About Today
Monday 17 November 2025 Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious on Monday of week 33 in Ordinary Time
How wonderful is God among his saints: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 - 1231)
She was a daughter of the King of Hungary. At the age of four she was betrothed to Hermann, the eldest son of the Landgrave Hermann I of Thuringia, as part of a grand scheme of alliances against the German Emperor. (A Landgrave is a Count whose status derives directly from a feudal relationship with an emperor and not with any subsidiary nobleman; Thuringia today is a small province in central Germany.)
Shortly after her betrothal Elizabeth went to live at the Thuringian court. Amidst a somewhat riotous court she grew up a very religious child, given to prayer and self-mortification, with her kind mother-in-law protecting her from the more unruly elements at court. Her betrothed, Hermann, died in 1216 and Elizabeth was betrothed to the second son, Ludwig.
In 1221 Ludwig succeeded his father as Landgrave and in the same year Ludwig and Elizabeth were married. The marriage was a happy one and Ludwig willingly supported Elizabeth’s many works of charity. When Thuringia was beset by floods, famine and the plague while Ludwig was away dealing with the affairs of the Empire, Elizabeth took charge of the affairs of the state, distributed alms in all parts of the territory, and built a 28-bed hospital below the castle itself. She visited the hospital every day and also gave daily support to some 900 of the poor.
In 1227 Ludwig died of the plague on the way to a crusade and Elizabeth was left a widow with three children.
Franciscan spirituality was spreading across the world and the Franciscans had made their first settlement in Germany in 1221. With Elizabeth’s help a Franciscan monastery was founded at Eisenach in Thuringia, and she herself lived as close to a Franciscan life as it was possible for her to live, given the significance of her position. By 1228 she was able to distribute her dowry among the poor and enter the Franciscan house she had founded, as one of the first members of the Third Order of St Francis in Germany. She built a new Franciscan hospital at Marburg in 1227. She died in 1231, at the age of 24, worn out by her penances and her charitable labours.
Her husband Ludwig, who benefited so much from her influence and example, is popularly known as “Ludwig the Holy” or “Ludwig the Saint”. Elizabeth herself was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She has been described as “the greatest woman of the German Middle Ages.”
Other saints: St Hilda (614 - 680)
England: 17 Nov
Nottingham: 12 Oct
Saint Hilda (or Hild) was born in Northumbria in 614. She was the grandniece of King Edwin of Northumbria and was not baptised until the age of 13, when she was received into the Church by Paulinus at York, at the same time as King Edwin and many of his nobles.
The first part of Hilda’s life was spent in the ordinary secular pursuits of the day. But these were years of constant warfare and in 655, her sister Hereswith, the wife of the King of the East Angles, suffered the loss of her husband in battle and decided to withdraw from the world to the monastery of Cale in Paris where she entered religious life. At the age of 33, Hilda decided to follow her and was only prevented from doing so by the intervention of St Aidan who directed her first to establish a small religious house on the north bank of the Wear where she stayed for a year, and then to take charge of the monastery of Hieu at Hartlepool. She proved to be an able and wise superior and, after several years at Hartlepool, she set about establishing the famous double monastery at Whitby which she governed for the rest of her life.
Hilda was an extraordinary woman for her time. Her influence was widespread and her advice was valued by high and low alike. In her monastery she gave ‘a great example of peace and charity’, as Bede says ‘all who knew her called her mother, such were her wonderful godliness and grace.’ She laid emphasis on the study of the Scriptures and insisted on careful preparation for the priesthood, after the manner of St Aidan on Lindisfarne. Among her community was the first English poet, Caedmon, who had been the community’s herdsman until his poetic genius was discovered. After the death of St Aidan, when the divisions between those who held the Celtic tradition and those who supported Roman ways became critical, it was at her monastery that the important Synod of Whitby was held in 644 to decide upon a common Church order among the rival parties.
Although her last seven years were a time of constant illness, she continued to lead her community to the end. Towards daybreak on 17 November 680 she asked for, and received, viaticum and died peacefully with her community around her or as St Bede says, ‘she joyfully saw death approaching… and passed from death to life.’
Other saints: St Hugh of Lincoln (1140 - 1200)
England
He was born near Grenoble in France and entered the Carthusian monastery of La Grande Chartreuse at the age of 25. In 1175 he was asked by King Henry II of England to become prior of a Carthusian house in England, and a decade later he was appointed bishop of Lincoln, a post which he accepted only when directly commanded to do so by the prior of La Grande Chartreuse. His diocese was the largest in England, and he spent the rest of his life in ceaseless work there. He delegated much authority. He was a friend (and critic) of successive kings, but also worked with his own hands on the extension of his cathedral. He gained a great reputation for justice, the care of the sick, and the support of the oppressed: he risked his life to help the Jewish community. He died in London on 16 November 1200 and was declared a saint in 1220, the first Carthusian to be canonized.
