St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

When monks and nuns hear that their cowls are worthless, they are afire with rage, and the whole Rhine is ablaze. And if you tell the pope today that cowl, holy life, or conduct count for nothing, he replies: “Nonsense!” They will let Christ be called the Savior of the world, but at the same time they refuse to have their own efforts condemned. When this is done, they begin to rave and rage. They remain in their darkness and shout: “The fathers, the councils, holy orders, rules!” Whenever monks were saved, however, they were constrained to crawl to the cross of Christ again. This is what St. Bernard did. I regard him as the most pious of all the monks and prefer him to all the others, even to St. Dominic. He is the only one worthy of the name “Father Bernard” and of being studied diligently. He is dressed in a cowl. But what does he do when matters become serious? He does not try to satisfy the judgment of God with his cowl; instead, he takes hold of Christ. –Martin Luther