Chapter 5: The Saint as Abbess— Tenderness towards others— Care of the sick— Her last illness— Value of suffering— She is forbidden to resign her office— Our Lord accepts as done to Himself what is done for her — St. Lebuiu

According to the calculations of Campacci, the Saint was elected Abbess on the 3d of May 1294, and governed her monastery for forty years, six months, and fourteen days. In the exercise of her charge she conducted herself with great wisdom, sweetness, and prudence, coupled with a marvellous discretion, and for the glory of God and the benefit of mankind ; in charity and love towards God, in piety and vigilance towards her neighbour; in profound humility and mortification towards herself. The sick had special occasion to extol her charity and her care, for she visited them assiduously, supplied them with every necessary, and, far from contenting herself with consoling them merely by words, she served them with her own hands, comforting them in their necessities, and providing even for their repose and recreation. Pier religious, indeed, were often obliged to interfere in these exercises of devotion, lest their beloved Superior should exceed her strength, and exhaust an already enfeebled frame in these ministries of love. Even in her dying moments, her thoughts, as we shall see later, were constantly occupied with a sick sister ; nor could she be satisfied until she was carried to her to console her. So true a mother was this blessed Saint to the chil dren whom God had given her !

" While, then, she thus flourished in all kinds of virtue, and, like a mystic rose, emitted a sweet odour of sanctity, agreeable alike to God and man, when she had concluded the fortieth year and eleventh day of her administration of the charge of Abbess, she was attacked with an illness, usually called the little apoplexy. This illness was for her

R favourable touch of the Almighty Hand, who willed to free her from the ties of the flesh and the miseries of earth, and to draw to Himself this noble and generous soul, who, having nourished herself so long only with the fruit of the most excellent virtues, had acquired an extraordinary vigour and strength ; but for her religious, it was a dart which pierced their hearts, and filled them with exceeding sadness. They could not but be deeply moved and feel most acutely at beholding themselves on the point of losing so gifted a Superior, who, in their opinion at least, had no equal in the world ; such benedictions and favours had God poured forth on her, both in the order of nature and grace. She had brought up in the monastery, and received to profession, more than a hundred religious ; but of this great number we never knew one who had the same esteem and venera tion for any person as for their incomparable Abbess. Her power of winning others was so great and so engaging, that even the young children who were placed in the convent conceived so tender and strong an affection for her, that as soon as they were instructed in the things of God, and learned that she was their spiritual mother, they would have considered it a fault and a disrespect to say that they loved either father or mother or any other relative more than the Saint.

" So dangerous an attack of illness made the religions fear that this star, which shone so brightly by the light of the Sun of Justice, was about to set; and, as they appre hended, when they were no longer guided by the wisdom of so amiable and holy a mother, nor animated by the bril liancy and force of her example, that they might stray from the strictness of the narrow path of holy religion, they had recourse to the Father of Mercies, and iddressed to Him their earnest prayers for her recovery. And He who ia sovereignly good despised not the sighs and tears of these poor children, but, because it was not convenient that He should grant them what was contrary to the immutable decrees of His Providence, He heard them in another manner, and in the way which was most useful and advan tageous for their salvation ; since, by making them consider the approaching decease of their mother as the commence ment of her happiness, He filled them with consolation, and enabled them to rejoice in her joy."

The religious of whom mention has already been made, as one singularly favoured by Divine communications, now prayed with great fervour for her dying Superior. Our Lord replied to her : " I have waited with inexpressible joy for this moment, that I might lead My elect into solitude, and there speak to her heart. I have not been disappointed in My expectation, for she conforms herself in all things to My will, and obeys Me in the manner which is most agreeable to Me." The holy Benedictine understood that by solitude our Lord meant the illness of the Saint, in which He spoke to the heart of His beloved, and not to her ear ; for His language is such as cannot be understood in an ordinary manner, just as those things which are spoken to the heart are rather felt than heard. Tribulations and afflictions of heart are the Lord's language to His elect ; when one who suffers thus reflects that they are useless, that they are spending their time uselessly, — that others are labouring for them, and labouring in vain, inasmuch aa they are never to recover their health through this labour, — the soul answers to such thoughts, that that which is most pleasing to God is to maintain interior patience, and to desire that the entire will of God may be accomplished in them. Such an answer does not reach heaven in the usual manner of human communications, but resounds, as it were, through that sweetest Divine organ, the Heart of Jesus, which is the ecstatic joy of the entire Trinity and the heavenly hot>t He continued thus : " My beloved affords Me the most intense and agreeable delight, because she despises not the afflictions of infirmity, as Queen Vasthi despised the orders of King Assuerus, when he commanded her to appear with a diadem on her head, that she might exhibit her beauty to his nobles. So, when I take pleasure in displaying the beauty of My chosen one in the presence of the ever-adorable Trinity and the hea venly host, I oppress her with sickness and infirmity ; and she carries out My intentions to My perfect satisfaction, when, with all patience, she the more willingly and dis erectly receives the relief and comfort I choose to give her body ; and it adds to her glory that she sometimes does this with inconvenience to herself : but it should be her consolation to recollect that all things work together unto good to those that love God" (Rom. viii.)

On another occasion, while the same religious was pray ing for her, the Lord said to her : " It is a pleasure to Me to have My chosen one prepare a lodging for Me, and then to bestow on her pearls and flowers of gold. By pearls I mean her senses, by flowers of gold her leisure, with which, when she has time, and her strength is somewhat restored, she discharges her duty as well as she can, in preparing most becoming and acceptable ornaments for Me ; being solicitous how she may so arrange everything that can tend to increase and preserve religion, so that after her death her rules and example may be as a firm pillar to support religion in eternal praise. But, in the height of her labours, if she feels that she is injuring her health, she immediately desists, and leaves Me to finish the work ; for the real fidelity that moves My Heart consists in persons discharging their duty when they find themselves in good health, and immediately desisting and intrusting all to Me when they find themselves indisposed."

