Gertrude, a Benedictine nun in
Helfta (Saxony), was one of the great mystics of the 13th century. Together with her friend and
teacher St. Mechtild, she practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism," that is, she came to
see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was a deeply personal union with Jesus and
his Sacred Heart, leading her into the very life of the Trinity.
But this was
no individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy, where she found Christ. In the
liturgy and in Scripture, she found the themes and images to enrich and express her piety. There was
no clash between her personal prayer life and the liturgy.
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