Chapter 1: How St. Mechtilde prepared for death, and received extreme unction

Ttthen Dame * Mechtilde, of happy memory, our chantress, who was full of good works, or rather full of God, was confined to bed in her last sickness, about a month before her death, she began to think of her end, and to reflect on some works which she had written. But on Sunday, as a person prayed for her, asking that she might have the grace of a happy death, under the protec tion of the Divine mercy, so that she might abandon her self to it with humble confidence when receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, she knew in spirit that God had drawn the first chapter of her Revelations, which are of scarcely less im portance and interest than those of her saintly sister.

At seven years of age she was consecrated to God in the monastery of Rodersdorf, where her sister had already been dedicated to the Divine service, according to the ancient custom of the order; \rhich, however, as we observed before, has been abolished by authority. It is probable that the two sisters removed at the same time to Heldelfs. Here her life was a continual exercise of every virtue. Notwithstanding her innocence of life, she practised the severest corporal austerities, such as discipline and wearing hair cloth. Her love for Jesus Christ made her grieve over the sins whereby men are continually offending Him, and a devotion to His Sacred Passion and Death was especially dear to her. Such was her fervour at the Divine Office, that she was often ravished into an ecstasy ; and so great was the purity of her soul, that our Lord deigned to converse familiarly with her, and revealed His heavenly secrets to her. She had also a most tender love for the souls in purgatory ; for whom she offered up penances and mortifications, and sought by every means to procure their deliverance. St. Gertrude, her Abbess, frequently consulted her, and received her advice as a Divine oracle.

Though often visited with illness and sufferings, she endured them with the most edifying patience and resignation, but yet, like the Apostle, with a holy longing to be delivered from the prison of flesh. Her loving desires were at length gratified, and she passed to the embraces of her Spouse on the 19th November. It was the Feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and the religioxis interrupted Matins in order to be present at her happy death. Chronologists do not agree about the date of her birth and death, but she ap pears to have lived during part of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

Her Eevelations are entitled, Liber gratia; spiritualis visionum et Revelationum Beatce Mechtildis Virginia devotissimce, and are divided into five parts. The first part contains instructions for assisting at Mass and the Divine Office on many Feasts of the year. Indeed, the Divine Office was the special devotion of these saintly sisters and a devotion which appears to have been particularly acceptable this soul to Himself entirely, and that He had only re stored her for a brief space, that He might again abide in her. Then she said to the Lord : " Lord, why dost Thou wish her to continue on earth 1 " He replied : " It is to perfect the work which My Divine dispensation has de creed ; and she will contribute to this in three ways : by the repose of humility, the table * of patience, and the joyt of virtue. For example : in all that she sees or hears from others, let her always humble herself and consider herself the most unworthy of all. Thus will I rejoice in the repose of her heart and soul. Secondly : let her embrace patience joyfully, and suffer all her trials and sicknesses willingly for love of Me ; thus she will prepare Me a table of sumptuous delights. Thirdly : she will to their Spouse. As true children of St. Benedict, it could not be otherwise ; for he has said in his immortal Rule, " Let nothing be preferred to the work of God" (ch. xliii.) ; therefore, in proportion to tne sanctity of his children, will be their devotion to the angelic work of singing the praises of their King. Hence, where we find the most exalted sanctity, we find also the greatest perfection in, and love for, this work; as in each Order in God's Church the sanctity of its members will be characterised by a special devotion to the special end for which Providence instituted its Rule and observance.

The second part of these Revelations contains many facts re lating to St. Mechtilde, and details of her communications with her heavenly Spouse. The third and fourth parts are on the Divine praise and on the salvation of men. The fifth part is devoted to the souls in purgatory, with instructions how they may be assisted by the Church Militant.

The Revelations of St. Mechtilde are becoming very scarce and valuable. The principal editions are those of Paris, 1513 ; Cologne, 1536 ; Venice, 1522, 1558, and 1589. This Saint has been confounded with St. Mechtild of Spanheim and St. Mechtild of Diessen by several authors, amongst others by Alban Butler. Her name has never been inserted in the Roman Martyrology.

offer Me a joyful spectacle if she exercises herself in every kind of virtue."

