Saints
St. Gertrude of Nivellis
St. Gertrude of Nivellis Biography
St. Gertrude the Great was a 13th century German mystic and spiritual writer. She was born in 1256 in the town of Eisleben, Germany, and from an early age, she had a strong devotion to God and a deep interest in spiritual matters. At the age of five, she was placed under the care of a Benedictine nun, who helped to nurture her spiritual development.
Gertrude’s spiritual journey began with her devotion to the Virgin Mary and her love for the Eucharist. Gertrude experienced many visions and revelations of the Lord, who taught her many spiritual secrets and lessons. She had deep devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and wrote extensively about it in her works. She recorded many of her mystical experiences in her spiritual diary, and her writings are considered some of the most important works of Christian mysticism of the Middle Ages.
In 1281, Gertrude became a Benedictine nun, and she lived the rest of her life in the monastery of Helfta, where she became known as a skilled spiritual director and an authority on the spiritual life. She was highly respected by her fellow nuns and was even appointed as the prioress of the monastery.
Gertrude’s writings include her autobiography, the “Legatus Divinae Pietatis” (The Herald of Divine Love), and many other spiritual works that expound on the mysteries of the spiritual life, the nature of God and the soul, the devotions to the sacraments, and the nature of the spiritual journey. Her most famous book, “The Herald of Divine Love”, contains her personal revelations and spiritual insights which are considered as one of the most important works of German mysticism.
After her death, Gertrude’s writings were widely read and highly regarded in the centuries that followed. Her feast day is celebrated on November 16th. Gertrude the Great is considered one of the most prominent mystics of the Middle Ages and her works have had a lasting impact on the Catholic Church, especially in the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Gertrude’s spiritual teachings and writings continue to be studied today and she is considered as a Doctor of the Church for her contributions to theology and spirituality. Her writings have been translated into many languages, including English, and her devotions are still popular among Catholics around the world, who pray to her for spiritual guidance and inspiration.
Her spiritual writings have also been widely used by many spiritual writers and mystics in later centuries, who found inspiration in her work and many of the Church’s leaders and theologians have praised her works. The influence of her teachings and her writings is still visible in the contemporary Church. Her writings continue to be a valuable source of spiritual nourishment for those seeking to deepen their relationship with God.
It is said that Gertrude had a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and her devotion was one of the earliest forms of this devotion. This devotion, which focuses on the love of God as represented by Jesus’ physical heart, is still widely practiced today in the Catholic Church.
The Life of St. Gertrude The Great
St. Gertrude of Nivellis, was born in Germany, in 1263, was a sister to St. Mechtildes. When five years old Gertrude was offered to God in the Benedictine convent of Rodalsdorf. Twenty-five years later she was chosen Abbess, and the following year was obliged to assume the government of the monastery of Heldelf.
A Passionate Love of God
St. Gertrude of Nivellis studied Latin in her youth, as was the custom for Nuns to do. She was also versed in sacred literature and wrote and composed in Latin very proficiently. She considered Divine contemplation and devout prayer her principal duty. While meditating on the Passion of Christ, which was her favorite devotion, frequently she was unable to withhold the torrents of tears which flowed from her eyes.
She spoke of Christ and of the mysteries of His life with so much unction, and in such transports of holy love, as to inspire all who heard her. Her profound humility and perfect meekness laid the foundation of the great virtues and graces bestowed upon her by her Divine Spouse. Watching, fasting, abstinence, perfect obedience, and the constant denial of her own will were the means by which she subjected her flesh, and subjected or subdued whatever could oppose the Will of God in her affections.
Possessed with the greatest natural talents and the most extraordinary gifts of Divine grace, her mind was filled with the deepest sentiments of her nothingness, baseness and imperfections, and it was her sincere desire that other should have the same contempt of her which she had of herself. Though she was the Superior and Mother of the Community, she acted towards all as if she were the lowest servant.
Jesus chose St. Gertrude to be the herald of devotion to His Sacred Heart four centuries before He revealed to St. Margaret Mary His desire that It be given public veneration. We have a living portraiture of St. Gertrude’s pure and holy soul in her short book, “Of Divine Insinuations, or Communications and Sentiments of Love”. It is perhaps the most useful work, next to the writings of St. Teresa, with which any female Saint ever enriched the Church for nourishing piety in a contemplative state.
