apoc. 3:7)? In Him lie hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Will you then attempt to seize these by treachery, to keep yourself superior to man? You will see that He is in truth, as the Lord hath said, a liar and the father thereof (Jn. 8:44). For he was a liar when he said: I will be like the Most High (Is. 14:14), and the father of liars, since he injected into man also the poisoned seeds of falsehood, saying: You shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5).
You also, O Man, if thou didst see a thief thou didst run with him (Ps. 50:18). You have heard what was read this night from the prophet Isaias; the Lord saying: Thy princes are faithless, or as another translation has it: disobedient, companions of thieves (Is. 1:23).
4. Our princes, Adam and Eve, the well spring of our race, were in truth disobedient, and the associates of thieves; who attempted through the seduction of the serpent, or rather, of the devil, using the instrument of a serpent, to take what belonged to the Son of God. Nor did the Father let pass unnoticed this injury to His Son, for the Father loveth the Son (Jn. 5:20), but forthwith visited on man due punishment, laying upon him the Hand of His Justice. And in Adam we have all sinned, and in him have received sentence of damnation.
What then does the Son do, beholding thus the zeal of the Father for Him, not sparing any one of His creatures? Behold, He says, through Me the Father has lost His creatures. The first of the angels hath desired My Throne; now he has power over those who trusted in him. But the zeal of My Father has punished him; he is stricken, together with all who belong to him, with a wound that heals not, with tormenting chastisements. Man too has sought to possess himself of the knowledge that is Mine only. Neither has the Father spared him, nor turned away His eye.
But doth God care for oxen? (1 Cor. 9:9.) Only two among His creatures has He ennobled by making them sharers of the light of His reason, capable of joy eternal, the angel, namely, and man. But behold! because of Me He has lost many angels, and all of mankind. Therefore, that they may know that I also love the Father, through Me shall He receive back what, through Me, He is seen to have lost. Take me up and cast Me into the sea, said Jonah, for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you (Jonah 1:12). All these now look upon Me with envy. Behold I shall come, and I shall so reveal Myself to them, that whosoever shall be envious of Me, whosoever shall eagerly desire to become like unto Me, his emulation shall be accounted to him unto justice.
5. I knew that the rebel angels were changed through malice and wickedness, that neither did they sin through ignorance or infirmity, and so, unwilling to repent, they must perish. For the love of the Father and the honor of the King loveth judgment (Ps. 94:4). Then did He create men, and, in the beginning, that they might take the place of those who were lost, and rebuild again the City of Jerusalem; for He knew that to the fallen angels there remained no way of return. Truly well He knew the pride of Moab, that he is exceedingly proud (Is. 16:6): and his pride did not admit of the remedy of repentance, nor, through it, of pardon. But in the place of sinful man He made no other creature, showing by this fact that man was yet to be restored; for he whom the malice of one had betrayed, the charity of Another would redeem.
So, Lord, I beseech Thee: be pleased to deliver me (Ps. 39:14) for I am weak (Ps. 6:3): for I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews and here without any fault was cast into the dungeon (Gen. 40:15), Not that I am wholly innocent, but compared with him that seduced me, I am in a certain measure innocent. Falsehood persuaded me, Lord. Let Truth come that falsehood may be laid bare; that I may know the Truth; and the Truth will set me free; yet only if I renounce the uncovered falsehood and cling to the Truth I know. Otherwise the temptation will not be human, nor will the sin be human, but diabolical impenitence. For to continue in evil is in the character of the devil, and they deserve to perish with him who following his example, remain stubborn in iniquity.
6. Behold, Brethren, you have already heard Who it is that comes. Consider now whence He comes and whither He goes? He comes from the Heart of God the Father, and into the womb of the Virgin Mary; He comes from the sublimity of heaven to the lower parts of the earth. What then? Are we who are upon the earth not to be changed? Yes; if He abides here. For where is there good without Him? Or where is it evil, when He is there? For what have I in heaven? And besides thee what do I desire upon earth? Thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion forever (Ps. 72:25). For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me (Ps. 22:4).
Now, as I behold, He has descended upon the earth, and descended also into hell itself; yet not as one bound there, but as one free among the dead (Ps. 87:6), and as a light which shineth in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Hence thou wilt not leave His soul in hell, nor wilt Thou let His holy Body taste corruption upon the earth (Ps. 15:10). For Christ who has descended, is the same also that ascended above all the heaven, that He might fill all things (Eph. 4:9); of whom it was written: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). And elsewhere: He hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way: His going out is from the end of Heaven, and his circuit even to the end thereof (Ps. 18:6). Rightly then does the Apostle cry out, saying: Seek the things that are above: where Christ is sitting at the Right Hand of the Father (Col. 3:1). In vain would He urge us to lift up our hearts, unless He could also teach us that the Author of our salvation was set on high.