On another occasion, when St. Mechtilde was ready to communicate, this person asked our Lord what He was about to do in her. He answered : " I am going to repose with her in this couch." By this she understood that the couch in which our Lord reposed with her was her perfect confidence, in all her afflictions, that God would order all that concerned her in the greatest love and mercy for the furtherance of her salvation ; so that she offered con tinual thanksgivings to Him, trusting entirely in His Providence.

When she was near her end, one evening at Vesper time, she was suddenly seized with such excruciating pain in the heart, that the sisters who stood round her could not restrain their tears ; but she consoled them, saying : " Do not weep for me, my beloved ones; for I am so touched by your grief, that were it the will of my dearest Lord I would gladly bear this very pain all my life, if I could thereby obtain consolation for you."

On another occasion, when t'.ey urged her to take some medicine which they hoped would give her some relief, she yielded to their request ; but immediately after her sufferings increased greatly. On the following day the person before mentioned besought our Lord to reward her humble compliance. He replied : " From the suffering which My beloved endured on that occasion I have confected a most salutary remedy, which I have used to purify the souls of all sinners throughout the world."

On the Sunday Si iniquitates the Saint communicated for the last time before her death ; and this person prayed that she might be inspired to prepare for extreme unction, and that our Lord would keep her soul in His bosom, to preserve it from every stain, as an artist covers a newlypainted picture lest it should contract dust. When she told this to St. Mechtilde, who was always perfectly sub missive to her superiors, she committed herself humbly to their good pleasure and to Divine Providence, which she hoped would never forsake her. However, her superior had such veneration for her, that she believed our Lord would make known the hour of her death to her ; and as she did not ask earnestly to receive this Sacrament, it was not administered that day.

But our Lord soon verified the words of the Gospel, " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away " (Matt. xxiv. 35) ; and he failed not to accomplish what He had promised to His chosen one. For on Monday * blessed Mechtilde became so ill, just before Matins, that we feared she had fallen into her agony, so that the priests were immediately sent for, and she received extreme unction. Thus, although the Sacra ment was not administered on Sunday, it was administered the night of that day, as she received it before sunrise on Monday.

When her eyes were anointed by the priest, the religious who had prayed for her understood that our most loving Lord dure it?" Introit, 22d Sunday after Pentecost. The date of St. Mechtilde's death admits of no dispute. The Feast of St. Eliza beth occurs on the 19th November, and, as it will be seen later, it was the fifth feria (Thursday) after this Sunday. The 22d Sunday after Pentecost, therefore, must have fallen on the 15th November. * " Feria secunda."

looked on her with Divine mercy, and, with a Heart full of tenderness towards her, shed a ray of His Divine light into her soul, imparting to her at the same time a share in the merits which He had obtained when on earth by the glances of His most holy Eyes ; and then she beheld the eyes of the Saint, as if overflowing with the oil of divine compassion. From this she understood that those who invoke this Saint with confidence would feel abundant proof of the efficacy of her intercession ; and that she had merited this favour with God by her gentle, loving conduct towards others. When the other members of her body were anointed, our Lord applied the merits of those parts of His own most sacred Body to her also. When her lips were anointed, this zealous Lover of our souls honoured her with marks of the tenderest love, imparting to her the fruit of His most holy lips.

When the Litanies were said, at the words Omnes sancti Seraphim et Cherubim, orate pro ea^ she beheld the hosts of seraphim and cherubim making way for her soul to pass through their ranks, as if to give precedence to one who had led so pure and virginal a life on earth ; who, like the cherubim, had drawn spiritual knowledge so copiously from the true Fount of all wisdom ; and, like the seraphim, had been enkindled by Him who is a consuming fire (Heb. xii. 29).

As the saints were named in the Litany, they offered their merits for her with great joy, under the form of gifts, which they presented to our Lord, who placed them in His bosom for His beloved. For two days after she had re ceived extreme unction, she appeared to live only by t Not in the present Litany for the Dying.

onion with her Lord, and to draw every grace from His Divine Heart. But the happy moment of her departure was at hand, and on Wednesday, which was the Vigil of St. Elizabeth, she fell into her agony, after None. The community, having assembled to assist their beloved sister in Christ by their fervent prayers for her happy passage to eternity, the person before mentioned beheld her soul under the form of a fair young girl, who applied her lips to the Wound of our Lord's Side, and drew thence streams of grace for the whole Church, and especially for those who were present. And she understood that she had prayed specially both for the living and the dead, and therefore our Lord had bestowed such abundant favours on her.

