SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 1115 AD !!! GOD S WAYS ARE NOT OURS !!! JAN 27

About how Blessed Agnes places on the bride of Christ a crown with seven precious stones, namely, the gems of patience in suffering. BOOK 4Chapter 124 SAINT BRIDGET PATRON SAINT OF EUROPE FINAL PART The second gem is a sapphire. This was put there by the man who flattered you to your face but vilified you behind your back. Just as sapphire is of a celestial color and preserves the health of parts of the body, so human malice puts the righteous to the test in order to make them celestial, and it preserves the parts of the soul so that they do not become puffed up with pride. The third gem is an emerald. This was put there by the man who asserted that you said things that you had neither thought of nor spoken. Just as the emerald is fragile in itself yet has such a beautiful green color, so too a lie is soon annihilated but makes the soul beautiful in a reward for her patience. The fourth gem is a pearl. This was put there by the man who disparaged a friend of God’s in your presence. His disparagement upset you more than it would have done if it had been about yourself. Just as the pearl is white and beautiful and eases the suffering of the heart, so too the sorrow of love introduces God into the soul, and tames the passions of anger and impatience. The fifth gem is topaz. This was put there by the man that spoke harshly to you but to whom you, on the contrary, made a gentle answer. Just as topaz is of the color of gold and preserves chastity and beauty, so nothing is more …

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