In her seventy-second year, after having been Abbess for forty years, St. Gertrude was called to the embrace of her heavenly Spouse in 1334. Miracles attested how precious her death was in the sight of God. The Catholic Church has distinguished her from all others of her sex by adding to her name the honorable title, “the Great”
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Prayers to St. Gertrude of Nivellis
Prayer Written by St. Gertrude of Nivellis
Eternal Father, I offer You the most
precious Blood of Your Divine Son,
Jesus, in union with the Masses
said throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners in the Universal
Church, those in my own home,
and within my family.
Amen.
Prayer of Intercession to St. Gertrude of Nivelles
Dear St. Gertrude, you were known for your devotion to God and your charitable works. Please pray for me that I may follow your example and may seek to serve others with love and compassion. Help me to be a person of wisdom and to use my talents and gifts to glorify God and to bring hope and healing to those in need. Amen.
Prayer to St. Gertrude of Nivelles
O St. Gertrude, you were a patron of the arts and an advocate for spiritual growth through music and literature. Please pray for me that I may find joy and inspiration in these forms of expression and that they may help me to grow closer to God. May your intercession bring me a deeper appreciation for the beauty of creation and the wonders of the human spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Gertrude of Nivelles
Dear St. Gertrude, you founded a convent and a hospital in Nivelles and dedicated your life to serving others. Please pray for me that I may find my calling in life and that I may be of service to others in need. Help me to be a person of compassion and to use my gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. May your prayers and intercession guide me on the path to holiness and to a deeper relationship with God. Amen.
Prayer to St. Gertrude The Great
O most loving St. Gertrude, filled with compassion for poor sinners, who didst ever prefer their welfare to thine own, behold me, prostrate at thy feet, a miserable sinner. Have mercy on me, O good and pious Virgin.
Remember the graces and favors thou hast received from God, and turn thine eyes of mercy towards me, I implore thee, by that love which made thee so generous towards the misery of others, and so prompt to help them by thy prayers. Deliver me, O most compassionate one, from the punishment I have so justly merited, and obtain for me the pardon of my sins, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A prayer to St. Gertrude for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen.
St. Gertrude, great lover of the poor souls, I entrust to thy maternal care and intercession the souls of my deceased relatives and friends. Obtain for them, I implore thee, the relief they so much desire and the release from their sufferings which they have earned. By thy love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the piety of thy life, obtain for me also the pardon of my sins, that I may one day enjoy the Beatific Vision of God forever. Amen.
A prayer to St. Gertrude for a Happy Death
St. Gertrude, faithful friend of Jesus, thou who didst experience the love of His Sacred Heart, I entrust to thee my death. Obtain for me a happy and holy death, that I may enter into the joy of my Lord and attain everlasting life. Amen.
O Heart of Jesus, full of gentleness and love, have mercy on me at the hour of my death. Through the merits of thy Sacred Heart and the intercession of St. Gertrude, deliver me from the pains of hell, and lead me to the joys of heaven. Amen.
Reflection on the feast day of St. Gertrude The Great
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Gertrude the Great on March 17th
Saint Gertrude was a Cistercian nun in the 1200s in Germany. She is known for her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and her writings on spirituality. She is also remembered for her conversion experience at the age of 26, when she fully embraced her vocation and devoted herself to loving service of God. Saint Gertrude is a reminder to all Catholics to not just know our faith intellectually, but to have a deep conviction and love for it as a relationship with Christ and the Holy Trinity. We can turn to her example and writings to deepen our own devotion to the Sacred Heart and to grow in our love for God.
St. Gertrude the Great: The Patron Saint of the Souls in Purgatory
St. Gertrude the Great is the patron saint of the souls in purgatory. She was a 13th century mystic and spiritual writer who is remembered for her deep devotion to God and her compassionate concern for those who have died.
Throughout her life, St. Gertrude was known for her devotion to prayer and her deep love for the souls in purgatory. She believed that through her prayers and good works, she could help to ease the suffering of these souls and bring them closer to God.
Because of her strong devotion to the souls in purgatory and her belief in the power of prayer, St. Gertrude has become a symbol of hope and comfort for those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Her life serves as a reminder that even after death, it is possible to show compassion and love to those we have lost, and to help ease their journey to God.
For those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, St. Gertrude offers a source of comfort and inspiration. She is a reminder that our prayers and good works can have a lasting impact on those who have died, and that we can help to ease their journey to God.
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