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Month 1. St. Elizabeth's birth family and first home
Each saint is an
individual who comes from a particular family and particular culture. The
variety of cultures in which holy lives are found helps enrich our
understanding of the universality of the Gospel.
St. Elizabeth's human
history was part of her history as a saint. She was from the Magyar people in
Eastern Europe, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. She was born in 1207, not much more than
200 years after her father's people first accepted Christianity. One of her
ancestors was King Stephen I, the first Christian king of Hungary
(975-1038), who was later declared a saint. His son, St. Emeric
(1007-1031), is also regarded as a saint.
Elizabeth was also of German ancestry: her mother was Gertrude of Andechs-Meran. Her mother's sister, Hedwig (1174-1243),
who was married to Henry, the Duke of Silesia, was also a saint. Clearly,
there was an abundance of holy ancestors and a rich family tradtion for Elizabeth
to imitate.
When she was only
four years old, Elizabeth
had to leave the family of her birth behind, because she had just been
betrothed by her parents to Ludwig IV, the future Landgraf
of Thuringia, who was then just eleven.
Farkasius and David, two priests or
almoners, went with her to her new homeland, to remind her of her heritage.
Elizabeth's glory as a saint was to
come from leaving her home for Thuringia, where
she was to become renowned for her work with the poor and destitute, and
where she achieved sanctity with the husband God had chosen for her. But she did not forget her family of
origin, and went back to visit Hungary as a young married woman.
But after her husband's death, rather than go home, she chose to live in her
new country, where she could fulfill the choice of life she had made on
behalf of the poor.
Spiritual reflection:
God's promises to the
Israelistes were given through a human culture and
ancestry. Abraham left his homeland to fulfill the plan that God had for him.
In return, God promised him, " I will make your
name great, so that you will be a blessing" (Gen 12:1-2). Elizabeth
experienced this same call, and her life also became a blessing for future
generations.
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