R73: Kuno von Disibodenberg an Hildegard von Rupertsberg
Salutation and Humble Address
Cuno, abbot of Disibodenberg, greets Hildegard with humility and acknowledges his delay in visiting her.
The abbot of Saint Disibod. To Hildegard. Cuno, abbot of the mountain of Saint Disibod, though unworthy. To Hildegard. To the lady and to his most beloved mother, of the mountain of Saint Robert. The grace of God — that little which is.1 Because, hindered by various occupations on all sides, I have for some time held off from visiting and greeting you and addressing you.
Confession and Request for Prayer
Cuno confesses his spiritual decline and asks Hildegard to share any revelation about their patron, Saint Disibod, while admitting his helplessness without grace.
Now that I have this window of time, I entrust myself all the more earnestly to your prayers, —and oh, the grief! I realize I'm letting myself sink deeper into sin rather than making any headway in righteousness. But since your holiness sees, in him who neither deceives nor is deceived, many secrets through the Spirit, I ask that if God has revealed anything to you about our patron, blessed Disibod, you would disclose it to me. So that when I'm with my brothers, I won't delay offering him the most devout praise on this account. But because the negligence that's in me— I can't shake it off by any effort of my own, with whatever power I have.
Entrusting Community to Prayer
Cuno entrusts himself, his brothers, and their community to Hildegard's prayers and those of her sisters, as he has done in person.
I ask with a devoted heart for the support both of you and of the other daughters of God living alongside you. And I entrust to the prayers of all of you not only my own lowly person, but also the brothers committed to me and our community. just as I have often been accustomed to do when I am with you in person.
Read the original Latin
Abbas sancti Dysibodi. hildegardi. Cuno abbas de monte sancti Dysibodi licet indignus. hildegardi. domine et matri suę dilectissimę de monte sancti Roberti. gratia dei tantillum quod est. Quia uarijs hinc inde prepeditus occupationibus per aliquod tempus supersedi inuisere. salutare uos et alloqui.
accepta nunc oportunitate temporis. eo me attentius orationibus uestris committo. quo me proch dolor inueterari potius in augmento delicti quam in aliquo profectu iusticię recognosco. Sed quoniam sanctitas uestra in eo qui non fallit nec fallitur plurima secreta spiritu uidet. peto ut si qua de patrono nostro beato Dysibodo deus uobis reuelauerit mihi aperiatis. quatenus cum fratribus meis illi ex hoc deuotissimas laudes referre non differam. Sed et quia neglegentiam quę in me est. nulla meę possibilitatis manu de me excutere possum.
suffragium tam uestrum quam ceterarum filiarum dei uobiscum conuersantium deuoto corde requiro! et non solum paruitatis meę personam uerum etiam commissos mihi fratres et locum nostrum orationibus omnium uestrum commendo! sicut etiam cum apud uos sum uiua uoce sepius facere soleo.
Notes
- 1 ↩The phrase 'tantillum quod est' is a self-deprecating, almost paradoxical formulation: Kuno offers what grace he has, acknowledging it is barely anything. The rendering preserves the humility and slight awkwardness of the Latin.
Epistolae: Letters to Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England companion
Read one voice like Hildegard's every morning
Chosen Portion delivers daily excerpts from Hildegard and 77 other historic devotional writers, free on iOS.
Hildegard directed souls through short written portions sent one at a time, and Chosen Portion continues that letter-a-day rhythm as daily devotionals.
- Daily 2-minute readings including Hildegard's letters and visions
- 78 complete historic works, translated into modern readable English
- A weekly email tracing one writer's story in depth