Lutgard

Lutgard was a Belgium girl back in the 1200s.  Her family had money, which would have made her a good marriage catch since back then people did not marry for love, but for more economic reasons.  She had a good dowry, but then her dad bet it all on a business venture, and lost.  Lutgard lost too.  No one wanted to marry her.  Pretty, young, fun, but no money, meant the convent.  Dad unloaded his expenses by putting his girl into a convent.  She was more of a boarder as she had no vocation to be a nun.  She just wanted to have fun and enjoy friends when they visited.  One day all this changed.  She saw a vision of Jesus standing in front of her.  She was a nut case?  Maybe, but her prayer life happened big time after that.  She went on to become a Cistercian nun in another stricter convent where she did not even know the language.  This gave her even more solitude.  You would think she would go completely crazy?  The proof would be in the results.  After a few years a steady stream of people sort her counsel.  Why?  Like us today, people want some assurance, about this Jesus, that is more than catechism or pulpit.  They want someone whose life has been changed by a spiritual encounter.  Such was the case of Bill W. in AA.  Now I go to a Cistercian monastery to get holy too.  But I get no steady stream of people.  What happened?  Either people hate me, or don't care, or my experiences are delusional and I am still a mess.  Well, people do not hate me, and they do care.  That leaves only one answer.  But I hope you find someone like Lutgard to help you along your way.  Lutgard please pray of me.  I am trudging along.