Bernard

 My confirmation name is Bernard, my father’s first name.  It comes from St. Bernard, the famous Cistercian, like the monastery I live in now.  Bernard said, “Knowledge comes from grasping something.  Wisdom comes from being gripped by something.”  Deep prayer is being gripped.  Classroom education is more about knowledge.  New monks need classroom knowledge about theology and philosophy.  I got that in my Catholic classrooms.  But today STEM learning is emphasized and not so much the “being gripped.”  Nowadays, my brain generally forgets the knowledge, but my heart does not forget the “grip.”