Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) saw God in every aspect of creation. At a time when women were usually illiterate and untutored, Hildegard entered religious life as a child and rose to become the head of an independent women’s monastery in 1151. She composed music, wrote books, practiced medicine, preached throughout Western Europe and was sought for her theological insights by popes, kings, and other leaders. Though she was “unschooled,” most of Hildegard’s written work is in Latin or vernacular German. The translation used for this week’s reflection is by Gabriele Uhlein in Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen (Santa Fe: Bear & Company, Inc.), 1983.
It is easier
to gaze into the sun,
than into the face of the mystery of God.
Such is its beauty and its radiance.
God Says:
I am the supreme fire:
not deadly, but rather,
enkindling every spark of life.
–Hildegard of Bingen
