Synopses & Reviews
For over forty years Bernard of Clairvaux composed works of theology and spiritual reflection. He became the counselor of kings, nobles, popes, and scholars. He advocated a strong, reformed papacy and was the spiritual leader of the early twelfth-century european Church.
Often overlooked, these short works by Bernard may well give readers their truest insight into the saint's sermons as his monks heard them. The Parables explore the spiritual meaning of Scripture directly and dramatically. The Sentences likely represent his sermon style before he polished his work for publication.
Michael Casey, an Australian Cistercian, has published extensively on the theology of Bernard and on monastic spirituality. His work includes Athirst for God: Desire in Bernard of Clairvaux's Sermons on the Song of Songs.
Francis R. Swietek is a medievalist at the University of Dallas. He and John Sommerfeldt co-editedStudiosorum Speculum: Studies in Honor of Louis J. Lekai, O. Cist (Cistercian Publications, 1993)."
About the Author
Michael Casey, OCSO, has been a monk of Tarrawarra Abbey (Australia) since 1960. After completing a degree in Scripture at Leuven, he received his doctorate from Melbourne College of Divinity for a study of desire for God in the writings of Bernard of Clairvaux. For the past decades he has been engaged in exploring different aspects of monastic spirituality, writing, and giving conferences throughout the English-speaking monastic world. His books include The Road to Eternal Life: Reflections on the Prologue of Benedict’s Rule (Liturgical Press, 2011), Strangers to the City (Paraclete Press, 2005), and A Guide to Living in the Truth (Liguori, 2001).