“Love abounds in all things,
excels from the depths to beyond the stars,
is lovingly disposed to all things.
She has given the king on high
the kiss of peace.”
– Hildegard, Caritas Abundat
After my Meister Eckhart retreat I decided to continue with the German mystic theme and spent some time in the company of Hildegard of Bingen. I finally caught up with 2009’s biographical film “Vision: Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen” which has a fine performance from Barbara Sukowa in a rather conventional (awful pun!) telling of Hildegard’s life from director Margarethe von Trotta.
The film was a useful introduction prior to a study day at Tabor Carmelite Retreat House in Preston on Hildegard. This was led by Fr Michael Miners OCDS and was a much more satisfying experience. There was useful biographical material, an overview of Hildegard’s visions and plenty of opportunity to consider her music, medical and visual legacy. Quite a lot was packed in to the day but we still had time for interesting conversations and quiet reflection in some of Tabor’s lovely spaces. It’s hard to believe you’re in Preston…
Hildegard’s Trinity: “And so Eternity is called the Father, the Word is called the Son and the breath that connects these two is called the Holy Spirit; just as God marked it in man in whom there are body, soul and rationality.”