Other saints: St Dionysius of Alexandria, Bishop (190 - 265)
17 Nov (where celebrated
Gospel: Luke 18:35-43 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man sat begging
At that time: As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he enquired what this meant. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ And he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Reflection on the painting
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho. His destination was set toward the city that killed so many prophets and that would now also kill the very Son of God. Yet Jesus walked there with great resolve, knowing how his earthly days would end there. Yet even though entirely focussed on his destination, when a blind beggar cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me,” he stops. Others try to silence the man, but Jesus gives him his full attention. That single pause changes everything. The beggar’s prayer of petition “Let me see again” turns into a prayer of praise that rippled through the whole crowd and still through to us two thousand years later.
Jesus teaches us that the journey matters as much as the destination. He never rushed past the present moment; he met grace wherever it appeared. We, too, can become so fixated on our goals (to get a new home, a promotion, any plans) that we miss the encounters God places along the way. The so-called interruptions of our day may actually be divine invitations. Jesus shows us how to live attentively: to stop, to listen, to respond. The road to Jerusalem—and to Heaven—is walked one merciful pause at a time.
Our anonymous panel titled The Healing of the Blind Man in Jericho, painted circa 1470, beautifully visualises today’s Gospel reading set outside the city walls of Jericho. A clear path, beginning with us the viewer and leading directly into the city, guides our eyes between groups of beggars and the sick lining the roadside. Near the foreground, Jesus stands immediately before us, turning to perform today's miracle of healing the blind man, while another beggar has already been brought forward; others gather expectantly around Him. The city wall of Jericho looms in the background. What makes this panel particularly striking is how it draws us into the “on-the-way” nature of the miracle. The road is busy, the afflicted are visible, and yet the decisive moment unfolds in the encounter with Christ.
The Healing of the Blind Man in Jericho,
Painting by the Master of the Manna,
Painted circa 1470, Flanders,
Oil on panel
© Museum Catharijneconvent, Netherlands
How wonderful is God among his saints: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(I). Psalm week: 1. Liturgical Colour: White.
St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 - 1231)
She was a daughter of the King of Hungary. At the age of four she was betrothed to Hermann, the eldest son of the Landgrave Hermann I of Thuringia, as part of a grand scheme of alliances against the German Emperor. (A Landgrave is a Count whose status derives directly from a feudal relationship with an emperor and not with any subsidiary nobleman; Thuringia today is a small province in central Germany.)
Shortly after her betrothal Elizabeth went to live at the Thuringian court. Amidst a somewhat riotous court she grew up a very religious child, given to prayer and self-mortification, with her kind mother-in-law protecting her from the more unruly elements at court. Her betrothed, Hermann, died in 1216 and Elizabeth was betrothed to the second son, Ludwig.
In 1221 Ludwig succeeded his father as Landgrave and in the same year Ludwig and Elizabeth were married. The marriage was a happy one and Ludwig willingly supported Elizabeth’s many works of charity. When Thuringia was beset by floods, famine and the plague while Ludwig was away dealing with the affairs of the Empire, Elizabeth took charge of the affairs of the state, distributed alms in all parts of the territory, and built a 28-bed hospital below the castle itself. She visited the hospital every day and also gave daily support to some 900 of the poor.
In 1227 Ludwig died of the plague on the way to a crusade and Elizabeth was left a widow with three children.
Franciscan spirituality was spreading across the world and the Franciscans had made their first settlement in Germany in 1221. With Elizabeth’s help a Franciscan monastery was founded at Eisenach in Thuringia, and she herself lived as close to a Franciscan life as it was possible for her to live, given the significance of her position. By 1228 she was able to distribute her dowry among the poor and enter the Franciscan house she had founded, as one of the first members of the Third Order of St Francis in Germany. She built a new Franciscan hospital at Marburg in 1227. She died in 1231, at the age of 24, worn out by her penances and her charitable labours.
Her husband Ludwig, who benefited so much from her influence and example, is popularly known as “Ludwig the Holy” or “Ludwig the Saint”. Elizabeth herself was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. She has been described as “the greatest woman of the German Middle Ages.”
