St Bridget of Sweden: mystic and scholar.

"Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted." (Matthew 13: 11).

Thursday 23rd July 2020 is the feast of St Bridget of Sweden (1303 - 1373). Housewife, mother of 4 boys and 4 girls. One of the girls, St Catherine of Sweden is a canonized saint. Bridget persuaded her husband to become a Franciscan Tertiary with her. When the husband died, St Bridget moved to Rome where she founded the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer. St Bridget meditated long on the suffering and death of Jesus. God revealed to her the secrets of heaven. St Bridget is a mystic and authored books on ascetical and mystical theology.

St Bridget is an examplar of our Scripture for today:
"Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted." (Matthew 13: 11).
When it comes to the word of God, there are two classes of people:
#1 Insiders: the childlike who hunger for the things of God. God Himself feeds them and satisfies their hunger. They grow in the knowledge of the word and the mysteries of the kingdom. They persevere in their faith till death.

#2 Outsiders. This group hear the word of God but are distracted by anxieties about money, health, family, job. The word never takes root in their lives. They soon lose the little word of God they possess and soon revert to the faithless and unstable state in mind and heart.

Consider the Cloud of witnesses in heaven like St Bridget of Sweden whose life we celebrate today. They urge us on in our Journey of Faith  with joyful encouragement: "Heaven is amazingly beautiful. Fight the good fight and finish well the race that is set before you. Your golden crown is waiting for you."

"Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord." (Psalm 95: 8).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com