Bishop Erik Varden delivered his second reflection during the Spiritual Exercises in the Vatican for Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals, and heads of Dicasteries. The reflection focused on the theme of St. Bernard, characterizing him as "the Idealist." St. Bernard was instrumental in the twelfth-century Cistercian movement, joining the Cîteaux monastery in 1113 with thirty companions. The Cistercian project at Cîteaux, founded in 1098, was characterized as a blend of innovation and reform, rather than purely reactionary. Despite occasional rigid partisanship driven by his view of the Church's needs, St. Bernard is described as genuinely humble, kind, and a compelling witness to God's love.
8 days ago
The 2026 Lenten Spiritual Exercises for Pope Leo XIV, Cardinals in Rome, and Dicastery heads ran from February 22 to 27 in the Pauline Chapel.1 2 3
Bishop Erik Varden, OCSO, Bishop of Trondheim, Norway, served as preacher, delivering multiple reflections centered on St. Bernard of Clairvaux.1 4 5
Varden's second reflection portrayed Bernard as a towering Cistercian figure, charismatic and industrious, who joined Cîteaux in 1113 at age 23 with companions.1
He emphasized Bernard's humility, kindness, ability to befriend enemies, and growth through personal struggles, likening his temperament to Thomas Merton's "electrical" mind.1
Articles described Bernard as a "wise companion" for Lent's exodus from selfishness toward God's love.2 3
In the afternoon session on February 23, Varden explored "God’s help," rooted in biblical faith contrasting philosophical "Unmoved Mover."2 3
He addressed divine silence using Job's story as a "symphony" of lament, menace, and grace.2 3
Varden's ninth reflection traced Bernard's evolution from idealist to realist via life's "butting" experiences and Realpolitik.4
Bernard recognized humanity's cry for mercy, deepened by devotion to Jesus' name as "honey in the mouth," enabling transformative love.4
This maturity made him a doctor, saint, and admired figure across traditions, like Luther and Wesley.4
The tenth reflection summarized Bernard's treatise De Consideratione, written for his confrere Pope Eugene III.5
Bernard defined consideration as seeking truth in human affairs, urging selection of collaborators with sanctity, obedience, and prayerfulness.5
He stressed prioritizing God's nature—omnipotent will and supreme blessedness—to illumine leadership, echoing Augustine's view of pastoral burdens as light if loved.5
Varden's series highlights Bernard's dialectic of ideal and concrete, applicable to Curial reform and Lenten conversion.1 4 5
The retreat underscores Pope Leo XIV's choice of Varden, signaling emphasis on contemplative realism amid Church challenges.2 3
Investigate how St. Bernard’s idealism and realism shape Cistercian spiritual practice
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a pivotal figure in Cistercian spirituality, embodies a synthesis of idealism—understood in the Catholic tradition as the recognition of higher spiritual principles originating in God—and realism, which grounds spiritual pursuit in diligent inquiry and the concrete realities of monastic life. While the provided sources illuminate aspects of idealism through philosophical context and Bernard's own distinctions in spiritual method, they offer limited direct evidence on how these shape Cistercian practice. This analysis draws from the Catholic Encyclopedia's definition of genuine idealism and excerpts from Bernard's De Consideratione and Sermones in Cantica, highlighting contemplative ascent balanced by investigative rigor.
Catholic idealism, as distinct from modern subjectivism, affirms a higher spiritual principle—God as the "supermundane Cause and End" of the world—over against the material, maintaining the distinctness yet unity of the divine and created order.
Both these thinkers reveal the decisive influence of that moral and æsthetic idealism which permeated Greek life, thought, and action; but for both, what lies deepest down in their philosophy is the conviction that the first and highest principle of all things is the one perfect spiritual Being which they call God... In this sense idealism is dualism, i.e. the doctrine of a higher spiritual principle over against that which is lower and material.
This Platonic-Augustinian strain, developed by St. Augustine and the Schoolmen, posits that forms and essences (e.g., "forma dat esse et distingui") constitute objective truth in things and the knowing mind, uniting speculative truth with ethical purpose. St. Bernard, as a Cistercian abbot and Doctor of the Church, inherits this tradition, directing monastic souls toward the "ideal" as a type or pattern of divine perfection rather than mere mental image. In Cistercian practice, this idealism manifests in the pursuit of union with God through allegorical exegesis of Scripture, elevating daily life toward eternal realities without denying the world's goodness.
Bernard's De Consideratione provides a key methodological balance, distinguishing consideratio (consideration) from contemplatio (contemplation), which shapes Cistercian spiritual discipline as an ascent from searching realism to idealistic vision.
Considerationis a contemplatione distinctio... Non enim idem per omnia quod contemplationem intelligi volo; quod hæc ad rerum certitudinem, illa ad inquisitionem magis se habeat. Juxta quem sensum potest contemplatio quidem definiri, verus certusque intuitus animi de quacunque re, sive apprehensio veri non dubia. Consideratio autem, intensa ad investigandum cogitatio, vel intentio animi vestigantis verum.
Here, contemplation is a "true and certain intuition" of reality, aligning with idealism's grasp of supersensible truths. Consideration, however, is "intense thought aimed at investigation," a realistic probing of truth amid human limitations. For Cistercians, this duality informs lectio divina and manual labor: monks "consider" Scripture and creation diligently, avoiding illusory subjectivism, to ascend to contemplative union. Bernard warns against conflating the two, ensuring spiritual practice remains anchored in objective inquiry rather than vague aspiration.
The Sermones in Cantica Canticorum, preached daily to Clairvaux monks, exemplify how Bernard's thought forms Cistercian piety—idealistic in unveiling divine mysteries, realistic in communal, scriptural grounding. Prefaces praise these sermons for extracting "arcana totius perfectionis" (secrets of total perfection) from allegories, more sublimely than in Bernard's other works on virtues and spiritual life.
In his vero sermonibus, quæcunque per alia sancti doctoris opera ad mores informandos et ad pietatem accendendam... in his, inquam, sermonibus hæc omnia solidius ac sublimius pertractantur, et ex mysticorum allegoriarum involucris ac figuris, totius perfectionis eruuntur arcana.
Despite ecclesiastical duties and "importuna frequentia" (importunate visitors), Bernard meditated and preached daily, modeling realism amid idealism's demands.
Mirum vero est, sanctum Patrem... parem fuisse meditandis tam alta sapientia sermonibus, iisque in dies recitandis.
Cistercian practice thus integrates idealism's "jucundum atque utilem" (pleasant and useful) mystical delights with realistic endurance: monks, like Bernard, balance contemplation of the Bridegroom (Christ) in the Song of Songs with formation "ad mores informandos" (to shape morals). This counters "spurious idealism" by rooting ideals in visible figures leading to invisible truths.
While not directly addressing Bernard, a modern reflection on channeling youthful idealism into "realism wedded to the theological virtues" echoes his influence on formators. Seminarians' zeal mirrors Cistercian novices, tempted to "immanentize the eschaton," but Bernard's method—consideration tempering contemplation—guards against this, emphasizing original sin's limits and eschatological hope. Cistercian austerity and obedience embody this realism, directing idealistic pursuit of God toward humble service.
St. Bernard's idealism elevates Cistercian practice toward divine union via mystical exegesis and contemplation, while his realism—through consideration, daily preaching, and scriptural fidelity—ensures grounded, communal spirituality. The sources affirm this synthesis but lack comprehensive detail on broader Cistercian reforms (e.g., labor or silence). They portray Bernard's thought as faithfully Catholic, opposing monistic or phenomenal extremes. For deeper exploration, further texts like his full Vita Prima or Rule commentaries would be needed.