Free Republic

On St. Gertrude "Only Woman of Germanic Descent to Be Called 'the Great'" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 6, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, St. Gertrude the Great, about whom I would like to speak today, takes us also this week to the monastery of Helfta, where some of the masterpieces of feminine Latin-Germanic religious literature were created. Gertrude belonged to this world; she was one of the most famous mystics, the only woman of Germanic descent to be...

    (1256-1302 A.D.) Few men have merited the title, "the Great"; fewer women. I know of only one nun so honored, St. Gertrude of Helfta, a mystic whose spiritual writings have remained influential up to the present.Nothing is known of this German woman's family background. When five years old, she was entrusted to the sisters of Helfta Abbey to be educated. From a very young age she gave evidence of her brilliance and quickly outstripped her companions. In her teen years she asked to join the community. Therefore, she probably spent her whole life from childhood on within...

November 16, 2005Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Wednesday 49 Reading I2 Mc 7:1, 20-31 It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrestedand tortured with whips and scourges by the king,to force them to eat pork in violation of God’s law. Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother,who saw her seven sons perish in a single day,yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage,she exhorted each of themin the language of their ancestors with these words:“I do...

November 16, 2004Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Reading IRev 3:1-6, 14-22 I, John, heard the Lord saying to me:"To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this: "‘The one who has the seven spirits of Godand the seven stars says this: "I know your works,that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die,for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent.If you are not watchful, I will...

Hello Everyone, With Lent well underway, please Prayerfully consider becoming a missionary to empty Purgatory. This is an informal group of Religious & Lay people dedicated to Praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Please visit the web site for Mission To Empty Purgatory ( http://www.MTEP.com ). You will find no adverts, no requests for money and no need to give out personal information. All we need are your Prayers. Please help the poor Holy Souls in Purgatory, they are in desperate need of our Prayers. As St Padre Pio says: "The Holy Souls are eager for the prayers of...

November 16, 2002Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time Psalm: Saturday Week 48 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel Reading I3 Jn 5-8 Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and sisters,especially for strangers;they have testified to your love before the Church.Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.For they have set out for the sake of the Nameand are accepting nothing from the pagans.Therefore, we ought to support such persons,so that we may be co-workers in the truth. Responsorial PsalmPs 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 R Blessed the man who fears the...