June 18th - St. Elizabeth of Schönau
Born about 1129; d. 18 June, 1165
She was born of an obscure family, entered the double monastery of Schönau
in Nassau at the age of twelve, received the Benedictine habit, made her
profession in 1147, and in 1157 was superioress of the nuns under the
Abbot
Hildelin. After her death she was buried in the abbey church of St.
Florin.
When her writings were published the name of saint was added. She was
never
formally canonized, but in 1584 her name was entered in the Roman
Martyrology and has remained there.
Given to works of piety from her youth, much afflicted with bodily and
mental suffering, a zealous observer of the Rule of St. Benedict and of
the
regulation of her convent, and devoted to practices of mortification,
Elizabeth was favoured, from 1152, with ecstasies and visions of various
kinds. These generally occurred on Sundays and Holy Days at Mass or Divine
Office or after hearing or reading the lives of saints. Christ, His
Blessed
Mother, an angel, or the special saint of the day would appear to her and
instruct her; or she would see quite realistic representations of the
Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension, or other scenes of the Old and New
Testaments. What she saw and heard she put down on wax tablets. Her abbot,
Hildelin, told her to relate these things to her brother Egbert
(Eckebert),
then priest at the church of Bonn. At first she hesitated fearing lest she
be deceived or be looked upon as a deceiver; but she obeyed. Egbert (who
became a monk of Schönau in 1155 and succeeded Hildelin as second abbot)
put
everything in writing, later arranged the material at leisure, and then
published all under his sister's name.
Thus came into existence three books of "Visions".
Of these the first is written in language very simple and in unaffected
style, so that it may easily pass as the work of Elizabeth. The other two
are more elaborate and replete with theological terminology, so that they
show more of the work of Egbert than of Elizabeth.
The second "Liber viarum Dei". This seems to be an imitation of the
"Scivias" (scire vias Domini) of St. Hildegarde of Bingen, her friend and
correspondent. It contains admonitions to all cl***** of society, to the
clergy and laity, to the married and unmarried. Here the influence of
Egbert
is very plain. She utters prophetic threats of judgment against priests
who
are unfaithful shepherds of the flock of Christ, against the avarice and
worldliness of the monks who only wear the garb of poverty and
self-denial,
against the vices of the laity, and against bishops and superiors
delinquent
in their duty; she urges all to combat earnestly the heresy of the
Cathari;
she declares Victor IV, the antipope sup****ted by Frederick against
Alexander III, as the one chosen of God. All of this appears in Egbert's
own
writings.
The third "The revelation on the martyrdom of St. Ursula and her
companions". This is full of fantastic exaggerations and anachronisms, but
has become the foundation of the subsequent Ursula legends.
There is a great diversity of opinion in regard to her revelations. The
Church has never passed sentence upon them nor even examined them.
Elizabeth
herself was convinced of their supernatural character, as she states in a
letter to Hildegarde; her brother held the same opinion; Trithemius
considers them genuine; Eusebius Amort (De revelationibus visionibus et
apparitionibus privatis regulae tutae, etc., Augsburg, 1744) holds them to
be nothing more than what Elizabeth's own imagination could produce, or
illusions of the devil, since in some things they disagree with history
and
with other revelations (Acta SS., Oct, IX, 81). A complete edition of her
writings was made by F.W.E. Roth (Brunn, 1884); translations appeared in
Italian (Venice, 1859), French (Tournai, 1864), and in Icelandic
(1226-1254).
This Version Taken From:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05392a.htm
Saint Quote:
"A trumpet only renders the sound and does not produce it unless
another breathes into it in order to bring forth the sound."
-Hildegard of Bingen in a letter to Elizabeth of Schonau
Bible quote:
Things that are impossible with men are possible with God. For all things
are possible with God. St. Mark 10:27
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Prayer to Invite the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be Present at our Death
Most Holy Virgin Mary, by the love and fidelity with which thy Divine
Son, when fastened to the Cross, confided thee to Saint John, I confide to
thee my soul, my body, my thoughts, words, actions and life, especially
the
end thereof-that moment which will decide my fate for eternity.
As thou didst invite thy Son to thy most holy death, so I also invite
thee to mine, entreating thee to be present there-at, in the name of the
love with which thou didst assist at the death of thy Jesus. By the tears
thou didst shed at seeing Him incline His head and expire in such
torments,
vouchsafe in thy maternal bounty, to watch beside me and the members of my
family, and leave us not until thou hast introduced us into paradise.
Amen.
Taken from: The Precious Blood & Mother PrayerBook
(pp 81-82)
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