Haus Jakob

St. Bernard, Abbot, Doctor of the Church

聖伯爾納鐸，院長、聖師

Feast: August 20

瞻禮：8月20日

St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), born of noble Burgundian parents, was a monk of the Cistercian Order, a branch of the Benedictine Order. He became Abbot of the famous monastery of Clairvaux, which he himself had founded. The writings, sermons, and letters of this great Doctor rendered invaluable services to the Church. He also preached the second crusade, and died at Clairvaux in 1153.

In his book, On Loving God, St. Bernard demonstrates the fact that God inherently deserves our immeasurable love, and that we ought to ascribe all glory to God, the Source of all goodness, and to refuse the transitory joys in this life while awaiting the eternal happiness in the next. Such words have composed the code of conduct for all missionaries of Haus Jakob. Just as the crusade preached by St. Bernard was an event essential to the protection of Christians in the Holy Land, as well as the Christianisation of Eastern European nations, Haus Jakob serves as the cornerstone of the evangelisation of China.

Saint Bernard, pray for us.

聖伯爾納鐸（1090-1153）生於蒲公田貴族家庭，曾是本篤會分支——熙篤會——的隱修士。他創辦了著名的格來福修院，並擔任其院長。這位偉大聖師的著作、講道、信函成為教會的無價瑰寶。他還曾召集了第二次十字軍東征，並於1153年逝於格來福。

在他的著作《論愛天主》中，聖伯爾納鐸闡明了：天主本就應得我們不可計量的愛；我們應將一切榮福歸於一切美善的泉源——天主；我們既然在等待天國永恆的福樂，就應拒絕現世轉瞬即逝的歡樂。聖人的這些詞句構成了 Haus Jakob 所有傳教士的行為準則。正如聖伯爾納鐸所召集的十字軍東征是在保護聖地基督徒，以及在東歐民族中間福傳的過程中，一個不可或缺的事件，Haus Jakob 現也是在華福傳的基石。

聖伯爾納鐸，為我等祈。

St. Michael the Archangel

聖彌額爾總領天神

Feast: September 29

瞻禮：9月29日

Angels are pure spirits with no body, created and sent by God as messengers to men. Their most important messages are often in their names. The meaning of the name Michael is “Who is like God?” This is a rhetorical question with an obvious answer that no one is like God, certainly not the Pope or any clergy, not any of those ecumenical councils, not even the holiest saint or the holiest of the holy angels. The message of St. Michael is that we ought to leave our earthly wisdom and power behind, coming before God as little children (cfr. Mt. 18:3), to let God teach us everything through the Scripture and the Sacred Apostolic Tradition and grant us everything in accordance with His holy will. It is because there is no parent kinder than God, our heavenly Father; there is no teacher more knowledgeable about the Truth than God Who is the Truth Himself, and there is no guardian more powerful than God Who can deliver us from all evils.

Meditating on the message of St. Michael and under his patronage, missionaries of Haus Jakob love Lord our God with our whole heart and with our whole soul and with our whole mind and with our whole strength (cfr. Mk. 12:30). We furthermore extend such love to our neighbours, preaching the Gospel to all creatures around us, saving them as we have been saved by the very same Gospel of our Lord (cfr. Mk. 12:31; 16:15). For such love, we have left everything behind and been following our Lord closely as little children.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

天神是無形無像的純神，由天主所造，並受差遣來為世人傳遞訊息。天神最重要的訊息往往在他們的名字裏。「彌額爾」這個名字的意涵就是「誰如同天主？」這是一句反問，其答案顯然是：沒人如同天主——不是教宗或任何聖職人員，不是任何一次大公會議，甚至不是天國裏最為聖潔的聖人聖女或最為神聖的天神。聖彌額爾向我們所傳遞的訊息就是：我們理應拋棄一切世俗的智慧與能力，像小孩子一樣來到天主面前（cfr. 瑪18:3），讓天主通過聖經與聖傳教導我們一切，並按照祂的聖意賜給我們一切。因為沒有父母比天主父更慈祥；沒有老師比天主，即真理本身，更瞭解真理；沒有護衛比天主更強有力，能把我們從一切凶惡中救拔出來。

既默想了聖彌額爾的訊息，又在他的護守之下，Haus Jakob 的傳教士們全心、全靈、全意、全力愛上主，我們的天主（cfr. 谷12:30）。我們更進一步將這樣的愛延展至我們的近人，向我們週遭一切受造物宣傳福音（cfr. 谷12:31；16:15）。正如我們因福音而得救，我們也以吾主同樣的福音來拯救他人。為了這樣的愛，我們捨棄了一切，像小孩子一樣緊緊跟隨著吾主基督。

聖彌額爾總領天神，為我等祈。