(c.895-968) Matilda was born to German nobility and raised by her grandmother, the abbess of Herford Abbey. At 17, she married Henry the Fowler, the Duke of Saxony who had been in a previous marriage that was annulled. Henry became king of East Francia and they had five children, the oldest of whom, Otto, would become the Holy Roman Emperor. Matilda was known for her generosity and strong sense of justice, and she founded several Benedictine abbeys. Henry died after 26 years of marriage. Otto accused her of financial mismanagement due to her generous almsgiving and forced her into exile.
Saint Matilda is a patron saint of large families, widows, financial difficulties, the falsely accused, and those ridiculed for their piety. “God is never outdone in generosity”—this maxim, attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is exemplified in Saint Matilda. How are you called to show generosity in recovery?
“In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).
Reflection by Brad Farmer