Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot
(Ruth 1:1.3-6.14b-16,
22; Matthew 22:34-40)
An anecdote
from the life of St. Bernard helps one appreciate today’s first reading. Bernard came from French nobility. He had five brothers, four of whom went with
him to become monks. The fifth, the
youngest, want to join the others in their monastic vocations. When told that he had to take of the family’s
estate, he complained that his brothers wanted to cultivate a heavenly estate
while he was left with just an earthly one!
In the
first reading Ruth seems eager to cultivate a heavenly estate as well. She has married into an Israelite. When her husband dies, she is told to go back
to her own people. But she says that her
people are now Israel, and her god is Israel’s God. She remains with her mother-in-law until she
marries another Israelite to solidify her status in the People of God.
We too have
chosen Israel’s God as our own. He has
invited us to face the world and the interior of our own lives with His
guidance. He will help us to be more
compassionate and faithful friends to those who love justice. He will assist us to be more challenging and
instructive adversaries to those who spurn righteousness. Finally, He will guide us past our inner
compulsions and moral weaknesses to a peace that lasts forever.
