Born to a poor devout family in Holland in 1380, Lydwina was one of nine children. When she was 15 she fell while ice skating, broke a rib, and the infection never healed. Gangrene appeared and soon spread over her entire body. She didn’t die, however. She was bedridden for years in pain, which continued to increase as the years went by. Lydwina prayed constantly, rarely slept, and went for long periods living only on the Eucharist. Eventually blind, God rewarded her with many mystical visions, and several miraculous healings occurred to visitors at her bedside. When she died on Easter morning at the age of 53, the room was filled with the scent of flowers.
CHALLENGE
St. Lydwina of Schiedam patiently bore the pain of her affliction for 38 years. When we suffer physical afflictions, it’s easy to complain, but St. Lydwina shows us that the way of saints is to turn to prayer and the Eucharist for comfort. Today consider what you complain about the most, and the next time you receive the Eucharist, ask for the grace to stop complaining about it.
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