Nov. 16 is the feast of St. Gertrude the Great, a mystic associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was born in 1256 on the Feast of the Epiphany, and it is believed that she may have been orphaned because she came to be cared for by Benedictine nuns at the Abbey of Helfta in Eisleben, Germany.
At Helfta, Gertrude excelled in the study of philosophy and literature, and she loved to study classical authors like Virgil, Cicero and Aristotle. She also engaged in painting and singing, so the community assigned her the role of second cantor due to her beautiful voice.
Eventually called to devote her life to God, Gertrude decided to become a Benedictine nun. She progressed in her spiritual journey until experiencing a sense of malaise in her vocation. However, the following year, at age 25, Gertrude had the first of many visions that changed her life.
The writings of St. Gertrude the Great were compiled into the book “Herald of Divine Love,” where she recounts her mystical experiences, such as a vision she had on the feast of John the Evangelist. Gertrude was resting her head near the wound in Christ’s side and heard the beating of His heart. Overwhelmed by the experience, she asked John if he heard the same beating and felt the same pulsations on the night of the Last Supper and, if so, why he never reported on it. Then she recounts the reply of John, who told her it was only something to be revealed in a time when the world had grown cold and needed to have its love of Christ revived.
In another vision, Christ drew Gertrude near enough to hear two separate beatings of His Heart and explained, “One of these beatings works the salvation of sinners, the other the sanctification of the just. The first speaks without intermission to My Father, in order to appease His justice and draw down His mercy. By this same beating I speak to all the Saints, making excuse to them for sinners, with the zeal and indulgence of a good brother, and urging them to make intercession for them. This same beating is the incessant appeal I mercifully address to the sinner himself, with so unspeakable a desire to see him come back to me, that I never weary of awaiting his return. The second beating I continually say to my father how deeply I rejoice in having given my blood for the ransom of so many just souls, in whose love I take such manifold delight.”
These and many other visions of St. Gertrude the Great shed light on what came to be known as the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that developed over centuries and traces to Christ’s words in the Gospel of Matthew, where He places an important emphasis on the nature of His heart as a sign of humility, saying, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
It’s clear that Gertrude found this rest in her soul in her mystical encounters, drawing so close to Christ that her experiences provide profound insight into the inner workings of the very body and soul of our Lord. May her account continue to inspire souls to draw close the heart of Jesus, and especially those most in need of discovering His peace and mercy in their lives.
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