Saint Gertrude the Great, Saint of the day for November 14th

Saint of the day for November 14
(6 January 1256 - 17 November 1302)

The story of Saint Gertrude the Great

Gertrude, a Benedictine nun from Helfta, Saxony, was one of the great mystics of the XNUMXth century. Together with her friend and teacher Saint Mechtild, she practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism," that is, she came to see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was a deeply personal union with Jesus and his Sacred Heart, which led her into the very life of the Trinity.

But this was not individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy, where she found Christ. In the liturgy and in Scripture he found themes and images to enrich and express his piety. There was no clash between his personal prayer life and the liturgy. The liturgical feast of Saint Gertrude the Great is November 16.

Reflection

The life of Saint Gertrude is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical, ordinary or mystical, but always personal.