Chapter 1: The Saint's birth and parentage— Her early dedication to God—In tellectual gifts— Divine communications concerning her sanctity

— Our Lord declares that He finds rest and repose in her heart

— Desires a holy person to seek Him there.

H^HE thirteenth century was an eventful one for the world and the Church. Its commencement found the great orders of St. Dominic and St. Francis established in almost every city of Europe, already winning martyrs' crowns, and counting their trophies won for the Lamb by hundreds and by thousands. St. Elizabeth of Hungary had sanctified a palace, and edified a nation by her heroic virtue and her meek resignation in adversity. St. Thomas of Aquin and the seraphic St. Bonaventura had bequeathed such treasures to the Church, as had never before been confided to her keeping. St. Louis had died a victim to his love of Jesns crucified, and his grief that the land where his Lord had died should be despoiled by the heathen and defiled by the infidel. It was, in truth, a century of Saints, and of Saints of more than ordinary note ; at the close of this cen-

A tury, as a crowning gift, came the great and beautiful Saint Gertrude, whose history has been too little knowH amongst us, while her very name receives a continual homage of reverent love.

The illustrious Benedictine Abbess was born at Eisleben, a small town in the county of Mansfield, on the 6th of January 1263 ; and thus, as it has been happily remarked, a star of no ordinary brilliancy was given to the Church on the day on which that Church was mystically led by a star to her Incarnate God. It is said that the family of the Counts of Lachenborn were nearly related to the imperial family of Germany ; but whatever their rank or dignity may have been, all distinct remembrance of it has long since passed away, and they are only now remembered as illustrious because of the surpassing sanctity of their illus trious child. Bucelinus, in his Aquila Imperil Benedictini, gives a genealogical tree of the family of the Counts of Hackeborn, commencing with the father of the Saint, and concluding with " Fredericus, Dominus et Comes in Hacke born, fainiliw suae ultimus ;" but there is no date by which to determine when this Count, the " last of his family," passed away from earth. When the Saint had attained her fifth year, she was placed in the famous Benedictine Abbey of Rodersdorf, in the diocese of Halberstadt, where she was soon joined by her younger sister, Mechtilde.

Here, under the careful training of the Benedictine Dames, — who then, as now, devoted themselves with un wearied solicitude, and more than ordinary intellectual abilities, to the education of those confided to their charge, — the young Countess of Lachenborn advanced in wisdom and learning, both human and divine.

The high intellectual gifts with which St. Gertrude was endowed had the most ample advantages for their develop ment. At an early age she was sufficiently conversant with the Latin tongue to read and converse in that language; her reading was extensive for an age in which literature was confined to parchment manuscripts and oral instructions. Indeed, her devotion to literary pursuits — though these were of the best and purest kind, since the Scriptures, the Fathers, and other theological works, were her chief study — seemed at first likely to prove a hindrance to her spiritual advancement. Yet all was overruled by infinite love and infinite wisdom. Her writings were to be the Church's treasure in all ages, though, like stars in a stormy sky, their light may be for a time concealed from men, only perchance to shine more gloriously when they shall have emerged from this passing obscurity.

Secular learning might encase the jewel, but it could not produce it ; it might enhance the beauty of the pure and sparkling stream, by diverting its course through a more cultivated channel, but it could not produce the stream it self. And now the Spouse of virgins began to speak to the heart of His chosen one, and to withdraw her from those exterior occupations, no longer necessary for mental cultiva tion, that she might listen without distraction or hindrance to those whispers of His love which we also, despite our unworthiness, are permitted to hear and to enjoy.

The Saint has informed us herself when and how the first of these heavenly communications was vouchsafed to her. It was on Monday, the 25th of January, " at the close of day, the Light of lights came to dissipate the obscurity of her darkness, and to commence her conversion." And Jesus came, as He mostly comes to His beloved ones, as she performed an act of humility and obedience — declining to an ancient religious, to fulfil a conventual observance, and doubtless from no mere habitual custom, but with deep and lowly reverence for a spouse of Christ, whom she considered incomparably her superior in virtue and sanctity.

