The rule of St. Benedict for a daily life, learning to listen to God with a discerning heart.

I'm Chris McGregor.

The Herald of Divine Love, Friendship with the Lord.

Episode 37.

We now turn to St. Gertrude the Great, a Benedictine nun whose love

for Christ is at once tender, reverent, and deeply grounded in the life of prayer. She entered

the monastery school at Hefka, when she was very young and remained there for the rest of her life.

But Healthka was more than the setting of her story. It was itself a beautiful example of Benedictine fruitfulness. This was a

community shaped by the Holy Rule, the divine office, sacred study, and a serious life of prayer.

And the fruit of that life can be seen not only in Gertrude, but in the remarkable women

who flourish there.

Healthka became a place where love for Christ, theological depth, and liturgical life came together

with unusual richness.

It formed women whose writings and witness would nourish the church

far beyond their own time. That matters because Gertrude didn't grow in isolation. Her trust in

God was formed in a living community of prayer, learning, and fidelity.

She was shaped by a monastery where faith was educated,

attention was trained, and love for Christ was given language.

When we hear her speaking of intimacy with the Lord,

we're hearing the fruit of a soul formed in a truly fruitful Benedictine house.

From the writings of St. Gertrude the Great,

O Jesus, you who are immensely dear to me, be with me always, so that my heart may stay with you, and that your love may endure with me

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