3. Of St. Mechtildis.

The holy virgin Mechtildis, the daughter of a certain Count, was born in Germany. Being taken in the seventh year of her age by her mother to a neighbouring monastery of virgins of the Order of St. Benedict, she remained there, and at length made her religious Profession.

She grew rapidly in the love of God, and in true 300virtue, and became most familiar with the Lord. For she had entirely renounced her own will, humbly preferring all others to herself, and was most prompt in obedience. She was never found idle, but was always either praying or meditating, teaching or reading, or working with her hands, to the honour of God.

She was often tormented by a painful disease, and other sufferings; but she bore most patiently all the afflictions, that came upon her, receiving them with a joyful heart from the Hand of the Lord. Many days she suffered from so severe a pain in the head, that she was quite unable to sleep, and she was then also deprived of her usual divine sweetness and consolation. But when she complained with tears to our Lord, and humbly called upon Him; the merciful Lord, who is ever present with those in tribulation, at length poured upon her such abundance of grace, that she remained a long time with her eyes closed, as if dead, in the enjoyment of God, perceiving meanwhile many heavenly secrets. She often fell into extasies of this sort, and was wholly rapt in God.

She experienced such sweetness, when she read or heard the words of the Gospel, (for she had learnt, and understood the Latin tongue) that she often became nearly insensible from the overwhelming delight.

On one Wednesday after Easter, when this Introit of the Mass was begun, “Come ye blessed of My Father,” she being filled with immense and unusual joy, said to our Lord, “O that I were one of those blessed ones, who shall hear these most sweet words of Thine!” And the Lord replied, “Know for certain, 301that thou art one of them. And that thou mayest have no doubt of it, behold I give thee My Heart as a pledge of love, and for a house of refuge, that thou mayest always, and chiefly in the hour of thy death, find in it consolation and repose.” From that time she began to have a wonderful devotion to the Heart of Jesus Christ, whence she frequently said in her simplicity, “If all the good things were to be written down, which I have received from the most gracious Heart of my Lord, the largest possible volume could not contain them.”

In her last illness, when her companion, the blessed Gertrude, enquired of the Lord what He was working in her, the Lord answered, “I repose with her in a sweet embrace, because although she be tortured by various and continual pains, yet trusting in My goodness, she believes that through My Divine Mercy all things are for her eternal salvation, and ever giving thanks to Me, she faithfully commits herself to My fatherly Providence.”

One day the same spouse of Christ Mechtildis, being already in the agony of death, said nothing but these words, “O good Jesus, O good Jesus,” which she constantly repeated; thus plainly showing, that He was in truth intimately impressed on her heart, whose Name she so sweetly ruminated upon, and so frequently pronounced, amid the bitter pains of death. But the hour being come when she was to pass out of this world, Jesus, the Lord of Supreme Majesty, glorifying her with the light of His Divinity, in a sweet and gentle voice invited her in these words: Come, 302thou blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for thee, from the foundation of the world (St. Matth. xxv. 34).

Then indeed did the Lord Himself remind her of that most excellent gift, by which some years before, (when the same words were sung in the Mass,) He had given her His Heart as a pledge of love. Therefore that blessed soul, being admitted into the sweetest Heart of Jesus, entered happily into eternal glory and heavenly joys.