Her sisters were not slow to perceive that their com panion was specially favoured by Heaven. One religious, who had long suffered from most painful temptations, waa warned in a dream to apply to Gertrude for relief, and to recommend herself to her prayers. The moment she complied with this injunction, the temptation ceased. Another, who feared to communicate under a similar and even more urgent trial, obtained a morsel of cloth which had been used by the Saint, and placing it near her heart, implored our Lord to deliver her by the merits of Gertrude. The favour was granted , and from that moment she never suffered from the same temptation. It would appear, indeed, that Gertrude was specially designed by Providence to assist others, even during her lifetime, by her merits and intercession, as well as by the gift of counsel with which she was singularly favoured.

A person, whose sanctity had been long manifest, and who was specially favoured by Divine communications, came to the monastery from a distant country, to obtain an interview with the Saint. As she knew none of the religious personally, she prayed that whoever would benefit her soul most by their conversation might be sent to her. It was then made known to her, that whoever should come and take their place beside her would be indeed the one most beloved by God, and the most holy amongst the religious. On her arrival, St. Gertrude came to her ; but so well did she conceal any appearance of sanctity, and hide the supernatural light with which she was favoured, that the stranger imagined she had been deceived, and again prayed as she had done before. The same reply was once more vouchsafed to her; and she was assured that this was indeed the religious who was so dear to God. Shortly after, the visitor had a long interview with St. Mechtilde, whose conversation she greatly preferred, and whose sanctity was more apparent. Again she "inquired of God," and asked why St. Gertrude was preferred to her sister. Our Lord replied that He had indeed operated great graces in Mechtilde, but in Gertrude He had operated, and He would yet operate, far greater.

Another person of great sanctity, who was praying for the Saint, felt a singular impulse of affection for her, which she believed to be supernatural. " 0 Divine Love ! " she exclaimed, "what is it You behold in this virgin which obliges You to esteem her so highly and to love her so much?" Our Lord replied: "It is My goodness alone which obliges Me ; since she contains and perfects in her soul those five virtues which please Me above all others, and which I have placed therein by a singular liberality. She possesses purity, by a continual influence of My grace ; she possesses humility, amidst the great diversity of gifts which I have bestowed on her — for the more I effect in her, the more she abases herself; she possesses a true benignity, which makes her desire the salvation of the whole world for My greater glory ; she possesses a true fidelity, spread ing abroad, without reserve, all her treasures for the same end. Finally, she possesses a consummate charity ; for she loves Me with her whole heart, with her whole soul, and with her whole strength ; and for love of Me, she loves her neighbour as herself."

After our Lord had spoken thus to this soul, He showed her a precious stone on His heart, in the form of a triangle, made of trefoils, the beauty and brilliancy of which cannot be described ; and He said to her : " I always wear this jewel as a pledge of the affection which I have for My spouse. I have made it in this form, that all the celestial court may know by the brightness of the first leaf that there is no creature on earth so dear to Me as Gertrude, because there is no one at this present time amongst man kind who is united to Me so closely as she is, either by purity of intention or by uprightness of will. They will see by the second leaf, that there is no soul still bound by the chains of flesh and blood whom I am so disposed to enrich by My graces and favours. And they will observe in the splendour of the third leaf, that there is no one who refers to My glory alone the gifts received from Me with such sincerity and fidelity as Gertrude ; who, far from wishing to claim the least thing for herself, desires most ardently that nothing shall be ever attributed to her." Our Lord concluded this revelation by saying to the holy person to whom He had thus condescended to speak of the perfections of our Saint : " You cannot find Me in any place in which I delight, more, or which is more suitable for Me, than in the Sacrament of the Altar, and after that, in the heart and soul of Gertrude, My beloved ; for to wards her all My affections, and the complacences of My Divine love, turn in a singular manner."*

On another occasion, a devout person, who was praying for the Saint, heard these words : " She for whom thou prayest is My dove, who has no guile in her, for she rejects from her heart as gall all the guile and bitterness of sin. She is My chosen lily, which I love to bear in My hands; for it is My delight and My pleasure to repose in the purity and innocence of this chaste soul. She is My rose, whose odour is full of sweetness, because of her patience in every adversity, and the thanksgivings which she continually offers Me, which ascend before Me as the sweetest perfumes. She is that spring flower which never fades, and which I take pleasure in contemplating, because she keeps and maintains continually in her breast an ardent desire not only for all virtues, but for the utmost perfection of every virtue. She is as a sweet melody, which ravishes the ears of the blessed; and this melody is composed of all the sufferings she endures with so much constancy."

