Temperance in Joy and Sorrow by St. Bernard

The Difference Between Earth and Heaven

This present world of time shall be succeeded by two other worlds, widely diverse and remote one from the other. In the one there shall be nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth; in the other nothing but thanksgiving and the voice of praise (Is. 51:3). In this life, however, neither the lovers of the world are allowed to live without suffering many diversities, nor even with the servants of God does everything fall out in accordance with their wishes.

Some Rules to Follow

In the days of evil the just are mindful of good things, lest otherwise they should become pusillanimous and impatient; and they are also mindful of evils in the day of good things, lest they should grow proud and begin to say:  In their abundance I shall never be moved (Ps. 29:7). For just as his worldly prosperity destroys the worldly fool (Prov. 1:32), so too may his spiritual abundance and prosperity destroy the spiritual person who is lacking in knowledge and therefore not spiritual at all. But how is it that prosperity ruins the fool and not the wise man? We find the answer in Ecclesiastes, where it is written: The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth (Eccles. 7:5).

The Example of Our Lord

Here also we have the reason why the Lord willed to give us an example of humility in His Procession on a donkey, as well as that of patience in His Passion. In the Passion He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and was dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and He opened not His mouth (Is. 53:7). When He suffered He threatened not (1 Peter 2:23), but rather prayed for His enemies.  But what lesson does He give us in His Procession? The people were prepared to go forth to meet Him, nor was He ignorant of their purpose, for He knew what was in man (John 2:25). Therefore too He made his preparations, and presented Himself to them, not with horses and chariots, not with silver-mounted bridles and gilded caparisons, but seated on the back of an ass's colt whereon the Apostles had laid their garments, which I do not suppose were of the most costly material used in that country.