One of my "hobbies" in retirement has been learning about Christianity through its 2000-year-old history...
A few years ago, I first came across the writings of medieval mystics who were women. I have especially enjoyed translations of their writings by a young woman named Carmen Acevedo Butcher I'm currently reading a book of daily selections called
A Little Daily Wisdom: Christian Women Mystics.
In it, I found a lovely poem/hymn written almost 1000 years ago by a woman called
Hildegard of Bingen, who - as the 10th child in her wealthy family - had been "given" to the church. A child prodigy, she went on to be a brilliant writer and speaker.
Here is the poem that I found so lovely:
God's Soul is the wind rustling plants and leaves,
the dew dancing on the grass,
the rainy breezes making everything grow.
Just like this, the kindness of a person flows, touching
those dragging burdens of longing.
We should be a breeze helping the homeless,
dew comforting those who are depressed,
the cool misty air refreshing the exhausted,
and with God's teaching we have got to feed the hungry:
This is how we share God's soul.
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