R222: Hildegard von Rupertsberg an Hermann von St. Martin in Mainz
The Snare of Excess
Hildegard warns that immoderate food and drink weaken the flesh and, under the devil's prompting, lull the soul into a stupor that delays true repentance.
Hildegard's response. On excessive food and immoderate drinking of wine. Immoderate vices grow. And the person's flesh often grows weak. So much so that the person can scarcely live. Afterward, weighed down by the weariness of sins by which that person's flesh has been exhausted, the person is burdened as if by a heavy sleep. But the devil stirs that person up again toward sin. And the devil sets before that person favorable times for repenting.
Waking to Sin, Then to Praise
The letter traces the cycle from sinful stupor to renewed sin, then contrasts deferred repentance with the angelic joy that rises when a person sighs over sin and does good.
And so from that stupor he wakes up to sin. And it eagerly urges him on to sin. Many people, too, through the devil's deception, put off repenting of their sins! And so they are found in ruin. When a person sighs over their sins, they join the praise of the angels! And when they do good. The sun flashes like lightning. But when he begins these adornments himself.
Learning from Tax Collectors and Sinners
Hildegard counsels the recipient to observe how tax collectors and sinners sinned greatly yet rose through penance, and so to clothe himself in faith and hope while remembering his own fleshly youth.
The devil rushes at him with a crushing wave of despair. He who had already stirred him up to sin with wicked schemes. Let that person look at the tax collectors and sinners.✦ Think about how gravely they sinned. And let him see how they got back up through penance, and how afterward they were made pillars of heaven; and so let him put on the breastplate of faith and the helmet of hope.✦1 And let him overcome his enemies. But you, servant of God, look at how luxuriously you lived in your infancy.2 And in your youth, when you lived amid the sins of fleshly pleasure!3
A Garden Overgrown
The recipient is urged to repent before life's shadow turns away, because the garden of his soul, meant to be fruitful, has been choked by useless grasses, thorns, and thistles.
So now let the weariness of sins be yours — for which reason. And begin to do good. Before the shadow of this life turns away from you. So that you may answer with joy to the voice that says this to you. You are the garden in which I might have fed my eyes — you ought to have been. But you are not! Because useless grasses and thorns and thistles have grown there. Which have choked all the useful plants.
Cutting Away Thorns, Running to the Father
Hildegard calls him to cut away sin with the sharp sickle of penance, imitate the prodigal son's return, and sow fruitful virtue so that he may become a gem in heavenly life and live forever.
Cut these away with penance, like a sharp sickle.✦4 And imitate that son who is read about in the gospel.✦ who turned back to himself and ran to his father.✦ who welcomed him with joy and, in his humanity, kept embracing him.✦5 Sow the seed of fruitful virtue in your garden too.✦ And be like the woman searching for her lost coin, so that there may be joy in heaven over you.✦6 so that you may become a gem in the life of heaven. And may you live forever.
Read the original Latin
Responsum hildegardis. De nimio cibo et immoderato potu uini. immoderata uicia crescunt. et caro hominis sepe languescit. ita ut uix uiuere possit. Postea tedio peccatorum quo caro illius fatigata est quasi graui somno grauatur. sed diabolus eum iterum ad peccatum excitat. et tempora penitendi ei proponit.
et ita de torpore illo ad peccatum euigilat. et studiose eum peccare hortatur. Multi etiam homines per deceptionem diaboli penitentiam peccatorum suorum differunt! et sic in perditione inueniuntur. Quando homo pro peccatis suis suspirat cum laude angelorum concinit! et cum bona operatur. sicut sol fulminat. Sed cum ipse hęc ornamenta incipit.
diabolus cum magna tempestate desperationis super eum cadit. qui eum etiam malis consilijs ad peccatum prius excitauerat. Homo autem ille publicanos et peccatores adtendat. quantum peccauerint. et qualiter per penitentiam surrexerint et quomodo postea columpna celi facti sunt uideat et ita loricam fidei et galeam spei se induat. et inimicos suos superet. Tu autem serue dei uide quod in infantia tua deliciose. et in iuuentute cum peccatis gustus carnis uixisti!
unde nunc fatigatio peccatorum tibi sit. et bona operari incipe. priusquam umbra huius uitę a te inclinetur. ut cum gaudio uoci respondeas tibi sic dicentis. Tu hortus in quo oculos meos pascerem esse debuisti. sed non es! quia inutiles herbę et spinę et tribuli ibi creuerunt. quę omnia utiles herbas suffocauerunt.
