{"id":9331,"date":"2026-03-13T13:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=9331"},"modified":"2026-03-13T13:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:55:17","slug":"st-matilda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=9331","title":{"rendered":"St.Matilda"},"content":{"rendered":"

St. Matilda<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Mathilda<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
March 14, reminder<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Position:<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nqueen<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Death:<\/span><\/b><\/td>\n968<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Attributes:<\/span><\/b><\/td>\nalms, royal robes, church model<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

CURRICULUM VITAE<\/span><\/p>\n

She was the wife of the East Franconian King Henry I and the mother of Otto, who became the first emperor of that name. As a queen, she remained modest, and with her silence, patience, and love, she refined her husband’s harsh nature. She cared for the poor, helped the sick, and begged for mercy for prisoners. As a queen, she was deeply troubled that her sons quarreled among themselves over dynastic rivalry. After her father’s death, they reproached her for squandering the family fortune through her generosity. They also confiscated her dowry, which was her estate. She sank to the level of the poorest; she did not reproach herself for anything; she only prayed for her sons to improve. Her tears had an effect, and her prayers were answered. Her sons came to apologize to her with repentance.<\/span><\/h2>\n

CV FOR MEDITATION<\/span><\/p>\n

THE FUNCTION OF A CHRISTIAN WIFE AND MOTHER<\/span><\/h2>\n

She was the daughter of Count Dietrich of Ringelheim of Saxony. She was born in Engern around 895. She spent her youth in the Herford Monastery in Westphalia, where she was raised under the supervision of her grandmother, also Matilda, who was abbess there. She acquired the piety and virtues necessary for her later life, which would later influence her role as a supportive wife and mother in the noble family she married into. In 913, she married Henry, son of Duke Otto of Saxony. As a wedding gift, she was given the town of Valhausen with its appurtenances.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Six years later, her husband, Henry I the Bird, was elevated to King of East Francia. Matilda softened and refined his harsh, domineering nature and, with her piety, quietness, and love, contributed to a beautiful marriage in which she had three sons: Otto, Henry, and Bruno, who became Archbishop of Cologne in 953, and a daughter, Gerberg. Some biographies mention two daughters.<\/span><\/h2>\n

When Henry I was dying after 23 years of marriage, he praised his wife in front of everyone and thanked her for giving him wise advice, taming his anger, turning him away from injustice, and teaching him mercy. He also thanked her for raising his children and entrusted them all to God. After his death, Matilda had a mass celebrated for him immediately. When her sons began to argue about the royal dignity, she said to them, “Look at your father and remember that all human glory is fleeting.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Matilda did make one mistake in her upbringing. She was more inclined towards her son Henry, and she wished him the throne, even though her firstborn Otto was called to it. This inclination had bad consequences. After Otto’s coronation in Aachen, Henry raised a rebellion against him, which was suppressed after fighting. Finally, Matilda managed to reconcile them with the help of prayers, but, incited by the courtiers, they became biased against her. Matilda still had a free hand in deeds of mercy and generous donations to the church. However, the courtiers accused her of giving away much of her property to people experiencing poverty and to monasteries. Whereupon her reconciled sons took away her estates, and Matilda, saddened by ingratitude, withdrew to her birthplace to live in seclusion in poverty and humility. She overcame grievances with peace and overcame anger with silence and prayer. She remained kind, knowing how easy it is to fan a small flame of anger into the destructive fire of greater sins. She set a good example.<\/span><\/h2>\n

King Otto recognized that God’s blessing had also left with his mother, and he heard the calls to call her back. He therefore acknowledged his mistake and sent her a message asking her to return with him. He and his brother, Henry, then rode to meet her, knelt before her, and asked for forgiveness. She embraced them with tears and said that if she had not deserved this trial because of her sinfulness, God would not have allowed her. She then continued to live with her sons in love and harmony.<\/span><\/h2>\n

In 955, her son Henry died, and she again completely died to the world, praying without ceasing and zealously performing works of Christian love. On weekdays, she diligently did manual labor so that, as she said, she would not eat bread in vain. On holidays, she reads religious books.<\/span><\/h2>\n

With the help of her husband and son, she founded several monasteries. She devoted the greatest interest and care to the monastery in Quedlinburg, where her husband was buried and where she also wanted to end her earthly pilgrimage.<\/span><\/h2>\n

She saw her son Otto I for the last time in 965, when he was returning from Rome to visit his brother Bruno in his archbishopric. There, he also met his sister, the Queen of West Francia. From there, Matilda took Otto to her newly founded monastery of Nordhausen near Erfurt. After the Holy Mass, they said goodbye at the monastery gate, and Matilda went to kiss the place where her son had prayed in gratitude. He then heard about it, and his mother’s love had a significant influence on him.<\/span><\/h2>\n

Matilda, foreseeing her death, returned to the convent of Quedlinburg in Anhalt and there received the sacrament of the sick from the hands of her grandson William. She had herself lain on the ground on a sackcloth robe and sprinkled ashes on her head as a sign of penance. Thus, she died and was buried beside her husband.<\/span><\/h2>\n

RESOLUTION, PRAYER<\/span><\/p>\n

How important it is to lead children to the virtues necessary for life and not to withhold any. Whoever has children at home, let him resolve to remember this. If I belong to the others, I will pray for the education in other families. This is necessary for the whole Church and the whole world.<\/span><\/h2>\n

O God, who gave your servant Matilda the right knowledge and filled her with your love, we beseech you: fill us with these gifts of yours, that we may serve you with a sincere heart like her and bear witness to you by our faith and life. Through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end.<\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St. Matilda Mathilda March 14, reminder Position: queen Death: 968 Attributes: alms, royal robes, church model CURRICULUM VITAE She was the wife of the East Franconian King Henry I and the mother of Otto, who became the first emperor of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nezaradene"],"yoast_head":"\nSt.Matilda - predication.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/predication.net\/?p=9331\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"St.Matilda - 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