Sermons on the Christian Year

Lewis White has been a professor and translator at the Language Center of the Universidad Tecnológica de la Mixteca, Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, Mexico, since 2009. His translations of Aelred of Rievaulx’s Homilies on the Prophetic Burdens of Isaiah (CF 83) and of some of the liturgical sermons from Aelred’s Durham Collection (CF 80) were published by Cistercian Publications in 2018.Elias Dietz has been a monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani since 1988. He has published studies on early Cistercian authors in various journals, including Cistercian Studies Quarterly,of which he was editor from 2003 to 2007. Since 2008 he has served as abbot of his community. With regard to Isaac of Stella, his main contributions have been a study of his biography (CSQ, 2006) and an edition and translation of his Letter on the Canon of the Mass (Cîteaux, 2014). He is currently collaborating with Sources Chrétiennes on a volume of Isaac’s letters.

• ContentsTranslator’s Acknowledgments  viiTable of Abbreviations  ixAn Introduction to Isaac’s Sermons  xvElias Dietz, OCSO  The SermonsS 27: First Sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday  1S 28: Second Sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday  7S 29: Third Sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday  14S 30: First Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent  21S 31: Second Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent  27S 32: Third Sermon for the First Sunday of Lent  33S 33: First Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent  41S 34: Second Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent  47S 35: Third Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent  58S 36: Fourth Sermon for the Second Sunday of Len t 63S 37: Fifth Sermon for the Second Sunday of Lent  70S 38: First Sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent  80S 39: Second Sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent  87S 40: First Sermon for Easter Day  93S 41: Second Sermon for Easter Day  100S 42: Sermon for the Ascension of the Lord  104S 43: First Sermon for the Day of Pentecost  112S 44: Second Sermon for the Day of Pentecost  121S 45: Third Sermon for the Day of Pentecost  127S 46: First Sermon for the Birth of John the Baptist  135S 47: Second Sermon for the Birth of John the Baptist  143S 48: Third Sermon for the Birth of John the Baptist  150S 49: First Sermon for the Birth of the Apostles Peter and Paul  156S 50: Second Sermon for the Birth of the Apostles Peter and Paul  161S 51: First Sermon for the Assumption of Blessed Mary 168S 52: Second Sermon for the Assumption of Blessed Mary  177S 53: Third Sermon for the Assumption of Blessed Mary  184S 54: Sermon for the Birth of Mary  189S 55: Sermon for the Dedication of a Church  194Fragment 1: Sermon for the Epiphany of the Lord  200Fragment 2: A Pilgrimage Sermon  206Fragment 3: On the Four Kinds of Proud People  211Index of Scriptural Citations  213Index of Patristic and Medieval Authors  229Index of Subjects  244

"This long-awaited volume allows contemporary readers to appreciate the full theological creativity and monastic wisdom of one of the greatest, but less well-known, Cistercian mystics of the twelfth century. Isaac of Stella's liturgical sermons are original, challenging, and spiritually nourishing. It is a delight to have them in a fine English translation for the first time."Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus, Divinity School, University of Chicago