Mechtilde von Hackeborn-Wippra was born in the castle of Helfta, in Saxony (Germany) in 1241 to a noble family. Her father was the Baron of Hackeborn-Wippra, and he owned a lot of lands. She was the younger sister of Gertrude of Hackeborn, who was abbess of the convent of St. Mary of Helfta for forty years. When Mechtilde was seven years old she visited her older sister in the convent. She was so happy visiting there that she begged them to allow her to permanently stay. Mechtilde soon got her wish and joined her sister at the convent of St. Mary later that year.
Did you know that it was not uncommon in those days for people to live short lives due to infectious diseases? A lot of people died young. This may be why, eight years later in 1261, a five-year-old girl named Gertrude joined their community. She was put under St. Mechtilde’s care by the abbess. St. Mechtilde was outgoing and sociable, making her a good mentor for a young child. She was very soft-hearted and listened well to others who came to her for counsel. She was also deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary.
St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn was known for having a beautiful singing voice. In one of her visions of Jesus He called her His nightingale. St. Mechtilde trained the convent choir, which had about 60 nuns, and she was their director. She had to teach chant to all the novices, keep the liturgical books in order, and supervise the library. St. Mechtilde often prayerfully meditated on the meaning of their worship.
The monastery at Helfta had a reputation for having very holy and well-educated nuns. There were many visitors to St. Mary of Helfta. They traveled from great distances to receive spiritual advice from the sisters. Of all the sisters, St. Mechtilde was known as being most well-educated in scripture and liturgy. She instructed the other nuns, and they gathered around her from all sides to listen.
At one point, during St. Gertrude the Great’s novitiate, St. Mechtilde was worried about the young lady’s impulsiveness. But Jesus reassured St. Mechtilde, saying that Gertrude “clings to my Heart like the right hand that does whatever I will.”
During her years at St. Mary’s of Helfta, St. Mechtilde witnessed a civil war that brought many sorrows to the people of her region.
St. Mechtilde was very quiet about the many graces and visions God had given her. She said nothing about them to anyone for many years. It was Gertrude the Great who remained her close friend throughout her life and likely recorded much of her visions and spiritual writings.
In 1291, seven years before she died, St. Mechtilde suffered a serious prolonged illness. During this time St. Mechtilde became so full of the Holy Spirit that she began to pour out these experiences and visions. She suffered intense pain at times during these years. She had terrible migraine headaches. Gertrude the Great, who she had raised since a little girl, was with her at her bedside all those years.
The Abbess instructed two nuns, (one was St. Gertrude the Great), to question St. Mechtilde about her visions and then record what she told them. The book is entitled, Book of Special Grace. This book included descriptions of St. Mechtilde’s visions, the special graces she received from God, and her teachings on how to have a true devotion to the Lord and a virtuous life. The book describes an ideal Christian community at work, one that is centered on the Mass and the Divine Office of prayers.
St. Mechtilde did not know until later in the process that her visions were being recorded for her in a book, and it was revealed to her by divine revelation. This means that it was Jesus Himself who told St. Mechtilde the nuns were writing a book about her experiences with the Lord.
Jesus came to her in a vision. St. Mechtilde saw beams of light streaming from the Heart of Jesus into the hearts of the two nuns who were writing the book. Jesus also showed St. Mechtilde the book’s physical appearance, even though she had never seen it. In her vision Jesus was holding the book of her revelations for her to see, revealing it to her.
Can you imagine this happening to you?
Jesus said to her, “All this has been committed to writing by my will and inspiration; and, therefore you have no cause to be troubled about it.”
St. Mechtilde approved of the work her religious sisters had done. She was also able to edit the book before she died in 1298. Her devotion to the Heart of Christ was woven throughout her writings.
St. Mechtilde taught us that the Heart of Christ is the source of all nourishment for a soul. Anyone who wants to experience God in a personal way will enter into this Sacred Heart and be incorporated into Him. She teaches that Jesus offers us his Sacred Heart to unify us with God.
St. Mechtilde also teaches us the value of praying for each other, the need for spiritual friendship, and the need to praise God with all our heart when we worship Him in prayer, especially in the Mass. She gifted the Church with the first understanding of the deep and eternal love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
St. Mechtilde of Hackeborn, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!