Tuesday, April 11 : Saint Gertrude of Helfta

As one reads in the gospel regarding Blessed Marie Madeleine: “She leaned forward, looked into the tomb, and saw two angels” etc., and Gertrude said to the Lord: “Lord, where is the tomb where I need to look so as to find consolation and joy? Then the Lord showed her the wound in his side. And while she leaned into the interior, in place of the two angels she learned two words of which the first was: you will never be separated from communion with me”, and the other, “all your works please me in an absolutely perfect way.” She was stupefied by this and, full of doubts, and asked herself how how that might be: in effect, she was so imperfect in every way that all her works would be impossible to please anyone in the world because of the hidden faults that she sometimes hid. Besides, how could she please that infinitely luminous understanding which finds, so to speak, where a thousand faults, for the blind man, it was scarcely a single one. The Lord answered: Supposing you held something in your hand. You could easily hold it in your hand however little you kept watch over it, and thus you have the ability to make it pleasant for all. How could you neglect to do such a thing? It is the same for me. Just as you rightly please me and all the inhabitants of heaven.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team