Tuesday, July 21 : Saint Gertrude of Helfta

Gertrude listened attentively to the Epistle (2 Cor 6:1–10) in order to choose from among the virtues enumerated therein, those most useful to imitate and to teach to others. And as she received no spiritual illumination on this matter, she said to the Lord: “Teach me, O my most sweet Beloved, which of these virtues are those through which I may serve You in a manner that is particularly pleasing to You—since, alas! I cannot each day apply myself to every single one through extraordinary effort.” The Lord replied: “Note well that, amidst the other virtues, these words are inserted: ‘in the Holy Spirit’ (cf. 2 Cor 6:6); and because the Spirit is good will, strive above all else to possess a good will. In this way, you shall possess the radiance and the specific perfection of all the virtues; for the will alone gains more than anything that could be accomplished or acquired through outward acts. He whose entire will seeks to surpass the praise of every creature—to give Me thanks, to love Me, to share in My sorrows, and to practice every virtue in the most perfect manner possible—that man, undoubtedly, shall be amply rewarded by My divine generosity with the recompense for countless deeds that no human being could ever have accomplished through their own works.” Then the Holy Spirit—the Paraclete—stepping forward into the midst and standing directly before the soul, began to flood with the marvelous radiance of His divine splendor in the center of the soul (…) where the soul could behold, laid bare, the enormity of its own wretchedness. Thus, through the power of this divine light, that soul—now utterly stripped of all wretchedness—was granted the blessedness of being immersed in the living fountain of the light that never fades.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team