St Gertrude the Great 

Formative years

St. Gertrude the Great was born in Eisleben, Thuringia, in the Holy Roman Empire (the hometown of Martin Luther c.1 483-1546, in present-day Germany) on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 1256, to a Saxon family of nobility, during the Golden Century of the Medieval Age, when the Church was rich in both scholars and mystics including St. Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274), St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1189-1226), St. Clare of Assisi (c. 1194-1253), St. Dominic (c. 1170-1221), St. Albert the Great (c. late 1190s - 1280) and St. Bonaventure (c. 1221-1274). 

At the tender age of five, she began to attend a Cistercian monastery school in Helfta in Saxony under the governance of Abbess Gertrude of Hackerborn. She was described as a lovable, quick-witted child by the nuns. A gifted student she studied the sciences of the trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric) and quadrivium (arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, and music), the foundation of Western education at that time. 

She stood out for her intelligence and became accomplished in philosophy, literature, singing, and miniature painting. Gertrude was both fluent in Latin and very familiar with scripture and works from the Fathers of the Church, including St Augustine of Hippo (c. 354-430).

In her autobiographical writings, St. Gertrude recalls that she neglected her spiritual calling for the first several years in the monastery because she was so engrossed in profane intellectual pursuits, depriving herself of the taste for true wisdom of God. Not surprisingly, around the age of twenty-four, she began to find the daily routines of her community monotonous and experienced a lack of meaning in her accomplishments, as well as feelings of anxiety and depression. 

Her epiphany

On 27 January 1281, a few days before the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin celebrated on February 2nd, the fortieth day after Christmas, towards the hour of night prayer, the Lord, appeared to her to dispel her deep anxiety. 

She had a vision of a young man who took her by the hand to guide her through the tangle of thorns surrounding her soul. "He is more beautiful than all the children of men," she said and immediately recognized 'the precious traces of the wounds in the guiding hands that abrogated all the acts of accusation of our enemies' (ibid., II, 1, p. 89), thereby recognising Our Lord and Redeemer, the One who saved us with his Blood on the Cross.

"I have chosen you for my abode because I am pleased that all that is lovable in you is my work…. For this very reason, I have distanced you from all your relatives, so that no one may love you for reasons of kinship and that I may be the sole cause of the affection you receive" (The Revelations, I, 16, Siena 1994, pp. 76-77).

In this her first vision, Jesus told her, “I have come to comfort you and bring you salvation.” By God’s grace, she dramatically reoriented her priorities and immersed herself in Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers, and theology. 

Her conversion with instantaneous

She wrote, “Until the age of 25, I was a blind and insane woman… but you, Jesus, deigned to grant me the priceless familiarity of your friendship by opening to me in every way that the noblest casket of your divinity, which is your divine Heart, and offering me in great abundance all your treasures contained in it.” 

Gertrude transformed all this into an apostolate: she devoted herself to writing and popularizing the truth of faith with clarity and simplicity, with grace and persuasion, serving the Church faithfully and lovingly to be helpful to and appreciated by theologians and devout people.

From being a student she moved on to dedicate herself totally to God in monastic life, and for 20 years nothing exceptional occurred: study and prayer were her main activities. henceforth her life was one of intimate communion with the Lord which intensified especially in the most important liturgical seasons Advent-Christmas, Lent-Easter, and the feasts of Our Lady even when illness prevented her from going to the choir.

Mystical experiences

While in prayer one day Gertrude again saw Jesus who was carrying a great building on His shoulders. He explained its meaning to her saying: "Behold with what labor, care and vigilance I carry this beloved house, which is none other than that of Religion. It is everywhere threatened with ruin because there are so few persons who are willing to do or suffer anything for its support and increase. You, therefore, should suffer with Me in bearing it; for all those who endeavor, by their words or actions, to extend religion, and who try to establish it in its first fervor and purity, are so many strong pillars which sustain this holy house and comfort Me by sharing with Me the weight of this burden."

Beating Heart of Jesus

St Gertrude had many mystical experiences, which she recorded in her journals. One time St Gertrude was visited by St. John the beloved Apostle with Jesus by his side. A stunned Gertrude exclaimed: "My most amiable Lord, how can this be that You present Your most beloved disciple to me, an unworthy creature?" Whereupon Our Lord responded with, "I wish to establish between him and you an intimate friendship; he shall be the Apostle, to instruct and to correct you."

Saint John then spoke to Gertrude, "Come, Spouse of my Master, together let us lay our heads on the most tender bosom of the Lord, in which all the treasures of Heaven and earth are enclosed." The two lay on either side of the Lord, Gertrude on the right, John on the left, hearing the beating of his most Sacred Heart, and she asked John why he didn’t record the experience in the Gospel. He answered saying that this detail had to be reserved for subsequent ages when the world, having grown cold, would need to rekindle its love for Christ’s Sacred Heart. 

Gertrude placed the Lord into all that she did, just like St. Therese of Lisieux. Daily life at the monastery consisted of singing, praying the Divine Office, celebrating the Mass, and studying Scripture and the Church Fathers. The mundane tasks of life turned sweet when she invited Him into them. I try my best to include the Lord in my daily tasks in life, and when I do I often feel His love and peace enter. 

