4. Of St. Gertrude.

The virgin Gertrude, or Trutha, full of the amiable sweetness of the grace of God, shone with the splendour of all virtues, having been, in the fifth year of her age, planted like a fair lily in the garden of holy religion. She served God in the same monastery as Mechtildis.

Gertrude, being gifted with extraordinary talents, in a short time made great progress in the Latin language; but her chief study was to acquire humility and purity of heart, and to be united to God by ardent love.

She saw herself in the light of truth, to be unworthy of any of the gifts of God; she looked upon herself, I say, only as a sort of canal by which God willed to convey His gifts to His elect. She esteemed above herself all whom she saw; and those to whom she communicated the gifts of God, she believed to merit more by their thoughts, their innocence or blameless conversation, than she could by all her exercises and labours.

Sometimes when she was journeying, she said to our Lord in her deep abjection, “Ah! my Lord! among the great miracles, which Thou workest, I consider this to be one of the chiefest, that Thou permittest the earth to bear so vile a sinner as I am.” To which the Lord graciously answered, “Rightly does the earth allow itself to be trodden by thee, since all the dignity of heaven awaits with ineffable desire that most joyful hour, when it may receive and welcome thee.”

When garments or any other things were offered to her that she might choose which she liked, she would not choose, but stretching forth her hand with her eyes shut, she received with the utmost gratitude whatever she took hold of (though it might be the most vile), as if the Lord had given it to her with His own Hands.

Her confidence in God was ever firm, her mind active and courageous, leaning steadily on His fatherly Providence, to which she looked in all things.

The Lord sensibly imprinted on her heart the glorious stigmata of His five Wounds, and He prepared for Himself in her so pleasing a dwelling, and so sweetly manifested to her His Heart, that if men did not know the power and goodness of the Lord to be boundless, they could hardly believe that He had shown as much familiar friendship to His most holy Mother on the earth as He showed to her.

Hence the same Lord Jesus, speaking to a certain holy person of her while she was yet alive, said thus: “Since there is no one now living who is nearer and more united to me by pure intention, good will, and 304true fidelity than she is, I also incline to no soul dwelling in the flesh with greater favour than to her soul; wherefore thou mayest nowhere more readily find Me than in the Sacrament of the Altar, and next in the heart and soul of this My spouse.” Again the Lord said to another person: “I am all hers, and I have united her inseparably to Me by love, as gold and silver are melted by fire into one metal.” And again: “She is to all the citizens of heaven a sweet-sounding harmony, which is produced by all the adversities endured by her with so much equanimity.” To Mechtildis also, who was praying for her, the Lord said: “Whosoever shall listen to her words, and humbly obey her admonitions, shall not deviate from the way of salvation, but shall at length attain to eternal life.” And to Gertrude herself He said: “Since I have mercifully chosen thee, that I may joyfully inhabit in thee, whosoever shall commend himself to thy prayers, with pious confidence, shall by My grace be saved.” And again: “No one of those who listen to thy words with humility, and order their lives according to them with a pious intention, can ever perish, but will attain to Me by a way safe from all error.”

She had also received from the divine and infallible Truth the promise, that as in the Death of Christ the most exalted power of love separated the Soul of the Lord Jesus Himself from the Body, so in the death of this virgin divine love was to consume all her strength.

She was, moreover, assured by a divine promise 305that if any one should, either before or after her death, considering and understanding how graciously and familiarly God had condescended to her, devoutly, faithfully, and lovingly praise God, or give thanks to Him, for the benefits bestowed on her he should not depart out of this world until God had taken delight in some especial familiarity with his soul. Therefore he who chooses may pray in this or like manner: “O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, I praise Thee and give Thee thanks, with all the devotion of which I am capable, for all the benefits Thou didst bestow on the virgin Gertrude Thy beloved spouse; and by that love with which Thou didst from eternity choose her out for Thy special favour, and in Thy own good time didst sweetly attract her and familiarly invite her to Thyself, and joyfully abide in her soul, and end the course of her life by a blessed death, I pray and beseech Thee that Thou wilt have, mercy on me, and render me pleasing to Thee, and lead me into eternal life. Amen.”