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Yesterday we celebrated
Catherine of Siena (feel free to google her name to learn more). Today we turn to Hildegard von Bingen
who lived between 1098 and 1179. She,
like Catherine, became a nun as a teenager and had divine visions throughout
her life. She began to record these in a
book called, “Know the Ways”. She was a
philosopher, musician, and lover of creation.
She once said, “Even in a world that’s being shipwrecked, remain brave
and strong.” “We cannot live in a world
that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own
listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” And “Humanity, take a good look at yourself. Inside, you’ve got heaven and earth, and all
of creation. You’re a world -everything
is hidden in you.” Also, “Sing! The song of rejoicing softens hard
hearts. It makes tears of godly sorrow
flow from them. Singing summons the Holy
Spirit. Happy praises offered in
simplicity and love lead the faithful to complete harmony, without discord. Don’t stop singing.”
I wonder, as you hold these
three quotes from Hildegard alongside the four from Catherine of Siena
yesterday, what themes are beginning to emerge for you? I hear each beloved daughter calling us to be
brave ~ which is so inspirational given that both lived in a time when women’s
voices were not valued. Both remind us
of the beauty of creation ~ that we are caught in an inescapable web with all
of life. Both remind us that the world
is not perfectly polished, but we keep embracing and embodying the prayer for
God’s realm to come in us and be in concert between us.
Today, I invite you to find
a favorite piece of music and sing along! Sing to the world. Sing to God.
Sing out your prayer on this day.
Or better yet, find some others to make a chorus of joyful noise to the
world. May Hildegard’s wisdom begin to
unearth and unfurl your shy soul to the glory of God here and now. Amen.
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