“Knowledge without love inflates; love without knowledge falls into error” (St. Bernard).
St. Bernard bequeathed this maxim to us. He himself affirmed that “to burn is better than to know.” And so it is!
Knowledge that does not involve the heart, and therefore has not been “kissed” by love, easily becomes cold and inflated. It can generate false security in oneself. Such knowledge tends to forget where it comes from, overlooking the need to praise and thank the source of all knowledge and the capacity to assimilate it.
This swelling can easily be accompanied by excessive self-esteem, which carries with it the danger of feeling superior to and judging others according to our own criteria without being governed by love. Therefore, knowledge needs love in order to understand science as a gift that should glorify God and serve mankind.
At the same time, however, love needs knowledge, which gives it orientation and a better spirit of discernment. St. Bernard describes this in the following sentence:
“The more ardent the zeal, the more impetuous the spirit, the more overflowing the love, the more necessary a vigilant understanding becomes that restrains the zeal, balances the spirit, and leads love along orderly paths.”
We see, then, how wisely our Father has arranged everything. Love must burn within us, even rapturing us. It must be the driving force behind all our actions. However, it requires the safeguard of an enlightened understanding to preserve it from erroneous judgments and false steps.
Therefore, we should ask our Father for wisdom. Wisdom encompasses the aforementioned elements and will enable us to love and serve God and humanity with enlightened understanding.