On October 7, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed St. Hildegard of Bingen a Doctor of the Church.
How magnificent! I love Hildegard! Christie and I are so excited. She is my hero and favorite saint!!! Hildegard was all about balance, prayer, humility, and believed in holy listening. She was a woman so ahead of her time, a joyfilled, loving, servant leader.
Hildegard is the 4th woman of the 35 doctors of the church. The doctors of the church, saints honored for particularly important contributions to theology and spirituality, come from both the Eastern and Western church traditions.
In A Spiritual Reader: Hildegard of Bingen, author Carmen Acevedo Butcher, describes Hildegard as the ultimate in multitasking! She was amazing..."this Benedictine nun founded two convents; organized the first-ever public preaching tours conducted by a woman; authored nearly four hundred bold letters to popes, emperors, abbesses, abbots, monks, nuns and laypeople; worked as a healer, naturalist, botanist, dietary specialist, and exorcist; composed daring music; crafted poetry; wrote the first surviving sung morality play; and spent decades writing three compelling theological works."
What a powerhouse!
Here is one of my favorite passages from Hildegard's writings...
"...Continue to follow Him steadily. Love the One who is your Creator. After you become happy in God, He'll give you everything good. Life. Whatever you're looking for and whatever your heart most wants. Your trust in God permits only those things that are good to search you out.
Contemplation teaches spiritual confidence and pursues only what pleases God. So complain to God as much as you need to. Don't forget to cry out to God on behalf of your needy brother and sister. Then the aroma of good deeds - through God's love in you - rises, and God never stops fulfilling the requests you make out of kindness. A dependable person pays attention to these things and remembers them well."
Hildegard is absolutely the reason I returned to nursing. She inspired me when I felt vulnerable and had lost all confidence. At a time when women had no say in education, politics, and religion, relying on God's counsel and strength, she became a renown author, speaker, and holistic healer. She is a shining example of courage, leadership, and compassion.
Hildegard, above all, used the gifts God gave her. We are called to do the same. I am always reminding Christie to lean into and grab all the graces God is just waiting to give her. And she does! And look how God is using her life in concert with Bobby! Christie daily steps out of her comfort zone, growing and stretching, absolutely depending on God's guidance, energy, and wisdom.
Pope Benedict called Hildegard "a woman of brilliant intelligence, deep sensitivity and recognized spiritual authority. The Lord granted her a prophetic spirit and fervent capacity to discern the signs of the times."
We are thrilled to call Hildegard a Doctor of the Church! I encourage everyone to research this wonderful woman, a treasure of the catholic church. I am grateful for the example of such a God driven servant. (I must tell you about Hildegard's analogy of the "feather" and our lives! It is so lovely...next time!)
"Through your awesome deeds of righteousness, you respond to us, O God, our Savior; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth..." Psalm 65:6
How magnificent! I love Hildegard! Christie and I are so excited. She is my hero and favorite saint!!! Hildegard was all about balance, prayer, humility, and believed in holy listening. She was a woman so ahead of her time, a joyfilled, loving, servant leader.
Hildegard is the 4th woman of the 35 doctors of the church. The doctors of the church, saints honored for particularly important contributions to theology and spirituality, come from both the Eastern and Western church traditions.
In A Spiritual Reader: Hildegard of Bingen, author Carmen Acevedo Butcher, describes Hildegard as the ultimate in multitasking! She was amazing..."this Benedictine nun founded two convents; organized the first-ever public preaching tours conducted by a woman; authored nearly four hundred bold letters to popes, emperors, abbesses, abbots, monks, nuns and laypeople; worked as a healer, naturalist, botanist, dietary specialist, and exorcist; composed daring music; crafted poetry; wrote the first surviving sung morality play; and spent decades writing three compelling theological works."
What a powerhouse!
Here is one of my favorite passages from Hildegard's writings...
"...Continue to follow Him steadily. Love the One who is your Creator. After you become happy in God, He'll give you everything good. Life. Whatever you're looking for and whatever your heart most wants. Your trust in God permits only those things that are good to search you out.
Contemplation teaches spiritual confidence and pursues only what pleases God. So complain to God as much as you need to. Don't forget to cry out to God on behalf of your needy brother and sister. Then the aroma of good deeds - through God's love in you - rises, and God never stops fulfilling the requests you make out of kindness. A dependable person pays attention to these things and remembers them well."
Hildegard is absolutely the reason I returned to nursing. She inspired me when I felt vulnerable and had lost all confidence. At a time when women had no say in education, politics, and religion, relying on God's counsel and strength, she became a renown author, speaker, and holistic healer. She is a shining example of courage, leadership, and compassion.
Hildegard, above all, used the gifts God gave her. We are called to do the same. I am always reminding Christie to lean into and grab all the graces God is just waiting to give her. And she does! And look how God is using her life in concert with Bobby! Christie daily steps out of her comfort zone, growing and stretching, absolutely depending on God's guidance, energy, and wisdom.
Pope Benedict called Hildegard "a woman of brilliant intelligence, deep sensitivity and recognized spiritual authority. The Lord granted her a prophetic spirit and fervent capacity to discern the signs of the times."
We are thrilled to call Hildegard a Doctor of the Church! I encourage everyone to research this wonderful woman, a treasure of the catholic church. I am grateful for the example of such a God driven servant. (I must tell you about Hildegard's analogy of the "feather" and our lives! It is so lovely...next time!)
"Through your awesome deeds of righteousness, you respond to us, O God, our Savior; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth..." Psalm 65:6
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