St. Hildegard of Bingen lived almost a thousand years ago, yet her way of seeing the world is also timely.
Hildegard, whose feast we celebrate on September 17, was a Benedictine abbess, theologian, composer, writer, and Doctor of the Church. She also paid extraordinary attention to creation. She wrote about plants, food, healing, music, and the relationship between body and soul.
One of her favorite ideas was viriditas, often translated as the “greening power” of God.
For Hildegard, this was not nature worship. She saw the vitality of creation as a sign of God's life-giving presence: in a sprouting seed, a healing herb, and even a soul flourishing in grace.
Many people today are drawn toward simpler living, gardening, natural foods, homesteading, and a life less dominated by screens. And yet St. Hildegard reminds us that simplicity is not about moving to the country or making our own bread. Those things might help us live more simply, but ultimately it is about ordering our lives toward God.
And the Church has long given us a way to do exactly that through the seasons.
Hildegard looked at the natural world and saw something that should lead us back to its Creator. The Church does something similar with Ember Days. Four times a year, as one season gives way to another, she invites us to stop, give thanks to God for the fruits of the earth, practice penance, and remember that everything we receive ultimately comes from Him.
In this way, the Church doesn't simply tell us to appreciate creation, she teaches us to sanctify our relationship with it.
That may be part of the simpler life many are longing for. Not simply more time outdoors or fewer digital distractions, but a life in which we notice God's gifts, receive them gratefully, and allow even the changing seasons to turn our attention back to Him.
St. Hildegard's feast on September 17 falls right in the midst of this year's September Ember Days. Tomorrow, we'll look at this nearly forgotten Catholic tradition and how we can recover it.
In the meantime, check out St. Hildegard's Garden: Recipes and Remedies for Healing Body and Soul. Purchase your copy today at The Catholic Company!
