Here you see our window of the five Benedictine Women again. They have been accompanying us on our Lenten Journey. We have reflected on St. Hildegard and her legacy. She is the first one to the left in the window. The second on is St. Walburga. Note that she is holding an oil lamp in her hand. 

St. Walburga was born in 710 A.D, the daughter of Richard, an under-king of the West Saxons of Britain.  She went to school at Wimborne Monastery, Dorset, England, and later became a nun there.  At the request of her uncle, Saint Boniface, the “Apostle of Germany”’ the Wimborne Monastery sent St. Walburga and other nuns to form monasteries in Germany. She spent four years in the monastery of Bischofsheim and later became abbess of the monastery of Heidenheim.  The sisters dedicated themselves to praying the Divine Office, the prayer of the Church.  Additionally, children were educated in the spirit of Saint Benedict and the poor and sick were helped and comforted.

St. Walburga was a leader during the early Christian years of the Germanic tribes.  She is the patron saint of the diocese of Plymouth, England.  The feast of St. Walburga is celebrated on the date of her death, February 25th. Her remains were transferred to St. Walburg Monastery in Eichstätt, to which the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia trace their roots.

Beginning in 893A.D. a liquid to which many cures are attributed began to flow from St. Walburga’s tomb yearly between October 12th and February 25th.  This liquid became known as "Walburga's Oil", and was seen as a sign of her continuing intercession. The oil has always been collected and given to pilgrims. Healings attributed to St. Walburga's intercession continue to be reported up to the present day.

Her favorite Psalm verse was: 
"To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart."
(Psalm 40:9)

This stained glass window (which is not in our monastery) shows her as healer. Several stories passed on to us depict her as a healer, especially of children. 

This week reflect on what it means to be a healing presence to others. Have you ever experienced something like that? Maybe you just felt better after spending some time with a friend? Maybe somebody's calm presence helped you to cope with anxiety? Or what other examples come to mind? 

We have to allow a Benedictine Man to speak to us today. Just call it a break from our Lenten Reflections on Benedictine women. Today is the feast of St. Benedict. How could I not write about him???

What we can say about St. Benedict is that he lived with integrity what he perceived as the essence of Christian life. He wrote in chapter 72 of his Rule, "Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ."

As we continue to do Lectio Divina this Lent, pause for a long moment to let these words sink in, "preferring nothing whatever to Christ."

Benedict uses some rhetoric here to really emphasize what he wants to convey:

It was not enough for him to say, "Prefer Christ," which would have been a clear admonition. No, he has a three-fold emphasis here:

This Lent, try this admonition on! What would it be like to prefer nothing whatever to Christ? What would it be like to be so sure what place Christ has in your life?

How would your life need to change to live this out? What adjustments would you need to make?

If you are considering religious life, could you imagine to give Christ such a prominent space in your life?

Hildegard is a great companion - you might have noticed this already as you have journeyed with her during this past week already.

We reflected on penance and conversion last week. Penance, Hildegard reminds us, begins in the heart and so does conversion.

We keep pondering on the heart and Benedict's words that we need to listen with the ear of our heart. Is this what Benedictine Spirituality  helps us to realize for our own lives? Realizing that listening is a matter of the heart? What would be different this Lent if we practiced to listen with the heart?

Hildegard give us an idea:

O, You who are ever
giving life to all life,
moving all creatures,
root of all things,
washing them clean,
wiping out their mistakes,
healing their wounds,
You are our true life,
luminous, wonderful,
awakening the heart
from its ancient sleep.

Listening with the heart "awakens the heart from its ancient sleep."
God offers life. According to Hildegard, God also washes us, forgives our sins. God heals our wounds. In other words, God changes our lives, has the power to provoke conversion. The "ancient sleep" is Hildegard's metaphor of a life lived without reflection, faith or awareness of God's presence. She reminds  us that God continues to give us life, to change our lives. Is it any wonder that she was a composer, praising her God for having touched her life?

We are beginning or Lenten reflections; our journey with five amazing Benedictine Women. On this blog, we have been introduced to Lectio Divina and some of the Wisdom of the Rule of Benedict. This Lent, we will explore the witness of five Benedictine role models. How did the Benedictine way of life, Lectio Divina and the Rule of Benedict transform their lives?

This is our chapel window of the five Benedictine Women saints at St. Benedict Monastery in Bristow, VA.  As we pray in the chapel daily, the window and the saints continue speaking to us. You can find St. Hildegard (1098 – 17 September 1179) on the left. She is wearing a big cross that signifies her as an abbess. In her right  hand, she is holding a quill and in her left, a book. She was a writer, poet, composer, scientist, herbalist and had other tremendous gifts. Her spirit shimmers through her writings and continues to inspire many.

How can Hildegard contribute to our Lenten journey?

"Hildegard, who often spoke of herself as 'God's trumpet,' was first and primarily a prophet, and she herself felt that calling to be a heavy burden. The God revealed to her did not show her the divine presence in order to draw her God-ward in mystical union, but in order to approach a human listener. Thus while every one of her visions begins with the very personal 'I,' that 'I' is like a door through which another enters, and that other is God. Hildegard was made a servant of the proclamation of salvation that from the deepest beginnings of the divine plan has been directed to and encompasses the whole human race." (Sister Caecilia Bonn, OSB, emphasis mine)

Listening, as you know, is an important Benedictine practice. Benedict wants us to listen with the ear of the heart, indicating that the listening needs to come from a very deep and gently space within us. Picture Hildegard as the listener. the woman practiced in Lectio, receptive to God's word.

In this image, the listener is not just focusing all of her attention to listening. Her eyes are aimed at something she is seeing, her hand is opened in a gesture of receptivity. She is listening with all her being.

Lent is inviting us to listen deeply. Our prayer life and our spiritual practices are enriched and informed by Scripture readings, liturgy, and some of the reflections we might be reading over these holy 40 days.

This time of repentance is not just aimed at prayer, sacrifices and alms giving. It is nudging us to conversion, to become the best person we can be.

For your own Lectio this week, let Hildegard's own words speak to you:

Redemptive Penitence

Why was I born
to such great misdeeds?
In my soul I have sinned
against you, my God.

I sigh to you
who deigned to take on Adam's shape
from the virgin.

I firmly trust
that you do not despise me,
but free me from my sins.

In the countenance of your sacred humanity
receive me in grace,
for I repent with all my heart.

Hildegard speaks of repentance "with all my heart." Benedict speaks of listening with the "ear of your heart." Maybe repentance means that God's word leads me to follow through on what I have heard and understood. God's word prompts changes.

How is Hildegard addressing God? How does she see human beings in relationship to God? How does she see God in relationship with human beings? Does this give you an indication of how she relates with God in prayer?

If you were to write a prayer expressing your relationship with God, what would you say?

What is conversion all about for you? What issues or areas in your life need conversion? Invite God into this sacred journey of repentance and conversion.