Saint Lutgardis of Aywières, Stigmatist, Mystic Bride and Holder of the Sacred Heart
When people think of women stigmatists, many think of Saint Gemma Galgani or Saint Rita, and when people think of the Sacred Heart, most think of St. Margret Mary Alacoque. But Lutgardis of Aywières was bleeding from holy wounds, drinking Christ's blood, and devoting herself to the Sacred Heart long before these women-- in fact, she is the first documented female stigmatists and the forerunner of the Sacred Heart devotion.
Born in 1182 at Tongres, Belgium, Lutgardis died on the 16th of June, 1246, and her relics are currently in Ittre, Belgium. Known for her stigmata, which included a side wound, bleeding hair, and bloody sweat, as well as her visions and healing gifts, Lutgardis is the patron of Belgium, blindness, healers, and those devoted to the Sacred Heart.
Lutgardis was born into a noble family, and her early life was deeply privileged, filled with pretty dresses, sweets, and revelry. However, that all came crashing down when her parents lost her dowry and sent her at the age of twelve to the Benedictine convent of Sainte-Catherine. Despite being raised in a convent, Lutgardis was far from religious, let alone a nun in making, and frequently snuck out of the convent to party. Eventually, as a teen (though what age we're not sure) she began seeing a boy regularly, likely having sex and doing other ‘unacceptable’ behaviors for the time with him.
One night, when the boy snuck in to see her at the convent, a beautiful man with blindingly handsome, but terrifying, eyes appeared in the room and placed himself between the boy and Lutgardis. The man pulled back his tunic, exposing a horrific wound in his side gushing blood-- "Seek no more the pleasure of this affection: behold, here, forever, what you should love, and how you should love: here in this wound I promise you the most pure of joys!" The man, no other than Jesus Christ, called to her. Lutgardis fell deeply in love in an instant, crying out to her teen lover "Go away from me, for I belong to another Lover!" and instantly devoting the rest of her life to Jesus as a Bride of Christ.
The first time Lutgardis' stigmata (a perpetual side wound) opened was during particularly ecstatic prayer to St. Agnes of Rome at age 29. Lutgardis had a deep, personal devotion to Agnes, and, personally, I think Lutgardis' devotion to Agnes most likely inspired by her being in the (likely sexual) relationship with her secret lover before her conversion, as Agnes is a saint associated with purity and renewing virginal vows.
According to two of the nuns who witnessed the event, Lutgardis was rapt in prayer when "suddenly a vein near her heart burst, and through a wide [opening] wound in her side, blood began to pour forth, soaking her robe and cowl." She then sank to the floor and "lost her senses." The wound would never fully heal for the rest of her life, and while it wouldn't gush blood again, it would open during prayer.
Thomas de Cantimpré, a Dominican preacher and theologian (and close friend of Lutgardis) who wrote her first biography, also tells that when Lutgardis would meditate on Christ's Passion, she would fall into extreme ecstasy and sweat blood. A priest at her convent wished to see it for himself to prove it was truly divine, and followed her in secret until one day he found her alone, in private, deep in prayer, her face and hands dripping with blood! He cut off a lock of hair without her even raising her head, and his hands became soaked with gushing blood. Terrified, he shook her awake and instantly the blood on her hands, hair, face, and his hands, vanished. This was a reportedly reoccurring event
Lutgardis saw many visions of Jesus, as well as Mary, St. John the Evangelist, and souls from Purgatory. She went blind for 11 years, but when she regained her sight found herself blessed with the ability to heal. However, her healing grace was so great that she often found herself swarmed, no longer able to pray in peace, and begged Jesus to take away her gift so she could spend more time with him. This led to her most famous vision:
"Why did You go and give me such a grace, Lord?" Lutgardis documented saying to him, "Now I hardly have any time to be alone with You! Take it away, please, "only give me another grace, give me something better!"
"What grace do you want Me to give you, then, in its place?" Jesus asked. Lutgardis wanted to be able to understand Latin perfectly, so she could better participate in the Divine Office, in Mass, and in the choir. Jesus gave her this gift, but she found it didn't enrich her spiritually. Bitterly regretful, she begged Jesus to take it back.
So, seeing a teaching moment, Jesus asked her, "What, then, do you want?"
"Lord," she told Him, "I want Thy Heart."
"You want My Heart? Well, I too want your heart."
Lutgarde replied for him to "Take it, dear Lord. But take it in such a way that the love of Your Heart may be so mingled and united with my own heart that I may possess my heart in Thee, and that it may always remain there secure in Your protection."
So Jesus took his heart from his chest, pulling it from his side wound, and her heart from the wound in her own side, and exchanged them. Lutgardis' own heart was nestled safely in his chest, and his fiery, divine one beat in her ribcage for the rest of her life.
Not long after, Jesus approached Lutgardis again. One night, she fell ill and decided she wouldn't pray her nightly Compline. She was almost asleep when she heard a voice call from far away:
"Get up, quickly, Lutgardis! Why are you lying there? For at this very hour, sinners are wallowing in the mire of their vices, and you ought to be doing penance for them, instead of lying there and letting your body perspire!"
Lutgardis lept up, rushing around to try and find the voice, and found herself in the chapel. There she saw a gory site: Jesus on the cross, covered in blood and viscera. She approached him, not frightened but instead filled with love for the holder of her heart, wishing she could ease his pain. He ripped one hand free from the nail pinning it to the cross and leaned down to embrace her in a one-armed hug, and when she embraced him back, guided her head to his pierced side and asked her to drink. From his Sacred Heart she drank "an infinite Spring which filled [her] with love and joy."
Lutgardis saw many visions of souls in Purgatory as well, with one story showing her deep love for others and Christ's devotion to her. There was an man, Simon, who was a learned and talented nobleman from Germany who entered the Cistercian Order and became abbot of Foigny. He and Lutgardis were close friends, but according to Thomas de Cantimpré, Simon "tried to enforce the [Benedictine] Rule in the harsh, disciplinarian spirit of an army officer, instead of applying it with the wisdom and discretion of a loving father. He had the misfortune to die suddenly in this frame of mind, and soon found out how little there was of the spirit of Christ in his way of training men."
Lutgardis, hearing of his death, fasted and prayed day after day, begging Jesus, her husband, to free him from Purgatory. One night, she heard a voice from Heaven promise her Simon wasn't suffering and all would be well, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be sure that he was in Heaven. Until then, she pleaded with the Sacred Heart to take away whatever blessings she might have in this life and the next and give to blessings to Simon. Jesus appeared to her, and brought Simon with him, telling her to "dry [your] tears, my most beloved." Lutgardis watched in awe as Jesus took Simon to Heaven, promising her prayers for those in Purgatory were stronger than all else.
Lutgardis died late on Trinity Sunday/early the next day, after being told by Jesus the hour of her death, but not before being gifted the insight needed to write the Prayer of the Heavenly Court, a little remembered but beautiful prayer inspired by the life of Christ, her beloved husband.
(below is the prayer of the heavenly court-- it is quite long, click to enlarge!)
