Every year on Aug. 20, the Catholic Church honors St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the 12th-century monk who helped to build up the Cistercian order — some of whom are known today as the Trappists.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was a monk and abbot, a Doctor of the Church, advisor to popes, preacher of the Second Crusade and was known for his devotion to the Blessed Mother.

My answer is that God himself is the reason he is to be loved." It's hard to know how to characterize Bernard of Clairvaux. On the one hand, he is called the "honey-tongued doctor" for his ...