But let us see what follows. For though the matter is abundant, and indeed abounding, the shortness of time does not permit of a lengthy sermon. To those who so meditate upon Who it is that comes, His great and ineffable Majesty becomes revealed. To those who look upwards to discern whence He comes, a great way is laid open to the eyes, according to the testimony of him on whom the spirit of prophecy descended: Behold, he says, the name of the Lord cometh from afar (Is. 30:27). And then to those who consider whither He goes, there is revealed an incomparable and wholly inconceivable dignity, which has deigned, from such great glory, to descend to the ignominy of this prison.
7. Who can still doubt that there is some great cause why such wondrous majesty has deigned to come down from such dignity, to an abode so unworthy of it? Plainly there is some great reason, because the mercy revealed is great, great the compassion, and great the charity. To what end then must we believe that He came? This reflection, in accordance with the order we have proposed to ourselves, we shall now consider.
There is little need to dwell long upon it, since both His Words and His Works proclaim the reason of His Coming: to find the hundredth sheep, that had strayed, He has hastened down from the mountains; and that the mercies of the Lord, might, more clearly, give glory to Him; and His wonderful works to the children of men (Ps. 106:8), He came for our sakes. Wondrous dignity of the Lord, Who comes seeking; wonderful the dignity of men, so sought for! And in this if any man should wish to glory, he shall not be foolish; not because he appears to be something, as from himself, but because He that made Him is Mighty. For all riches, all the glory of this world, and all whatsoever in it that is desired, is less than this Might; neither is there anything with which to compare it. Lord, what is man that thou shouldst magnify him? Or why dost thou set thy heart upon him? (Ps. 7:17).
8. But yet I would know what does it mean that He should come to us, and why rather have we not gone to Him. For it is we who were in need, and it is not usual for the rich to come seeking the poor, that is, if they still desire to retain their own superiority. And in truth, Brethren, it was more fitting that we should go to Him, but against this was a twofold barrier, our eyes were dim and groping, and He inhabiteth light inaccessible (1 Tim. 6:16); and, lying paralyzed upon our poor beds, we could not ascend to that divine sublimity. And so the Most Benign Saviour, the Physician of our souls, comes down from His Glory, tempering the brightness of His Splendor to our infirm sight. He veiled Himself as it were in a lantern, in that glorious, that most pure and stainless Body which He put on; this Body that is the swift and shining cloud upon which, as the Prophet had foretold, the Lord would ascend that He might enter into Egypt (Is. 19:1).
9. We must now enquire as to the time in which the Saviour came. He came, and this we believe is not unknown to you, not in the beginning of time, nor yet in the center, but at its end. Neither was this also without design, for Wisdom, in its order, had disposed that when we were most in need He would bring us aid; being mindful of the children of Adam, though they were prone to ingratitude.
Truly was it then towards the evening, and the day now far spent; the sun of justice was low, and its splendor and warmth had almost vanished from the earth. And the light of the knowledge of divine things was low, and, iniquity abounding, the fervor of charity had grown cold. No angel then appeared, no prophet spoke; they were silent, as though overcome by despondency, because of the hardness and obstinacy of men. Then said I, said the Son, behold I come (Ps. 39:8).
And so while all things were in silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, Thy Almighty Word, O Lord, leaped down from heaven (Wisd, 18:14). Of the same mystery the Apostle speaks, saying: but when the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son (Gal. 4:4). For the fulness and abundance of things temporal had induced forgetfulness and scarcity of things eternal. In fitting time did Eternity come, when the things of time had begun alone to prevail. For, passing over other proofs, so universal was peace among the nations that at the order of one man a census was taken of the whole world.
10. We have dwelt upon the Person of Him who comes, and on the two places, that is, whence He comes and whither He goes. The reason of His Coming, and the time of it, you are now also aware of. But one circumstance remains, namely; the way by which He comes, and this also we must earnestly seek to know, that we may, as is fitting, go out to meet Him. For though He came once visibly in the Flesh upon this earth, to work our redemption, He still comes daily, in the spirit, and invisibly, to redeem individual souls; as it is written: The breath of Our mouth, Christ Lord, is taken in our sins. And that you may know that this spiritual Coming is an invisible one, He goes on: and under Thy shadow we shall live among the gentiles (Lam. 4:20).
