MEMORIAL OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY (1207-1231), 17 November Born into royalty as daughter of the King of Hungary in the 13th century, Elizabeth was betrothed at the age of four and sent to live with the family of her young fiance in Germany, and married by the time she was 14. Yet despite her privileged life, she was very religious, often spending her time in prayers and giving her jewellery and fine clothes to the poor. She was said to have the habit of taking off her crown whenever she was in church, in reverence to her Saviour who wore a crown of thorns. Needless to say, she was viewed with disdain by her royal kins, who even tried to stop her young fiance from marrying her. There was a story about how she was on her way to distribute bread to the poor (she would often deplete the food store of her castle), hiding them in the front of her gown to avoid questioning, and when her husband asked her, she said she was carrying roses. When he pulled it open expecting to find bread, out tumbled many stalks of red and white roses. Thankfully for her, he shared her passion to serve the poor under the ideals of St Francis of Assisi. The couple had two children and when she was pregnant with the third child at the age of 20, her husband was killed on a crusade. Her royal in-laws turned against her after that even as she grieved deeply for her husband, forcing her to remarry and desiring to stop her from spending her wealth doing works of charity. With children in tow, she was banished from court and devoted herself to helping the needy, entering a Franciscan convent and building a hospital for the poor where she tended to their needs. She was said to have washed and kissed the feet of lepers on Holy Thursday. The young widow led a strict, austere life and her health was in bad shape, dying of sickness at the age of 24. She was canonised four years later in 1235 by Pope Gregory IX, who also canonised St Francis of Assisi. St Elizabeth of Hungary is a ptaron saint of bakers, young brides and widows. She is often depicted with a loaf of bread and roses, or wearing three crowns – one for being a princess, one for being a mother, and one for being a saint. PRAYER Father, You helped Elizabeth of Hungary to recognise and honour Christ in the poor of this world. Let her prayers help us to serve our brothers and sisters in time of trouble and need. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 03:30:01 +0000
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