Other saints: St Hilda (614 - 680)
England: 17 Nov
Nottingham: 12 Oct
Saint Hilda (or Hild) was born in Northumbria in 614. She was the grandniece of King Edwin of Northumbria and was not baptised until the age of 13, when she was received into the Church by Paulinus at York, at the same time as King Edwin and many of his nobles.
The first part of Hilda’s life was spent in the ordinary secular pursuits of the day. But these were years of constant warfare and in 655, her sister Hereswith, the wife of the King of the East Angles, suffered the loss of her husband in battle and decided to withdraw from the world to the monastery of Cale in Paris where she entered religious life. At the age of 33, Hilda decided to follow her and was only prevented from doing so by the intervention of St Aidan who directed her first to establish a small religious house on the north bank of the Wear where she stayed for a year, and then to take charge of the monastery of Hieu at Hartlepool. She proved to be an able and wise superior and, after several years at Hartlepool, she set about establishing the famous double monastery at Whitby which she governed for the rest of her life.
Hilda was an extraordinary woman for her time. Her influence was widespread and her advice was valued by high and low alike. In her monastery she gave ‘a great example of peace and charity’, as Bede says ‘all who knew her called her mother, such were her wonderful godliness and grace.’ She laid emphasis on the study of the Scriptures and insisted on careful preparation for the priesthood, after the manner of St Aidan on Lindisfarne. Among her community was the first English poet, Caedmon, who had been the community’s herdsman until his poetic genius was discovered. After the death of St Aidan, when the divisions between those who held the Celtic tradition and those who supported Roman ways became critical, it was at her monastery that the important Synod of Whitby was held in 644 to decide upon a common Church order among the rival parties.
Although her last seven years were a time of constant illness, she continued to lead her community to the end. Towards daybreak on 17 November 680 she asked for, and received, viaticum and died peacefully with her community around her or as St Bede says, ‘she joyfully saw death approaching… and passed from death to life.’
Other saints: St Hugh of Lincoln (1140 - 1200)
England
He was born near Grenoble in France and entered the Carthusian monastery of La Grande Chartreuse at the age of 25. In 1175 he was asked by King Henry II of England to become prior of a Carthusian house in England, and a decade later he was appointed bishop of Lincoln, a post which he accepted only when directly commanded to do so by the prior of La Grande Chartreuse. His diocese was the largest in England, and he spent the rest of his life in ceaseless work there. He delegated much authority. He was a friend (and critic) of successive kings, but also worked with his own hands on the extension of his cathedral. He gained a great reputation for justice, the care of the sick, and the support of the oppressed: he risked his life to help the Jewish community. He died in London on 16 November 1200 and was declared a saint in 1220, the first Carthusian to be canonized.
Other saints: St Dionysius of Alexandria, Bishop (190 - 265)
17 Nov (where celebrated
Gospel: Luke 18:35-43 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man sat begging
At that time: As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he enquired what this meant. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ And he cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me recover my sight.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Reflection on the painting
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, passing through Jericho. His destination was set toward the city that killed so many prophets and that would now also kill the very Son of God. Yet Jesus walked there with great resolve, knowing how his earthly days would end there. Yet even though entirely focussed on his destination, when a blind beggar cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me,” he stops. Others try to silence the man, but Jesus gives him his full attention. That single pause changes everything. The beggar’s prayer of petition “Let me see again” turns into a prayer of praise that rippled through the whole crowd and still through to us two thousand years later.
Jesus teaches us that the journey matters as much as the destination. He never rushed past the present moment; he met grace wherever it appeared. We, too, can become so fixated on our goals (to get a new home, a promotion, any plans) that we miss the encounters God places along the way. The so-called interruptions of our day may actually be divine invitations. Jesus shows us how to live attentively: to stop, to listen, to respond. The road to Jerusalem—and to Heaven—is walked one merciful pause at a time.
Our anonymous panel titled The Healing of the Blind Man in Jericho, painted circa 1470, beautifully visualises today’s Gospel reading set outside the city walls of Jericho. A clear path, beginning with us the viewer and leading directly into the city, guides our eyes between groups of beggars and the sick lining the roadside. Near the foreground, Jesus stands immediately before us, turning to perform today's miracle of healing the blind man, while another beggar has already been brought forward; others gather expectantly around Him. The city wall of Jericho looms in the background. What makes this panel particularly striking is how it draws us into the “on-the-way” nature of the miracle. The road is busy, the afflicted are visible, and yet the decisive moment unfolds in the encounter with Christ.
The Healing of the Blind Man in Jericho,
Painting by the Master of the Manna,
Painted circa 1470, Flanders,
Oil on panel
© Museum Catharijneconvent, Netherlands