Accordingly, it is but fitting that though the sick man may not travel far to meet this so great Physician, let him at least raise his head, and in some measure give greeting to Him who comes. There is no need for thee, O Man, to travel over the seas; it is not necessary to pierce the clouds, to cross the high Alps; no great way, I repeat, lies before thee Hasten to meet Thy God within Thy very self: The Word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart (Rom. 10:8). Hasten to have compunction of soul, and confession from thy mouth, so that thou may at least go out from the dung-pit of a soiled conscience; for it is unfitting that the Author of all purity should enter such a place. And these things are said of that Advent whereby He deigns to illuminate with his invisible light the souls of individual men.
11. Let us now happily dwell upon the ways of His Visible Coming: since his ways are beautiful ways, and all his paths are peaceful (Prov. 3:17). Behold, says the Bride, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills (Cant. 2:8). You see Him coming, O beautiful One, but you see not where he resteth in the midday. For she said: shew me, O Thou whom my soul lovest, where thou liest in the midday (Cant. 1:6). Resting He feeds the Angels for all eternity, nourishing them with the vision of His eternal and immortal Presence. But know you not, O beautiful One, that thy Vision is become wonderful to thee: it is high, and you cannot reach to it (Ps. 138:6); but behold He has come forth from His holy place, and He Who, lying down, doth pasture the angels, has begun and will restore you to health, and in His Coming we shall see Him Who, while resting and feeding His angels, could not before be seen.
Behold He cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping over the hills. In place of mountains and hills understand patriarchs and prophets, and as He came leaping and skipping, read in the book of the generation of Jesus: Abraham begot Isaac: and Isaac begot Jacob and so on. From these mountains came forth, as you will find, the Root of Jesse, whence, according to the prophet, there came forth a Rod, and thence a flower shall rise up, upon which the sevenfold Spirit of the Lord shall rest (Is. 11:1).
And revealing this more plainly in another place, the same prophet says: Behind a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Mt. 1:23). For He whom he first refers to as a flower, the same he here calls Emmanuel; and that which he before calls a rod, (virga) he here speaks of as the Virgin.
From this I believe it to be evident who is the Rod coming forth from the Root of Jesse, and Who is the Flower upon which the Holy Spirit rests: that the Mother of God is this Rod, and her Son Jesus the Flower. A Flower accordingly is the Son of the Virgin; a flower white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands (Cant. 5:10); a flower upon which the angels desire to look (1 Pet. 1:12); a Flower whose fragrance restores the dead to life; and as He himself has said, a Flower of the field, and not of the garden. For the field flowers without human help, it is by no man sown, unbroken to the spade, nor made rich with soil. So truly has flowered the Womb of the Virgin; so has the inviolate, the unstained, the pure flesh and blood of Mary, as a field, brought forth this flower of eternal beauty; Whose perfection shall see no corruption, Whose glory shall be forever unfading.
O Virgin, Sublime Rod, to what holy eminence are you come on high? Even to the very Throne, even to the Lord of all Majesty? And what wonder, since to the very depths thou dost send down the roots of thy own humility. O Truly Celestial Blossoming Rod, more precious, more holy, than all the rest! O True Wood of Life, that alone was found worthy to bear the fruit of salvation!
Thou art caught, evil serpent, in the trap of thine own cunning, thy falsity is laid bare. Two things you had charged against your Creator: you had accused Him of falsehood, and of envy. But in either case it is you that is proved the liar. Because as to the first charge, he died to whom you said: No, you shall not die the death (Gen. 3:4). And answer Him now if you can, of what tree, or, of the fruit of what tree, should He be envious, Who refused us not even this chosen branch, and its sublime Fruit? For he that spared not even his own Son, and how hath He not also, with Him given us all things (Rom. 8:32).
You have already comprehended, if I am not mistaken, that the Royal Virgin is Herself the Way through which the Saviour comes, coming forth from her womb as a bridegroom coming out of his bridechamber. Holding fast then to this way, let us strive, Beloved, to ascend through Her to Him, Who through Her has come down to us; to reach by Her aid to His divine forgiveness, Who came by way of Her to take away our woe.
Through thee have we access to Thy Son, O Blessed Discoverer of Grace, Mother of Life, Mother of Salvation! May He through Thee forgive us, Who by Thee was given unto us. May thy blameless integrity plead with Him, that He look not upon our corruption; and let thy humility that so pleases God, obtain the pardon of our pride.
Let thy boundless charity cover the multitude of our sins, and thy glorious fruitfulness bring us an abundance of mercies. Our Lady, Our Mediatrix, present us to Thy Son. Speak for us to Thy Son. Grant, O Most Blessed, through the graces thou hast earned, through the privileges thou hast merited, through the mercy thou hast received, that He Who deigned by means of Thee, to become a Sharer of our infirmity and sorrow, may through thy intercession make us sharers of His Glory and of His Joy, Jesus Christ Thy Son Our Lord, Who is above all God the Blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor
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