When they recited the Salve Regina, at the words Eia ergo, St. Mechtilde prayed very earnestly to the Blessed Virgin for the beloved sisters whom she was about to leave, beseeching her to have a special care of them ; as if she, who during her life had been so devoted to her community, so tender and helpful and loving, desired to secure an advocate for them after her death in the person of the Mother of Mercy. And this blessed Queen took the hand of the dying religious, as if she was accepting the charge of the community from her. Then, as they read the prayer Ave Jesu Christe, at the words via dnlcis, she beheld the Lord Jesus showing His beloved spouse the way by which He purposed to draw her sweetly to Himself.

The Saint continued all day in her agony, without say ing any other words than these, Jesu bone ! Jesu bone / as if to show how He dwelt in her heart, since His sweet Name was so constantly on her lips in the agonies of death. Then, as each of the sisters commended themselves to her prayers, beseeching her to intercede with God for their necessities, she immediately replied, " Willingly," although scarcely able to speak, as if she would say with what love she would pray for those who were committed to her care. St. Gertrude knew also that the great sufferings which her sister had endured with such patience bad contributed much to her sanctification ; and she beheld a certain vapour coming forth from those parts of her body which had suffered most ; and this touched her soul, purifying it from its stains, sanctifying it, and preparing it for eternal beatitude.

Now Gertrude knew all these things in spirit, but she feared to declare them, lest it should be suspected that she had received these revelations ; but this was contrary to the Divine will, whose glory it is to discover the truth (Tob. xii. 10), and who commanded His Apostles to preach on the house-tops what they heard in the ear (Matt. x. 27). As they said the Vespers of St. Elizabeth, St. Mechtilde's agony increased so evidently, that they feared she was about to expire ; the sisters were, therefore, summoned from the choir, that they might redouble their prayers by her bedside. As St. Gertrude assisted with the rest of the community, she found herself unable to understand or attend to anything that was said : this occasioned her to see her fault in concealing what God had revealed to her. But when she had promised our Lord to make known these favours for His honour and glory and the good of others, the use of her faculties was at once restored.

After Compline the dying nun entered her third and last agony ; and St. Gertrude was rapt in spirit, and beheld her soul again under the form of a young girl, but with new ornaments, the fruit of renewed sufferings. She observed also that this soul approached our Lord with intense love, and began culling from His wounds — as a bee may indeed be broken by sobs, and interrupted by tears; but are not the tears and sighs also prayers, and the most moving prayers, to His Heart who wept at the grave of Lazarus ? In the Order of Poor Clares, with whose observances we are most familiar, it is required that two sisters should remain night and day with the religious from the moment there is the least apprehension of danger. One is charged to summon the whole community, however engaged, either by day or by night, the moment the agony commences ; the other sister remains, so that the dying person may not be left alone even for a moment. And who can describe what must be witnessed to be understood ? Sometimes the loving adieu to each ; sometimes the humble acknowledgment of faults, and the fervent request for pardon of any disedification which may have been given in a life which has perhaps been one of the highest edification ; the kneeling sisters, unwearied in their prayers for hours, even long after the soul so dear to them has heard her final doom ; and the loving mother, who has forgotten her own weariness, or it may be actual suffering, as she watches day and night by the bed of her child, with such love as only a mother can offer, and such consolations and helps as only a spiritual mother can give ; whose absence, even during a prolonged sickness, is the exception, and whose presence the rule. Truly only those who have witnessed such blessed deathbeds can estimate the grace of a religious vocation.

from flowers — the sweet honey of the Divine delights. As they read this Response, amongst others, Ave Sponsa, the Blessed Virgin approached the soul of the dying nun to prepare it for enjoying the delights of the Divinity. Then our Lord Jesus — for the sake of His Blessed Mother, who alone merited to be called, and to be both a Virgin and a Mother — took a necklace of marvellous beauty, adorned with radiant gems, and placed it on the religious ; granting her the special privilege of being also called a virgin and mother, on account of the fervour and devotion with which she had guided her spiritual children.