Wednesday, May 8 : St Hildegard of Bingen

Divine power contains the entirety of holiness. It strengthens on all sides the interior spirit of man who is united with God. It is this power who makes people taste the mystical gifts of the Holy Spirit who are on the verge of falling into torpor. Man then breaks out of this torpor, wakes up and strives with all his strength towards righteousness. Often this operation is a painful battle for the spirit because the body, even forced into obedience by divine will, is barely capable of doing good. Too often, he gives in to the desires of the flesh, this flesh which is his dwelling: thus the exhalation of the gifts of God comes up against the resistance of the human will. God who created me, who is Lord and who has all power over me, is my strength. Without him, I am incapable of any good whatsoever, because it is he who communicates to me the spirit of life, source of my own life, of the movement which animates me, and it is he who directs me on the paths I take: when I call upon him in truth, like a deer desiring living water, God and Lord, guides my steps with haste in his commandments. He will lead me to the heights that his precepts teach me, he will subdue my earthly desires by his victorious strength and, in heavenly bliss, I will sing his praises endlessly.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team