Overview:

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.” (Mt 25:1-4)

Find today’s readings here.

The New York Times recently published an obituary for Margaret W. Rossiter, a historian who spent her career documenting the work of women scientists. If not for her work—three volumes published over forty years—the stories of these women would have most likely been lost to history.

Today the church honors a woman who was, among many other things, a scientist. St. Hildegard of Bingen was born in what is now Germany in 1098. Technically, that predates the era of modern science, but she had extensive knowledge of plants and herbal remedies. According to the Vatican Observatory, she may have served as a pharmacist at the Benedictine monastery in Disibodenberg. “Hildegard was someone who made careful observation and experiment, and recorded the results,” the website notes. “This is the heart of what it means to be a scientist.”

There is also an asteroid named for her, as well as a crater on the far side of the moon. 

St. Hildegard was also an abbess, a composer of music, a philosopher, a linguist and a mystic who recorded her visions. In 2012, Pope Benedict declared her a doctor of the church, writing in his apostolic letter: “The profound spirituality of her writings had a significant influence both on the faithful and on important figures of her time and brought about an incisive renewal of theology, liturgy, natural sciences and music.” 

Today’s alternate readings honor St. Hildegard the mystic. The first reading, from the Song of Songs, was presumably chosen because of her intense, mystical connection to Christ. And for a feast honoring a “virgin and doctor of the church,” we have the Gospel story of the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom.

If this seems a little too on the nose, I would like to suggest an alternate reading of this alternate reading. 

Ten virgins waited for the bridegroom, but only five of them were ready when he came because they brought enough oil. The reading concludes: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Some of us will be prepared when Christ comes, some of us will not. What that preparation will look like will differ from person to person. But I think it will mean doing everything in your power—using all the gifts that have been given to you—to give honor and service to God. 

That, I think, is St. Hildegard in spades. 

My daughter is a junior in high school hoping for a career in the sciences, with a special interest in astronomy. When Margaret Rossiter died, I shared her story. Today I will tell her about St. Hildegard, and the asteroid that bears her name.

Tim Reidy joined America’s staff in October 2006 and served as online editor for several years before moving into his current role as the deputy editor in chief. Tim oversees America’s newsroom, directing its daily news coverage as well as working with the editorial leadership team to plan each print issue. Tim also edits the magazine’s Ideas section, where he contributes book reviews and essays. Before joining America, he worked at the Hartford Courant, a newspaper in Connecticut, and Commonweal magazine. In addition to writing for America, he has contributed to The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review and the Princeton Alumni Weekly. He has been interviewed about the Catholic Church on WNYC in New York, ABC, Bloomberg TV and other media outlets. Tim also serves on the board of directors of Jesuit Refugee Service USA. He lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with his wife and two children.