Letter 32: Henry, Bishop of Beauvais, to Hildegard
The Letters
letter: "First, Hildegard, in typical twelfth-century fashion, saw the world as a divine milieu in which every being is both a sign of the Creator's plenitude and a potential instrument for his action. Her outlook was profoundly thcocentric. Second, within this divine milieu, the human being holds the place of honor as the image of God. And in the third place, because the most important activity in life is the salvation of the soul, the cosmos is to be read as one vast and complicated moral lesson."
Henry, Bishop of Beauvais, to Hildegard 1148-62 The bishop of Beauvais writes to solicit Hildegard's prayers. Henry, the brother of King Louis VII of France, served as bishop of Beauvais from 1141 to 1162, and, in 1162, became archbishop of Rheims, a position he held until 1175.
Henry, by grace of God, bishop of Beauvais, unworthy though I am, sends greetings to Hildegard, beloved mistress of St. Rupert at Bingen, whatever good the prayers of a sinner, uttered with a contrite and humbled spirit, can accomplish.
Blessed be the Lord who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing [cf.
Ephes 1.3]. May religious fervor be spread into the far reaches of the world through your example as one anointed with the fragrance of God's compassion.
For God's esteem for you is clear even to me, a sinner, and, far removed from you in body if not in spirit, this is a great consolation to me, overwhelmed as I am by the storms of this age. We have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that by your merits and prayers the compassion of Christ is available to all who faithfully seek the help of your prayers.
Not trusting in our own conscience, we have no confidence of obtaining salvation through our own actions, and so through the love of the Holy Spirit we beseech you (far removed as you are from us) to implore die Lord in your prayers for forgiveness of our sins. Moreover, out of your love for us, please do not be reluctant to write back and send any little comfort or admonition necessary for our salvation. In accordance with His grace, may He who has all power, and from Whom no thought is hidden, deign to answer your prayers for the desire of our heart.