Confession and Self-Examination: Bernard of Clairvaux on Self-Knowledge
Teaching on Confession and Self-Examination from Bernard of Clairvaux: Bernard of Clairvaux on Self-Knowledge
This is a spiritual discipline on self-knowledge and humility, drawing on Proverbs 9:10, Jeremiah 17:9 and Galatians 6:3-4.
Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) taught that self-knowledge is the foundation of all spiritual growth. In his treatise "On the Steps of Humility and Pride," he wrote: "The road to truth is through humility, and humility begins with self-knowledge." Bernard identified twelve steps of pride that progressively distance the soul from God, starting with curiosity and ending with habitual sin.…
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