“Faith is above all an individual and intimate encounter with Jesus; it means experiencing His closeness, His friendship and His love.” This is what Benedict XVI said during the General Audience catechesis on October 21st in St. Peter’s Square before approximately 40 thousand faithful. His catechesis was dedicated to the figure of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most outstanding theologians of the Middle Ages.

Quoting the French Abbot, the Pope reminded today’s theologians that “without a profound faith in God, nourished by prayer and contemplation, our reflections upon the divine mysteries risk becoming a vain intellectual exercise and lose their credibility.”

He also reminded those who think they “can resolve the fundamental questions about God, mankind and the world using only the power of reason” that God “perhaps can be better sought and easier found with prayer than with discussion.”