--- title: "St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Feast Day August 20, Life & Quotes" url: https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/ description: "St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church. Feast day August 20, died c. 1153. Read their life and their own words, with sources." --- Abbot and Doctor of the Church · Feast day August 20 # St. Bernard of Clairvaux The feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux is August 20, a memorial in the US Catholic calendar. Below: a short life and 4 sourced quotations in their own words. | | | |---|---| | Feast day | [August 20](https://blessbible.app/saints/august/#20) | | In the US calendar | Memorial | | Title | Abbot and Doctor of the Church | | Died | c. 1153 | | In their own words | [4 sourced quotations](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#words) | | Next on Bless’s Today screen | [Friday, August 20, 2027](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#calendar) | ## Life He entered Cîteaux at twenty-two with thirty kinsmen and friends in tow, and three years later was sent to found Clairvaux, which mothered hundreds of monasteries in his lifetime. Popes and kings could not move without his counsel. His sermons on the Song of Songs are the high-water mark of monastic theology, and his tenderness toward the Virgin Mary earned him the title ‘the Marian Doctor,’ Dante’s guide at the summit of Paradise. ## In their own words Each quotation names the work it comes from. Bless quotes these in the comments beside the verses listed under [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#scripture). > The reason for loving God is God Himself; the measure of loving God is to love Him without measure. — *On Loving God, ch. 1*, c. 1128 > In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Following her, you will not go astray. — *Homily on the Missus est, II*, c. 1120 > Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment. I love because I love; I love in order that I may love. — *Sermons on the Song of Songs, 83*, c. 1150 > Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, jubilation in the heart. — *Sermons on the Song of Songs, 20*, c. 1136 ## In Scripture In Bless, St. Bernard of Clairvaux’s words appear in the comments beside these verses. This page’s labels say how each is linked: “on this verse” means the saint wrote about that very verse; “on this theme” means the quotation shares its theme. Scripture is quoted from the Catholic Public Domain Version. 1. On this verse > Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm. For love is strong, like death, and envy is enduring, like hell: their lamps are made of fire and flames. — [Song of Songs 8:7](https://blessbible.app/bible/song-of-songs/8/#v7) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment.…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q91) 2. On this theme > The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him, and he will rescue them. — [Psalm 33:8](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/33/#v8) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, jubilation in the heart.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q92) 3. On this theme > How sweet is your eloquence to my palate, more so than honey to my mouth! — [Psalm 118:103](https://blessbible.app/bible/psalms/118/#v103) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Jesus is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, jubilation in the heart.”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q92) 4. On this theme > Jesus said to him: “‘You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ — [Matthew 22:37](https://blessbible.app/bible/matthew/22/#v37) · CPDV Beside their words: [“The reason for loving God is God Himself; the measure of loving God is to love Him…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q89) 5. On this theme > For he has looked with favor on the humility of his handmaid. For behold, from this time, all generations shall call me blessed. — [Luke 1:48](https://blessbible.app/bible/luke/1/#v48) · CPDV Beside their words: [“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Following her…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q90) 6. On this theme > Next, he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that hour, the disciple accepted her as his own. — [John 19:27](https://blessbible.app/bible/john/19/#v27) · CPDV Beside their words: [“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Following her…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q90) 7. On this theme > Charity is never torn away, even if prophecies pass away, or languages cease, or knowledge is destroyed. — [1 Corinthians 13:8](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-corinthians/13/#v8) · CPDV Beside their words: [“Love seeks no cause beyond itself and no fruit; it is its own fruit, its own enjoyment.…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q91) 8. On this theme > Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us. — [1 John 4:19](https://blessbible.app/bible/1-john/4/#v19) · CPDV Beside their words: [“The reason for loving God is God Himself; the measure of loving God is to love Him…”](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#q89) ## In the calendar The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given. | Date | In the US calendar | Color | Mass readings (US) | |---|---|---|---| | [Friday, August 20, 2027](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2027/08/20/) | St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Memorial) | White | Ruth 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22 · Psalm 146:5-6ab, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10 · Psalm 25:4b, 5a · Matthew 22:34-40 | | [Sunday, August 20, 2028](https://blessbible.app/calendar/2028/08/20/) | Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Green | Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 · Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 · Hebrews 12:1-4 · John 10:27 · Luke 12:49-53 | Readings Later citations were computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish. [August 19 St. John Eudes](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-john-eudes/) [August 21 St. Pius X](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-pius-x/) [All the saints of August](https://blessbible.app/saints/august/) [Born on August 20?](https://blessbible.app/saints/birthday/#08-20) [A saint for every day](https://blessbible.app/saints/) Spotted a mistake in a date, a patronage or a quotation? [Report an error](https://blessbible.app/support/#report) and we’ll fix it in the app and here. St. Bernard of Clairvaux Feast day August 20 On this page 1. [Life](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#life) 2. [In their own words](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#words) 3. [In Scripture](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#scripture) 4. [In the calendar](https://blessbible.app/saints/st-bernard-of-clairvaux/#calendar) In the app Bless shows a saint every day on its Today screen, with their life and their words. Free on iPhone.