A letter from Elisabeth of Schoenau ()

Translated letter:

To W., the abbot of Busendorf, Elisabeth sends the grace of God. Servant of God, a certain divine inspiration admonishes you. Awaken and extend your pastoral staff and strike strongly, and gently take care of all your sheep, for you have undertaken to govern and guard them. Those who follow their own heart and turn aside from the path of contemplation, walk unjustly. For this, God will not give you the necessities of life. Return, sons of God, sons of the light, to your heart, and examine your consciences for anything in you which is not pleasing to God before whom the whole earth trembles. Correct yourselves for the better; you have a Father who lives in the heavens and looks upon the lowly. Do not give place to your heart so that it runs here and there. For your love of the Lord, disdain the world and all its ornament, so that you may see the King in His beauty, the Creator of life, who invites you to the banquet of heavenly citizens, where dwells the Father in the Son, and the Son in the Father, with the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen. (1)

Original letter:

W. abbati de Busindorf E. gratiam dei. Serve dei admonet te quedam divina inspiratio. Excitare et extende virgam pastorelem et percute fortiter, suaviterque dispone omnia circa oves tuas, quas regere et custodire suscepisti. Sequitur unusquisque cor suum declinantes a via contemplationis iniuste gradientes. Propter hoc non dabit deus vobis victui necessaria. Redite filii dei, filii lucis ad cor vestrum, et interrogate conscientias vestras, si aliquid in vobis est, quod non sit beneplacens coram eo, quem omnis terra tremiscit. Emendate vos in melius, habetis patrem, qui in altis habitat et humilia respicit. Nolite dare cordi vestro locum, et evadat huc atque illuc. Spernite mundum et omnem ornatum seculi propter amorem domini, ut possitis videre regem in decore suo et auctorem vite, qui vos invitat ad conviva civium supernorum, ubi manet pater in filio et filius in patre cum spiritu sanctu in secula seculorum. Amen.

Historical context:

A letter of spiritual advice and responsibility to the abbot and his monks, perhaps in response to the request by a monk mentioned in Ekbert’s introduction to the letters.

Scholarly notes:

(1)This translation is copyrighted by Anne Clark. For permission to reproduce, contact Paulist Press.

Printed source:

Die Visionen der hl. Elisabeth und die Schriften der Aebte Ekbert und Emecho von Schönau, ed. F.W.E. Roth (Brünn: Verlag der Studien aus dem Benedictiner- und Cistercienser-Orden, 1884), Bk.6, ch.3, p.140; trans. Anne L. Clark, The Complete Works of Elisabeth of Schönau (New York: Paulist Press, 2000), 3.