The Great Sermon of the Second Crusade
The Great Sermon of the Second Crusade
How St. Bernard called his fellow Christians to fight the Muslims in the Holy Lands in 1146
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The following sermon was preached by Bernard, the Abbot of Clairvaux, on Palm Sunday in 1146 — just outside the French city of Burgundy, in a small village called Vezelay. King Louis VII of France was in attendance, along with a large crowd.
Here is what Bernard preached:
How can you not know that we live in a period of chastisement and ruin? The enemy of mankind has caused the breath of corruption to fly over all regions; we behold nothing but unpunished wickedness. Neither the laws of men nor the laws of religion have sufficient power to check the depravity of customs and the triumph of the wicked. The demon of heresy has taken possession of the chair of truth, and God has sent forth His malediction upon His sanctuary.
Oh, ye who listen to me, hasten then to appease the anger of Heaven. But no longer implore His goodness by vain complaints; clothe not yourselves in sackcloth, but cover yourselves with your impenetrable bucklers. The din of arms, the dangers, the labors, the fatigues of war are the penances that God now imposes upon you. Hasten then to expiate your sins by victories over the infidels, and let the deliverance of holy places be the reward of your repentance.
If it were announced to you that the enemy had invaded your cities, your castles, your lands; had ravished your wives and your daughters and profaned your temples — who among you would not fly to arms? Well, then, all these calamities, and calamities still greater, have fallen upon your brethren, upon the family of Jesus Christ, which is yours. Why do you hesitate to repair so many evils — to revenge so many outrages? Will you allow the infidels to contemplate in peace the ravages they have committed on Christian people?
Remember that their triumph will be a subject for grief to all ages and an eternal opprobrium upon the generation that has endured it. Yes, the living God has charged me to announce to you that He will punish them who shall not have defended Him against His enemies.
Fly then to arms! Let a holy ire animate you in the fight, and let the Christian world resound with these words of the prophet: ‘Cursed be he who does not stain his sword with blood!’ If the Lord calls you to the defense of His heritage think not that His hand has lost its power. Could He not send twelve Legions of Angels or breathe one word and all His enemies would crumble away into dust? But God has considered the sons of men, to open for them the road to His mercy. His goodness has caused to dawn for you a day of safety by calling on you to avenge His glory and His name.
Christian warriors, He who gave His life for you, today demands yours in return. These are combats worthy of you, combats in which it is glorious to conquer and advantageous to die. Illustrious knights, generous defenders of the Cross, remember the example of your fathers, who conquered Jerusalem, and whose names are inscribed in Heaven. Abandon then the things that perish, to gather unfading palms and conquer a Kingdom that has no end.
It is said that, when Bernard was finished with his sermon, King Louis VII cast himself at the feet of the preacher, and demanded the Cross. Then the monarch called for everyone who had listened to follow his example. So many did so that Bernard was forced to tear crosses from his priestly garments to give to the oath-takers as they kneeled before him.
Meanwhile, the crowd cried out: Deus vult! Deus vult! Deus vult! (“God wills it”).
A church dedicated to the Holy Cross was eventually built upon the spot where St. Bernard preached in 1217 — and it remains to this day.
Europe fought wars for centuries to keep the Muslim hordes out. To stand for Christian standards. Now they open the door to them and bid them come in. Rape , burn, plunder, kill. Take over. How progressive of their leadership now....
Europe started fighting the Muslims in 1096 and kept fighting them until 1918. They were ultimately driven out of France, Iberia, Hungary, the Balkans and Greeece. They continue to occupy Byzantium and almost all of the Middle East and North Africa--all of which were Christian before the Muslim conquests of 700-800. Today they invade Europe as "refugees" from the disaster countries they created.