A lesson from the life of St. Gertrude, "the Great", a German mystic of the thirteenth century, who Benedict XVI illustrated today at the general audience. "Her example should encourage the faithful to "love Christ and his Church with humility and faith.”

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Love for Sacred Scripture and liturgy are part of the "school of Christian life, true Christian life" whose goal is friendship with the Lord, "to really know God himself, True happiness, our life goal". This is the teaching that comes from the life of St. Gertrude, "the Great”, a German nun of the thirteenth century, who was described by Benedict XVI to 30 thousand people in St. Peter's Square for today’s general audience.

Her example should encourage the faithful to "love Christ and his Church with humility and faith, to cultivate personal prayer, participate in Mass with fidelity and intensely live the liturgy to nourish our spiritual journey”.

Continuing in his series of lessons on women in the Middle Ages that have played a significant role in the life of the Church, the Pope once again focused on this woman, “the only woman to have the Germanic title of the Great”, "an exceptional woman, with special natural talents and extraordinary gifts of grace, of profound humility and zeal for the salvation of others, an intimate communion with God in contemplation and readiness to help the needy".

Born in 1256, nothing is known of either her parents or birthplace. At the age of 5 years, in 1261, "she entered the monastery of Helfta, as was the way at the time for training and study, and here she spent her whole life."

Endowed with great intelligence, "fascinated with knowledge," she made "educational achievement beyond expectation" in the secular studies: literature, music, singing, the art of miniature painting. She had a "strong impulsive character". Often said to be negligent, she had her faults for which she sought forgiveness." They are "defects that accompanied her until the end, much to surprise of many who asked why God would privilege her".

She herself writes, that there were years "spent a total blindness of mind that I would have been able to do everything I wanted if you had not prevented me". "I would have behaved like a heathen".

In 1280 she begins "to feel disgust for everything" and in 1281 a few days before the feast of the Purification of the Virgin "the Lord illuminated her intense darkness." "She had a vision of a young man guides her past the tangle of thorns that torments her soul." "Gertrude recognizes in Him the One who saved us on the cross with his blood."

Her biographer indicated "two directions of what we might define a particular 'conversion': in her studies with the radical shift from the humanities to the theological and in her monastic observance, with the transition from the life that she calls negligent to one of intense mystical, prayer, with a great missionary zeal. "

"From a scholar of grammar she became a theologian, with the tireless and careful reading of all the holy books that she could find or obtain, she filled her heart the most useful and sweet sentences of Sacred Scripture. Thus she always had ready inspired and edifying words with which to satisfy those who came to consult her, as well as suitable scriptural texts at hand to refute any wrong opinion and close the mouths of her opponents. Gertrude transformed all of this into an apostolate dedicated to writing and disseminating the truth of faith with clarity and simplicity, grace and persuasiveness, serving the Church with love and loyalty, so as to be useful and welcomed by theologians and pious people. "

"Through her words and example she inspired great fervor in others. To her prayers and penance of the monastic rule she added others with such devotion and trusting in God, to inspire the knowledge of those who encountered her that they were in the presence of the Lord”.

She died November 17th 1301 or 1302, aged about 46.

"It seems obvious - concluded the pope - that these things are not just things of the past, but tell us that the center of a happy life, a true life, is friendship with Jesus." "This friendship we learn in love for the Bible, love for the liturgy, in deep faith, love for Mary, to really know God more and more, and thus reach true happiness, the goal of our life."

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