Homily: Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen
Homily: Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen (Lk. 7:11-17)
Often, we might wonder about how much power women have in the church. The fact is that there have been many strong women church leaders. Some stories have been lost in the passage of time. Some women we have never heard of, but they were giants in church history.
We celebrate the feast of one such woman today, Hildegard of Bingen. St. Hildegard lived in Germany in the 11th century. At the age of eight she became the student of an anchoress, Blessed Jutta von Spanheim. Jutta lived in a cottage attached to the local church. Eventually more followers joined Jutta, and a Benedictine community was formed. When Jutta died St. Hildegard became abbess.
Hildegard was a mystic who had numerous visions in her life. She was also a woman who was very learned. She wrote commentaries on the scripture, hymns and poems and theological commentary. Her writings filled several volumes.
Many church leaders sought out Hildegard for advice. She was not afraid to chastise church leaders she believed were not serving their flock well. Eventually she moved near Bingen with her sisters.
Toward the end of her life, she came into conflict with church authorities. She had buried an excommunicated person in the convent cemetery. The Archbishop of Mainz ordered her to have the body removed. Hildegard invited him to come and move it himself. She made sure that the grave was unmarked. When the Archbishop’s emissaries came, they could not find the body and went away empty handed. Perhaps this is why it took several centuries for Hildegard to become a canonized saint.
Her reputation for holiness only grew over time. She is now one of the women doctors of the church.
Reflection Questions:
1. Can I think of other Catholic women who have been great leaders in history? Who?
2. Are you surprised that Hildegard was so learned? Why?
Dear Parishioners,
Later this month we will have our annual collection for the Society of African Missions. Fr. Matthew is a member of this congregation. The Society does primary evangelization in the remotest parts of Africa.
Fr. Matthew has been at Sacred Heart for the last six years and has served us well. It would be nice if we could give significant donations to his order. Fr. Matthew will be preaching about the Missions this weekend and will be giving us more information.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,
Fr. Mark