Rebooting Hildegard of Bingen
Look past pop culture images to the spiritually wise Hildegard, help for our times. Read the article from Religion News Service here.
Stained-glass window showing St. Hildegard of Bingen. Photo by Wolfgang Sauber/Wikipedia/Creative Commons
In my parish we celebrate vespers for all four of the women who have been named doctors of the church: Teresa of Ávila, Catherine of Siena, Thérèse of Lisieux and Hildegard of Bingen. While the other three tend to be revered as mystics, reformers or holy examples, modern imagery of Hildegard, whose feast is Sept. 17, would have us believe she is all about brewing beer, folk remedies, cosmology and recipes featuring spelt.
But if we look deeper, we find a saint and doctor with messages relevant to us in our turbulent times.
Hildegard’s times were filled with turmoil. She was born in 1098 in Germany, when there were constant disputes between the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. Clerical corruption was widespread. Heresies turned heads. The crusades caused horrifying carnage. Local lords fought over land.
A call to remember God was in order, and Hildegard became the prophet issuing that call.
At a young age, Hildegard was tithed to the church by her parents and began her monastic life in a hermitage attached to a male monastery in southwestern Germany. She learned from all the written resources available as well as from her own mystical experiences. As with most saints, it was the call of God that made life interesting and Hildegard bold. Her friendship with God made her tick. She said, “I want what God wants,” and set to work for God.