St. Bernardine of Siena

CURRICULUM VITAE

He came from Siena. The foundation of his spiritual life was worship and veneration of the Virgin Mary. The strength of his love for his neighbor was especially evident during the plague, when he himself treated the sick. He entered a Franciscan monastery and became a priest. He renounced everything and sought only God. With love and zeal, he spread reverence for the name of Jesus throughout Italy. He was accused of heresy, but his innocence was always recognized. He died in L’Aquila at the age of 64.

CV FOR MEDITATION

HEROLD OF CHRIST

He was born on September 8, 1380, in Massa Maritima near Siena in central Italy. When he was three years old, his mother died, and three years later, his father, who was a mine owner, died. Bernardino was cared for by his father’s relatives in Siena. His grandmother taught him to love God and to be devoted to Mary. His extraordinary talent led him to enter the university very early. He was popular there for his friendly character and generosity. In Siena, he studied literature, law, biblical studies, and theology.

From about age 17, he was in the Virgin Mary brotherhood, which sought to lead its members to perfection through service to the needy, poor, and sick. When the plague broke out, he and his companions cared for the sick and dying, and he himself became severely infected. By the grace of God, he recovered and, for some time, helped his sick aunt. During his illness, he decided to become religious and considered the Augustinian and Franciscan orders, which he ultimately chose. He entered the Franciscans in Siena at the age of 22 and joined the strict branch of the Observants. After a year of novitiate, he took religious vows, and in 1404, he was ordained a priest.

In his early years, he further deepened his knowledge by studying theological, ascetic, and mystical writings, especially those of Franciscan church writers. The superiors allowed him to live for a while on the hill of Capriola, where he turned the hermitage into a small monastery and lived a very mortified life in fervent preparation. From 1417, he began his preaching and missionary work in central and northern Italy. At first, he felt incapable because of his weak voice, so he turned to the Mother of God, who helped him. He then spoke in a clear, resonant voice, which won the hearts of his listeners. He was equally proficient at preaching in the vernacular to quite simple peasants as well as to university listeners. He presented the deepest Christian truths to everyone in an appropriate manner. For many listeners, he often preached in the open air. His sermons sometimes caused a sudden shortage of confessors and dispensers of the Blessed Sacrament.

Contemporary chroniclers said of him that his influence was like the arrival of spring. It was a time full of hatred, marked by hostility between noble families and common neighbors. Italy was divided not only into principalities and city-states but also into political factions, and the sight of this torn world was depressing.her But Bernardine did not speak of disasters but of Jesus and his divine love. He said, “In him is contained everything that God has ordained for human salvation.” He pointed to him as a “burning light” and proclaimed the crucified Jesus, the divine physician of soul and body, as the answer.

He preached the need for forgiveness and reconciliation, and, with that aim, he also preached respect for the name of Jesus. He created an image of a shining sun with the monogram JHS; these are the first three letters of the Greek word “Jesus” (also an abbreviation of “Jesus, the Savior of the people”). Above the middle letter H was a cross, and a new coat of arms was created, drawing attention to the mystery of salvation. During Bernardine’s time, this symbol spread widely throughout Italy, especially to the houses of Christian brotherhoods, and it was also inscribed on the facades of public buildings. Bernardine carried a tablet bearing this symbol with him and placed it on the altar, where he celebrated Holy Mass before preaching. After preaching, he raised the tablet high and was blessed by it.

Finally, Bernardine was arrested and accused of heresy because the spread of such veneration displeased some theologians and humanists. The church court examined his accusations three times, the last time at the Council of Basel in 1438. John of Capistrano is said to have been one of Bernardine’s effective defenders. Bernardine did not take advantage of the emperor’s favor either, and in the end, his orthodoxy, pure intentions, and holiness of life were always recognized. On the other hand, the Pope offered him the episcopal office in Siena, Ferrara, and Urbino three times, but Bernardine always refused, preferring the path of preaching.

He also successfully defended the poor. Some inhabitants were expelled from a village for debts, and he fought relentlessly for each until they could return.

In 1438, Bernardine became the superior general of the Franciscan Observants and helped expand their order. As superior of the order, he participated in the general council in Florence. In the monastery of Monteripido near Perugia, he founded a theological school, where he himself taught, and in Siena, he established a higher theological teaching institution from which the religious professors were drawn. He tried to complement the Franciscan simplicity with intellectual maturity.

In 1442, he felt his strength diminish and resigned from the office of superior. The governor of Siena then asked him for some diplomatic services, which he successfully performed. He then tried to continue his apostolic work, but on the eve of the Ascension, while at San Silvestro near L’Aquila, his strength left him, and he died there in the monastery.

He was canonized by Nicholas V in 1450, and in 1474 his remains were transferred to a new church in L’Aquila, built in his honor.