Tuesday, June 9 : St Hildegard of Bingen

All elements are distinct in us and respect a specific order. The soul appears like a fire and, in it, reason is like a light; the soul is penetrated by the light of reason as the world is illuminated by the sun, so, through reason, it can foresee and know all the works of man. (…) The sun, obscured by a black cloud, hidden under lightning, thunder and heavy rain, no longer appears; when these cease, it sheds it’s light again. So it is with the soul of man, so oppressed by the body that it acts according to the desires of the flesh and the interior light of reason is darkened; for anger is like lightning, greed like thunder, the unlawful desires of the flesh like torrential rain. When penance has cleansed it of its ills, it shines again in the clarity of the true light, illuminated by the hope of deliverance and salvation. The soul then exhales reason as the solar fire darts its rays, and, through it, discerns what is celestial and what is earthly. The soul of man is strengthened by the fire of the sun of the Holy Spirit to do good, but the cold of laziness and negligence debilitates it. The fire of endurance and the compunction of the spirit, mingling, make man produce good fruits, they comfort him and adorn him in everything that is useful so that nothing can separate him from the service and love of God.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team