Has cum acuta falce per penitentiam abscide. et filium illum qui in euangelio legitur imitare. qui in se reuersus ad patrem suum cucurrit. qui eum in gaudio suscepit et per humanitatem suam eum osculabatur. Semen etiam fructuosę uirtutis in hortum tuum semina. et mulieri perditam dragmam querenti assimilare ut super te gaudium in celo fiat. quatenus gemma in celesti uita fias. et in eternum uiuas.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.9.10-Matt.9.11;Luke.15.1 — And it happened, as he was reclining at table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and reclined with Jesus and his disciples. Matt.9.11 — And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' Luke.15.1 — Now all the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to listen to him.
- ↩Eph.6.14-Eph.6.17 — Stand firm, then, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Eph.6.15 — and having shod your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Eph.6.17 — And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- ↩Rev.14.14-Rev.14.20 — Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud one seated, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. Rev.14.15 — And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one sitting on the cloud, 'Send out your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' Rev.14.16 — And the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Rev.14.17 — And another angel came out of the temple that is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Rev.14.18 — And another angel came out of the altar, having authority over fire. And he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Send out your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes have ripened.' Rev.14.19 — And the angel swung his sickle into the earth and harvested the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Rev.14.20 — And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for a thousand stadia.
- ↩Luke.15.11-Luke.15.32 — And he said, "A certain man had two sons." Luke.15.12 — And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' And he divided his livelihood between them. Luke.15.13 — And not many days later, the younger son, having gathered everything together, departed to a distant country, and there he squandered his property by living recklessly. Luke.15.14 — And after he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that region, and he began to be in want. Luke.15.15 — And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him to his fields to feed pigs. Luke.15.16 — He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. Luke.15.17 — But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired workers have bread enough to spare, and here I am perishing of hunger!' Luke.15.18 — I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.' Luke.15.19 — I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants. Luke.15.20 — And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Luke.15.21 — And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Luke.15.22 — But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.' Luke.15.23 — And bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Luke.15.24 — because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate. Luke.15.25 — Now his older son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. Luke.15.26 — And he called one of the servants and asked him what these things might be. Luke.15.27 — But he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' Luke.15.28 — But he was angry and refused to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. Luke.15.29 — But he answered his father, 'Look, all these years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me even a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends.' Luke.15.30 — but when this son of yours who has devoured your livelihood with prostitutes came, you killed the fattened calf for him Luke.15.31 — And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.' Luke.15.32 — But we had to celebrate and be glad, for this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.
- ↩Luke.15.20 — And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
- ↩Luke.15.20-Luke.15.24 — And he got up and went to his own father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. Luke.15.21 — And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' Luke.15.22 — But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.' Luke.15.23 — And bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. Luke.15.24 — because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate.
- ↩Matt.13.3-Matt.13.9 — And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Look, the sower went out to sow." Matt.13.4 — And as he sowed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Matt.13.5 — but other seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil. Matt.13.6 — But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered. Matt.13.7 — But some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Matt.13.8 — But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain—some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matt.13.9 — Whoever has ears, let him hear.
- ↩Luke.15.8-Luke.15.10 — Or what woman, having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? Luke.15.9 — and having found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost.' Luke.15.10 — In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Notes
- 1 ↩loricam fidei et galeam spei likely echoes Ephesians 6:14–17 (the armor of God). Candidate pending Moses resolution.
- 2 ↩The sentence appears truncated in the source: deliciose ('luxuriously / in a pampered way') lacks a clear predicate. Translation renders the most plausible intended sense — a rebuke for self-indulgence in early life.
- 3 ↩cum with ablative peccatis gustus carnis: temporal 'when' preferred, though concessive 'although' is also possible.
- 4 ↩cum could be temporal ('when') or causal; the imperative favors a temporal reading: 'when you take up the sharp sickle of penance, cut these away.'
- 5 ↩osculabatur literally 'was kissing'; rendered 'kept embracing' to capture the imperfect's iterative force and the father's tender, repeated affection.
- 6 ↩assimilare is imperative: 'be like' or 'compare yourself to'; the ut clause expresses purpose.
Epistolae: Letters to Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England companion
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