William of SAINT-THIERRY. The Meditations with a Monastic Commentary.  Translation and Commentary by Thomas X. Davis. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2022.  Pp. xxi + 247.  $39.95. pb. ISBN 9780879071646.  Reviewed by Leo D. LEFEBURE, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057.

In recent decades there has been a growing appreciation of the important contributions of William of Saint-Thierry to the spiritual flourishing of the Christian community in the twelfth century.  Rooted in the Augustinian heritage and influenced by his friend Bernard of Clairvaux, William wrote his Meditations as a profound reflection on the meaning and challenges of Christian existence; and Meditation 10 in particular has been praised as masterpiece of devotion to the vision of God in relation to the passion of Christ   This volume is a most welcome contribution to our assessment of William’s significance.  Thomas X. Davis, a monk and abbot emeritus of New Clairvaux Abbey in California, provides a very clear, flowing translation that is faithful to the original Latin, followed by a perspicacious commentary that relates William’s theological and spiritual perspectives to the monastic tradition past and present.  Davis is an experienced interpreter of William, having earlier translated The Nature and Dignity of Love and The Mirror of Faith, and is very familiar with the texts and the context of William and his contemporaries.

In the Meditations, William goes through periods of confusion, shame, and doubt and has to realize that his sins lead to loneliness.  He encounters a wall that cuts him off from God and comes to learn that he must share his confusion and troubled conscience with the Holy Spirit.  Through it all he also experiences a God of mercy who is compared to a potter working patiently with a vessel.  In William’s journey, the Holy Spirit, which is the goodness and love of God, invites humans to move beyond their pride and self-centeredness, face the truth about themselves, and surrender to God’s mercy.  When ready, a person may receive enlightened understanding from pure grace in a manner that is ineffable and that transforms reason and deepens faith.  William identifies true loving with understanding, possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit.  William reflects on the biblical warning that no one can see God and live, he ponders the biblical characters like Moses and Paul who veil or unveil their faces, and he professes his own willingness to die to see the countenance of God.  Of particular interest and importance is William’s repeated invocation of the Holy Spirit as the power transforming and renewing human life. 

Along the way Davis is a helpful guide to each of William’s Meditations, noting influences from Augustine and Benedict of Nursia and many others.  Davis explains clearly the interplay in William’s theology between divine predestination, God’s invitation to all to accept grace, and human free will with its power to refuse.  Davis comments helpfully on William’s image of persons walking around in a circle of error because they avoid the truth about themselves and God.  Davis notes the similarity of William’s lament concerning his separation from God to the writings of Augustine and Bernard of Clairvaux.  Davis clarifies how truth and mercy intertwine in William’s description of the human journey into God’s grace.  This volume is highly recommended for all who want to deepen their appreciation of medieval monastic spirituality.