Hildegard to the Monk Frederick
The Letters
Then through the prompting of the devil, the winds of vice came rushing upon you, but even they could not move you from your desire.
Therefore, daughter of God, act like those on board a ship who heed the ship's pilot so that he can bring them safely to harbor. For God will give you all things that pertain to the salvation of your soul if, through your holy calling to obedience, you observe the Rule of Saint Benedict as best you can. The pilot of the ship is, in fact, the teaching of the blessed Benedict, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave the precepts of spiritual life. In the spirit of those precepts, gather the daughters of God to yourself, for they have been entrusted to you through Benedict's authority. Among those is the daughter of God, Elizabeth, whom you must keep in your heart with blazing love, and continually nourish with the milk of consolation. See also that you preserve yourself from the baleful wind of vainglory and from your own self-seeking will, for such desires are deadly to human beings. And do this in genuine humility, for humility always rises upward, since it considers itself the least But vainglory always falls, since it seeks to exist on itself alone.
May the Holy Spirit now gird you with the girdle of sanctity, so that you may build a habitation for yourself in the eternal mansion of the heavenly Jerusalem [cf. Heb 12.22].
Esrum
Hildegard to the Monk Frederick Before 1170 Hildegard admonishes Frederick to show mercy to his brother Rudolph, who is suffering great distress at the moment, for his soul will be in even greater danger if Frederick refuses to allow him to stay in the monastery where he has sought refuge.
I heard Wisdom say these words: The sun shines brightly, but then dark clouds cover it over. Why? Because the situation of the sun is unstable, since it is frequently blasted by dangerous winds. Still, the sky clears up again, happily, and the sun shines once more. So it is with a person's mind. How? When the virtues of God ascend into the temple, that is, into the heart of man, then many times, through the deceptions of the devil, a whirlwind of vices comes and brings darkness in the temple. But can night and storm prevent the sun from ever shining again? Of course not The same is true of a holy spirit. For although set amidst great dangers and worn down by the vicissitudes of life, it is still capable of good works, and is indeed eager to rise up to them. Therefore, dear son, be not afraid, because God wants your soul in the sacrifice of praise [cf. Ps 49.14, 23] offered through the sacrificial victim of the ram [cf. Gen 22.13]. And you will be a stone without blemish in the temple of God.