Now, Saint Mechtildis, a wonderful mystic and miracle worker, is almost a "shirt tail relation, we are so distantly related in worldly terms, but her availability to me, by virtue of her presence in Heaven, is very near me, indeed.
In life, she was the grandaunt of the wife of my 2nd cousin, 24 times removed! That's a mouthful, isn't it? I can't even picture it, except I know that 24 times removed" means 24 generations separated. That's about right, because Saint Mechtildis died in 1150, which was 872 years ago.
The saints, in Catholic terms, are people who were so holy that The Church has confirmed that they are, without a doubt, in Heaven already and, because of this, Saint Mechtildis is right here in the room with me when I am speaking to her, thinking about her, and asking her to intercede for me.
She herself was closely mystically aligned with the saints in Heaven and was pious from an early age. In fact, she was only 5 years old when her parents set her up in a monastery on their property in Diessen, Bavaria. So, she was raised by nuns, which was no unheard of in those days, especially among the nobility, such as her parents, the Count and Countess of Andechs.
In time, she became a full fledged Benedictine nun, and when the Mother Superior of the convent died, the Bishop of Augsberg appointed her to the position, despite the fact that she was very young for that job, at 28 years old. She got some pushback to her efforts to reform the place, something that the bishop had instructed her to do, but it wasn't until the Bishop managed to eject a couple of the troublemakers who were prone to gossip, that she was able to do as she was told and bring the convent closer to the Benedictine standard.
Mechtildis was not a flat 2-dimensional character. In addition to her practical and managerial skills, she was often found in a mystical trance that lasted hours, during which she had ecstatic visions. She was widely reputed to have healed a number of people suffering from defects of sight or hearing. This is a reminder to me and to all of us that we are not limited by our station in life or the number of mundane duties we are required to perform. We can still become saints, and we are encouraged to try. I find that meditation on her life is reassuring.
Then, there are days like I have had today, when my disabilities and defects have prevented me from doing much of anything at all, with the exception of replacing the computer virus software of my laptop and taking a parcel to the small local post office near my house that has limited hours. Half the time the postage meter is not working or something is "down" and we all have to jerry rig a solution. The parcel got mailed, though with slightly less postage than would have been required if the machine had been up and running. The clerk had to put something like 6 stamps on the dang thing!
When I got home, I was unable to do anything but have a little something to eat and collapse on the reclining chair! At least I was able to write this.
Anyone interested in contemplative life would do well to have a look at the life of Mechtildis and turn your mind to her during meditation and ask for her intercession. Tell her I sent you.
Silver Rose
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