I came across a quote from Bernard of Clairvaux that touches on the traditional/tri-part understanding of the postmortem process: death, intermediary rest, resurrection. He is talking about our experience of divine love in life, through death, and then after resurrected life. He compares it to a dinner party where our "inebriation" and fulfillment from divine love grow stronger as we go.
"Eat before death, drink after death, and we will be made drunk after the resurrection." (Bernard of Clairvaux from On Loving God)
I take it "Eat before death" is a head nod to the Eucharist. The "drink after death" represents the intermediary state between death and resurrection. That doesn't tell us much, but comparing it to a dinner party that just keeps getting better sounds pretty good. :)
You know, it's hard not to encounter any feasting language without considering the Eucharist, but I think Bernard is talking more about meat as a necessity to fuel our physical bodies for the work of this life. Then we can enjoy some wine, and later still, when we receive our resurrected bodies, we can get truly drunk with God's love! I love that for us. ;)
From a bit earlier in the same chapter: "It is Wisdom who spreads this threefold supper where all the repast is love; Wisdom who feeds the toilers, who gives drink to those who rest, who floods with rapture those that reign with Christ. Even as at an earthly banquet custom and nature serve meat first and then wine, so here. Before death, while we are still in mortal flesh, we eat the labors of our hands, we swallow with an effort the food so gained; but after death, we shall begin eagerly to drink in the spiritual life and finally, reunited to our bodies, and rejoicing in fullness of delight, we shall be refreshed with immortality."
I came across a quote from Bernard of Clairvaux that touches on the traditional/tri-part understanding of the postmortem process: death, intermediary rest, resurrection. He is talking about our experience of divine love in life, through death, and then after resurrected life. He compares it to a dinner party where our "inebriation" and fulfillment from divine love grow stronger as we go.
"Eat before death, drink after death, and we will be made drunk after the resurrection." (Bernard of Clairvaux from On Loving God)
I take it "Eat before death" is a head nod to the Eucharist. The "drink after death" represents the intermediary state between death and resurrection. That doesn't tell us much, but comparing it to a dinner party that just keeps getting better sounds pretty good. :)
Oh, this is a great find in the tradition affirming that sequence. Thanks, Chad!
For anyone looking for the quote in context, it's found in Chapter XI of On Loving God. You can check it out here: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/bernard/loving_god.xiii.html
You know, it's hard not to encounter any feasting language without considering the Eucharist, but I think Bernard is talking more about meat as a necessity to fuel our physical bodies for the work of this life. Then we can enjoy some wine, and later still, when we receive our resurrected bodies, we can get truly drunk with God's love! I love that for us. ;)
From a bit earlier in the same chapter: "It is Wisdom who spreads this threefold supper where all the repast is love; Wisdom who feeds the toilers, who gives drink to those who rest, who floods with rapture those that reign with Christ. Even as at an earthly banquet custom and nature serve meat first and then wine, so here. Before death, while we are still in mortal flesh, we eat the labors of our hands, we swallow with an effort the food so gained; but after death, we shall begin eagerly to drink in the spiritual life and finally, reunited to our bodies, and rejoicing in fullness of delight, we shall be refreshed with immortality."