Theresa Pihl
St. Hildegard of Bingen Writing Group
St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) lived nearly a millennium ago, but like her Old Testament forebears Judith and Esther, she has been brought to our attention for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared this German Benedictine a Doctor of the Church, a position she shares with thirty-six other canonized saints, only three of whom are women: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The image of the Word—on fire—emblazons her work. She was a polymath: abbess, writer, poet, mystic, composer, herbalist, and prophetess (to name a few of her genius-level abilities and interests). When Pope Eugene III read Hildegard’s deep theological insights based on the mystical visions she had received since childhood, he encouraged her to keep writing. He also authorized her to preach in public—a remarkable stamp of approval during that male-dominated age. In Scivias (“Know the Ways”), St. Hildegard writes about people who “glorified the Word by yielding themselves to the Word’s brightness,” who, “living in their souls and bodies, raised the Word up with faithful joy.” I feel that call here at the Word on Fire Institute, where St. Hildegard continues to serve as a trustworthy friend, role model, and guide.
As a friend, St. Hildegard is my go-to for advice. Her title, Doctor, seems apropos; she is used to being sought out for remedies, medicinal as well as spiritual. She wrote hundreds of letters responding generously to those seeking her counsel. And like a true friend, she did not shy from speaking the truth, even when it ruffled feathers, such as when she admonished the notorious emperor Frederick Barbarossa for his support of three antipopes (a telling example of the scandalous times in which she lived). Hildegard respected authority, but fearlessly advocated for those misjudged by it. One poignant example is when she allowed an excommunicated man to be buried in her monastery’s cemetery. Local church authorities demanded his removal, but because Hildegard knew the man had repented and received the sacraments prior to his death, she refused to give him up. For this act of mercy, her monastery was placed under an interdict—deprived of the Eucharist—until the slow-moving ecclesial wheels overturned the order. It is important to note that her decisions were rooted in humility. She loved the Church! She advocated for authentic reform, and did so within the Church’s authority. She also sought advice from other holy men and women, such as her future fellow Doctor of the Church St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
As a role model, St. Hildegard demonstrates how to embrace the gifts of the Spirit, which she refers to as “the seven burning gifts.” She also encourages those under her patronage to develop the talents God has given them to their full potential. My own work-in-progress development in the St. Hildegard of Bingen Writing Group testifies to her example. Hildegard challenges not only me but all of us Christians to embody the virtues so that our lives may be a holistic witness to “the unity of faith” (Eph. 4:13). This unity is meant for all men and women, and St. Hildegard witnesses—prophetically—to the meaning of vocation, the calling of each of us, male and female, to love God and neighbor in a unique way. “In the sphere of what is ‘human’—of what is humanly personal—” Pope John Paul II states in his encyclical Mulieris Dignitatem, “‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ are distinct, yet at the same time they complete and explain each other.” He also clarifies that “‘to prophesy’ means to express by one’s words and one’s life ‘the mighty works of God’ (Acts 2:11).”
St. Hildegard’s life is an anchoring witness to God’s mighty works. As we navigate our fractured cultural milieu, St. Hildegard’s acumen, humility, mercy, and ability to see truth as a whole, in balance and harmony, make her an astute guide. But it is not to herself that she points, but to the Church, who instructs, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). And though the apocalyptic imagery in Hildegard’s mystical visions calls us sinners to repentance and penance, it also summons us to join in the triumphant, joyous strains of creation. With St. Hildegard, may we “raise up the Word with faithful joy.”
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Biographical details about St. Hildegard of Bingen are drawn from the Encyclopedia Britannica, Franciscan Media, and two general audiences given by Pope Benedict XVI on September 1 and September 8, 2010.