A little before Lent, as Gertrude was reading a lecture for the community, according to the custom of the Order, she repeated these words twice : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength " (Deut. vi.) The Saint lived in a community of saints, where more than one favoured soul was vouchsafed intimate and frequent communion with her Spouse. A sister, who was touched by the devotion with which these words were uttered, prayed that He who so loved Gertrude, and had taught her to love Him so much, would vouchsafe to impart to her the same blessed lesson. Our Lord replied : " I have borne her in My arms from her infancy, I have preserved her in her baptismal purity and innocence, until she, by her own free choice and will, has given herself to Me entirely and for ever ; and as a recom pense for the perfection of her desires, I, in return, have given Myself entirely to her. So pleasing is this soul to Me, that when I am offended by men, I often enter therein to repose, and I make her endure some pain of body or of mind, which I inflict on her for the sins of others ; and as she accepts this suffering with the same thanksgiving, humility, and patience as she receives all that comes from Me, and offers it to Me in union with My sufferings, she appeases My anger, and obliges My mercy to pardon, for her sake, an immense number of sinners."

On another occasion, Gertrude having humbly asked the prayers of a sister, the religious complied with her re quest, and while praying for the Saint, heard these words : " The faults which appear in Gertrude may rather be called steps in perfection ; for it would be almost impossible that human weakness could be preserved from the blasts of vain glory, amidst the abundance of graces which I continually operate in her, if her virtues were not hidden from her eyes under the veils and shadows of apparent defects.

Thus, even as the earth produces a richer and more abun dant harvest in proportion as the labourer has been careful in manuring it, so the gratitude of Gertrude bears Me richer fruit, the more I make her see her own weakness. It is for this reason that I permit different imperfections in her, for which she is in a state of continual humiliation, sending her a particular grace for each, with which she blots them all out from My sight ; and the time will come when I will change these defects into so many virtues, so that her soul will shine before Me as a most glorious sun."

What these defects we're, we are not told. The Saint's patience in sickness and in trial was unalterable; her charity to her sisters abounded with each necessity for its exercise; and her sanctity was apparent in every action of her holy life. A special gift of prophecy or foreknow ledge enabled her to give advice with promptness, and the greatest wisdom, on the most important occasions. When these gifts became known, the monastery was frequently visited by all classes of persons, who came to converse with her on spiritual subjects, or to obtain counsel in difficulties. Her deep study of Holy Scripture and of the Fathers now bore abundant fruit, and it was observed that she had a singular, and no doubt a heaven-sent, felicity in applying what she had read and treasured in her memory to the spiritual necessities of those with whom she conversed.

God and the salvation of souls — this was the one object of her life, the one end of every action. From her humility, she had fully persuaded herself that the marvellous graces bestowed on her were given her merely for others. This holy delusion served two important ends — it saved her from every temptation to spiritual complacence, and it induced her to impart freely to others a knowledge of the revela tions and other favours bestowed on her. She was simply, accordingto herownidea, a channel of divine grace to others; and believing this to be her end, she neither spared time nor labour for its accomplishment. Often her rest was shortened and her food forgotten, when souls demanded time or anxious thought. " Not satisfied even with this, she often deprived herself of the sweetness of contemplation, when it was necessary to succour the tempted, to console the afflicted, or, what she desired above all else, to enkindle and increase the fire of divine love in any soul. For as iron, when placed in the fire, becomes itself like fire, thus this virgin, burning with love, seemed to be all love, such zeal had she for the salvation of all."

She believed that God would indeed be glorified there by, and that His gifts would thus be multiplied a hundred fold ; " she was absolutely persuaded that she received nothing for herself, but that all was for the salvation of others. She never beheld any one whom she did riot con sider better than herself, and it was on this account that she was so convinced that God would receive more glory by the communication of His graces to them. She believed that they merited more by a single thought, by their mere innocence, even by their purity of heart, than she could do by all her mental powers or spiritual gifts." Can we won der that a vessel so emptied of self should have been filled to overflowing with God ? — that the " perfume of the oint ment " should have lingered for so many hundreds of years in the house of God, and that it still affords refreshment and consolation to His chosen spouses, and to the most saintly souls 1 May this poor effort to extend the sweet ness of that perfume be for His honour and glory, for the honour of this blessed Saint, and for the refreshment of the little ones of Jesus !