As the illness of the Saint increased, she became incap able of the least manual labour, and her tender conscience was filled with fear lest there should be any imperfectk/fc even in this compulsory inactivity ; she therefore requested the religious who had received so many revelations for her consolation to pray for her. Our Lord replied :

" A good king never takes it ill of his queen if she neglect bringing forward at a given hour the ornaments that he is most gratified at receiving ; but he is much more pleased at finding her always ready to comply with his wishes ; and the sweetness of My most benign Heart delights more in the patient endurance with which My chosen one bears her infirmity, on the relief of which she resumes her labours for the extension of religion, so far as she can do so without injuring her health."

As the Saint found herself daily more and more unequal to the important duties of her office, she became anxious to resign her charge ; but even this desire she was unwilling to put into effect, until assured that it was the will of God. Fearful lest her own inclination might deceive her, even in the interpretation of heavenly communications, she requested her favoured daughter to ask the counsel she needed from the Source of all wisdom. Our Lord conde scended to reply, — may we not hope for the consolation and help of many of His chosen ones, as well as of the soul so singularly favoured thus specially to know His will 1 — " By this illness I sanctify My chosen one, to make her a fit habi tation for Myself — as a church is sanctified by the blessing of a bishop. In like manner as a church is secured with locks, to prevent the entrance of the unworthy, so I, by that infirmity, seal her up so that her mind cannot be occupied by externals, which tend to disturb the heart and distract it from Me, and in which there is sometimes i\3 great utility. Thus, as ' My delight is to be with the children of men ' (Prov. viii.), as I have said in the Book of Wisdom, I exercise and purify Gertrude by sickness, that she may merit to become My dwelling and My temple ; according to the word of My Prophet : ' The Lord is nigh unto those who are of a contrite heart' (Ps. xxxiii.) I continue also to embellish and adorn her with the rich and precious gifts of a good will and a right intention, which produce and animate all her actions, that I may erect My throne and repose in her, as a king who is seated on his conch of justice, and that I may therein take My delight as long as she is on earth, until I call her to abide with Me in heaven, where I will share My eternal delights with her ; but in the meanwhile I have not entirely deprived her of health, and I have left her the use of her exterior senses, desiring still to employ her to make known My will and My answers to the community which she governs, as formerly I gave the people of Israel the Ark of the Cove nant, where I delivered My oracles and received their respect and adoration. Therefore, as Gertrude is a spirit ual ark, I desire that she should contain manna, — that is to say, the sweetness and tenderness of charity to console the souls under her guidance, and to solace their griefs as far as she can. I desire also that she should possess the Tables of the Law, — that is to say, that she should declare or forbid what should be done or not done, in order to please Me, and that in so doing she should be guided by the lights and discernment with which I have enlightened her. But I desire also that she should be the rod of Aaron, — that is to say, the authority and zeal of justice, to correct those persons who stray from their duty, to prescribe and impose salutary penances, and to decide and regulate every thing with a fervent and even mind. She should consider that I could easily reform what needs reform, or what is ill-regulated, by simple inspirations, or by trials and dis graces ; but I effect these things through her to increase her merit. And if any one fails to profit by her warnings and corrections, it shall be no prejudice to Gertrude, since she has done her duty and has employed all the care and vigilance possible to convert the sinner: Man may plant and water, but I only can give the increase (1 Cor. iii.)"

As the Saint now became troubled because she could not approach the Holy Communion as frequently as she had been accustomed to do, and also because she feared to approach it without her usual preparation, which her sick ness rendered impossible, she made known her trial to the beloved companion who had so often obtained counsel for her. She was also grieved because the religious took so much trouble to serve her, and devoted so much time to her, since every effort to procure her recovery seemed of no avail. To the first difficulty the Lord replied : " When it is purely for Me that Gertrude abstains from communion, or from any other good work which she would willingly practise, if it could be accomplished without increasing her illness or injuring her health, then the liberality of My goodness will impart to her a share in all the good workb which are done by the faithful ; for all the good which is done in the Church belongs to Me, and I dispose of it as [ will ; and this because it is from a pure intention, and for Me only, that she has not participated in the graces ot those holy exercises which she has omitted."

To the other inquiry our Lord answered : " You must serve her with respectful charity, cheerful and promptly, to love and honour Me, because I dwell in her, and I have made her the head of this community ; therefore let each assist her, as the members assist the head. Let her refer to My honour and glory the service which is rendered to her ; and rejoice that I employ her, as one who is united to Me by a constant and faithful friendship, to increase the merit of My elect ; for I will reward all the good that is done for her, not only in act, but by words of affection, as if it had been done .to Myself."

On the feast of St. Lebuin, as the sisters prayed in common, with special fervour, for the recovery of their be loved mother, the religious invoked the Saint with great earnestness ; and he replied : " When a king is engaged with his queen, do you not think that it would be most unbecoming in a private soldier to interrupt him, by ask ing him to give his family the pleasure and consolation of seeing her 3 — thus, it is most unbecoming that any one should pray for the recovery of others, for their own views, when they are united by patience arid good-will to the very King of heaven Himself." Whence we are to learn that when those who glorify God by sickness ask the prayers of the Saints, they merit thereby to become more patient and obtain more abundant and valuable fruit from their infirmity.

HER DYING WORDS, " MY SPIRIT." 41