From Where I Sit

  

St. Gertrude stained glass window
Sacred Heart Monastery Chapel



The stained glass windows in our Chapel faithfully lend themselves to awe and inspiration.  From my seat in choir, I often gaze at these beautiful icons during the prayerful silent pauses between the chanting of the Psalms.   This image of St. Gertrude is one of my favorites and I never grow tired of pondering its meaning and relevance. 

 St. Gertrude (1256-1302) was a Benedictine nun of Helfta Abbey in Germany.  Jane Klimisch, OSB says the following of St. Gertrude's monastic environment:

"A well-ordered community, its identifying features were a vibrant liturgical life, a regime of vigorous study, manual and intellectual work that served both monastic and neighborly needs, and daily lectio divina which led to peaks of contemplation."

(from Medievel Women Monastics, Schmitt, Kulzer)

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

St. Gertrude's writings speak of divine intimacy and mystical dialogue with her loving God.  She had a "sense of an intimate connection between the heart of Christ and the Eucharist, and her saturation in the prophetical Scriptures wherein Jeremiah and others speak of the everlasting love found in God's heart and of the human heart as an organ of knowing: "I will give them a heart to know me" (Jer. 24:7)  Gertrude absorbed the biblical meaning of heart as reciprocal love and experienced her own heart as an indwelling center. " (Klimisch)

In Benedictine history, there was an antiphon in her honor- "In the heart of Gertrude you will find me."

This beautiful window is located at the transept of the chapel, between our choir stalls and the Eucharistic table, thus reminding us of the primacy of community prayer in our lives.  During my meditation this morning, I pictured our Sisters of the 1930's at a community meeting discussing what saints would be appropriate for our stained glass windows.  Because our monastery is named after the Sacred Heart, their choice of St. Gertrude is no surprise.  Its position in the chapel is no surprise.  Its beauty is no surprise.  Our Sisters had the foresight to choose this saint as a model for us in being faithful to Jesus' love and sharing this love with all those we meet.

The message I receive as I gaze on this illuminating portrait is Jesus' words from

John 15: 9-10: "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Remain in my love, if you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love."

This window depicts St Gertrude with open hands encircling Jesus' heart within her.  There is an openness which invites all to share in this love.  The Latin words "Ipsi Soli" (His Alone) surrounds the heart and speaks of Jesus' total love in divine union.  The Spirit hovers over her left shoulder as a sign of God's everlasting Presence.

I think St. Benedict would certainly have approved of this window for our Sacred Space.  Perhaps he would have added his own words in a caption beneath it:

"But as we progress in this way of Life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love."

Rule of Benedict, Prol. 40

"O God of love and gentleness,

O heart that abounds

with loving kindness                               

O heart that overflows with charity,

O heart that radiates pleasantness,

O heart full of compassion.

We thank you for your heart

full of love for us.                                 

Invite us into your heart

that we may be totally transformed into love.

from Exercises of St. Gertrude, adapted by Ruth Fox, OSB