Nov. 17, 2011 Thursday: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
This daughter of the king of Hungary was born in 1207. She married Louis, the ruler of Thuringia, while she was very young. Elizabeth was a beautiful bride who dearly loved her handsome husband. Louis re-turned her affection with all his heart. God sent them three children and they were very happy for six years.
Then Elizabeth’s sorrows began. Louis died of the plague. She was so heartbroken that she cried, “The world is dead to me, and all that is joyous in the world!” Louis’ relatives had never liked Elizabeth because she had given so much food to the poor. While Louis was alive, they had not been able to do anything to her. Now, however, they could, and they did. Within a short time, this beautiful, gentle princess and her three children were sent away from the castle. They suffered hunger and cold. Yet Elizabeth did not complain about her terrible sufferings. Instead she blessed God and prayed with great fervor. She accepted the sorrows just as she had accepted the joys.
Elizabeth’s relatives came to her rescue. She and her children had a home once more. Her uncle wanted her to marry again, for she was still very young and attractive, but the saint had determined to give herself to God. She wanted to imitate the poverty of St. Francis of Assisi as a member of the Franciscan Third Order. She went to live in a poor cottage and spent the last few years of her life serving the sick and the poor. She even went fishing to try to earn more money for her beloved poor. St. Elizabeth was only twenty-four when she died. On her deathbed, she was heard to sing softly. She had great confidence that Jesus would take her to himself. Elizabeth passed away in 1231. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She is the patroness of the Franciscan Third Order.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary is a model of family love. Husbands, wives, parents, and children can learn from her that by loving God above all things, we’ll have a marvelous store of love and affection for the members of our family. It was this love that Elizabeth had for her husband and children that kept her going in spite of difficulties and loss.
-Daughters of St. Paul
This daughter of the king of Hungary was born in 1207. She married Louis, the ruler of Thuringia, while she was very young. Elizabeth was a beautiful bride who dearly loved her handsome husband. Louis re-turned her affection with all his heart. God sent them three children and they were very happy for six years.
Then Elizabeth’s sorrows began. Louis died of the plague. She was so heartbroken that she cried, “The world is dead to me, and all that is joyous in the world!” Louis’ relatives had never liked Elizabeth because she had given so much food to the poor. While Louis was alive, they had not been able to do anything to her. Now, however, they could, and they did. Within a short time, this beautiful, gentle princess and her three children were sent away from the castle. They suffered hunger and cold. Yet Elizabeth did not complain about her terrible sufferings. Instead she blessed God and prayed with great fervor. She accepted the sorrows just as she had accepted the joys.
Elizabeth’s relatives came to her rescue. She and her children had a home once more. Her uncle wanted her to marry again, for she was still very young and attractive, but the saint had determined to give herself to God. She wanted to imitate the poverty of St. Francis of Assisi as a member of the Franciscan Third Order. She went to live in a poor cottage and spent the last few years of her life serving the sick and the poor. She even went fishing to try to earn more money for her beloved poor. St. Elizabeth was only twenty-four when she died. On her deathbed, she was heard to sing softly. She had great confidence that Jesus would take her to himself. Elizabeth passed away in 1231. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She is the patroness of the Franciscan Third Order.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary is a model of family love. Husbands, wives, parents, and children can learn from her that by loving God above all things, we’ll have a marvelous store of love and affection for the members of our family. It was this love that Elizabeth had for her husband and children that kept her going in spite of difficulties and loss.
-Daughters of St. Paul