Spiritual Spouse of Christ

Saint Gertrude turned to Jesus, as she would to an earthly father, with the complete trust of a child. No petition was too small or too great. On one occasion, when she had lost a needle in a pile of straw, she asked the Lord to find it for her: "It would be in vain that I would search for this needle and so very much a waste of time. If You would be so kind, find it for me!" She turned her head, groped with one of her hands and immediately found the needle. Our Lord delighted in her simplicity and innocence and always rewarded her faith in Him with gifts affirming that faith.

Souls in Purgatory

Another day, after she had received Communion, Gertrude offered the Host for the souls in Purgatory. Upon requesting that some souls be released from Purgatory, Gertrude tried to divide the Host into small particles within her mouth to designate the number of souls thus released. 

Our Lord then revealed to Gertrude His immense mercy with these words. "In order that you may know that My mercy is above all My works and that the abyss of My mercy cannot be exhausted, I am ready to grant you, through the merit of this life-giving Sacrament, more than you dare ask Me."

The Lord, sharing His Love with Gertrude, said that each time someone merely looks upon a crucifix with devotion, the mercy of God looks down upon their soul. Then they must remember these tender words, “My Heart is so passionately enamored of thee that, were it necessary in order to save thee, I would again willingly endure, for thee alone, all that I have suffered for the salvation of the whole world.” The Lord shares countless times the desires of His Heart, not just for Gertrude but for all people. 

St. Gertrude’s special devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory has made her a patron of the dead, and she is often invoked for souls in purgatory although her feast day is November 16. 

Catholic tradition says that Jesus promised St. Gertrude that 1,000 souls would be released from purgatory every time the following prayer is recited with devotion: "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."

Chaplet of St Gertrude to free 50,000 souls in Purgatory

Note: This chaplet is prayed using regular Rosary beads

1. On the Cross, pray the Apostle’s Creed: "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen."

2. Then pray 1 “The Lord's Prayer” aka Our Father, 3 “Hail Marys” and 1 “Glory be” as follows

• Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
• Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
• Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

3. Continue praying the five decades on the rosary beads. For each of the following five decades do the following:

• Pray the Lord's Prayer on the large bead.
• On each of the 10 small beads, pray: "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."
• Conclude each decade with the following three prayers:  
• Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, open the hearts and minds of sinners to the truth and light of God, the Father.
• Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for the conversion of sinners and the world.
• Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Her writings

She is considered one of the most famous mystics, and her life and ideas had a significant impact on Christian spirituality. Gertrude’s Spiritual Exercises, as well as her other works, written in elegant Latin, are some of her most influential surviving works, that bore much fruit, resulting in the conversion of many who encountered her and her works. One of her longest surviving works is Legatus Memorialis Abundantiae Divinae Pietatis (The Herald of Divine Love). Her other standing works include her collection of Spiritual Exercises and Preces Gertrudianae (Gertrudian Prayers). 

Stigmata

Two favours, in particular, were dearer to her than any other, as Gertrude herself writes: “The stigmata of your salvation-bearing wounds which you impressed upon me, as it were, like a valuable necklace, in my heart, and the profound and salutary wound of love with which you marked it. “You flooded me with your gifts, of such beatitude that even were I to live for 1,000 years with no consolation neither interior nor exterior the memory of them would suffice to comfort me, to enlighten me, to fill me with gratitude. Further, you wished to introduce me into the inestimable intimacy of your friendship by opening to me in various ways that the noblest sacrarium of your Divine Being which is your Divine Heart…. To this accumulation of benefits, you added that of giving me as Advocate the Most Holy Virgin Mary, your Mother, and often recommended me to her affection, just as the most faithful of bridegrooms would recommend his beloved bride to his own mother” (ibid., II, 23, p. 145).

Death

In the seventh Exercise, that of preparation for death, St Gertrude wrote: “O Jesus, you who are immensely dear to me, be with me always, so that my heart may stay with you and that your love may endure with me with no possibility of division; and bless my passing, so that my spirit, freed from the bonds of the flesh, may immediately find rest in you. Amen” (Spiritual Exercises, Milan 2006, p. 148).

She died around the year 1301 following a long and painful illness in which she offered her suffering up for others. The exact burial location of St. Gertrude the Great is unknown, but it is believed that she is buried in her former home, along with St. Mechtilde.

Although Gertrude was never formally canonized, the Vatican approved a liturgical office of prayer and readings in her honor. To separate her from Abbess Gertrude of Hackeborn, Pope Benedict XIV gave her the title, "the Great," making her the only woman saint to be called, "the Great."

“She was an exceptional woman, endowed with special natural talents and extraordinary gifts of grace, the most profound humility and ardent zeal for her neighbor's salvation,” Pope Benedict XVI said of St. Gertrude in an October 2010 general audience. She was in close communion with God both in contemplation and in her readiness to go to the help of those in need.”

References

1. Sanchez, A. (2023, September 22). Saint Gertrude The Great. Little With Great Love. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/saint-gertrude-the-great/
2. St. Gertrude The Great. (2021, September 7). The GIVEN Institute. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://giveninstitute.com/st-gertrude-the-great/
3. St. Gertrude the Great, “a very powerful champion of justice and truth. (2010, October 6). Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/st-gertrude-the-great-rm-pillar-a-very-powerful-champion-of-justice-and-truth-2/
4. Saint Gertrude The Great. (n.d.). America Needs Fatima. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://americaneedsfatima.org/articles/saint-gertrude-the-great
5. St. Gertrude Chaplet. (2024, June 21). The Catholic Crusade. Retrieved October 29, 2024, from https://thecatholiccrusade.com/chaplet-of-saint-gertrude/

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