Saint of the day November 17: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Catholic Saints

Every November 17 the Church celebrates Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), daughter of King Andrew II, the Hierosolimitan. Isabel was a young mother who took advantage of her social position to assist Christ present in the poorest. When her husband, Louis I, died, she embraced poverty and devoted herself to religious life.

Thanks to her fortune, she built a hospital where she cared for the sick herself and gave as much money as she could to help those who needed it. For this reason, after her canonization, Elizabeth became a symbol of Christian charity in many places in Europe.

A young woman of character: generous, kind and patient

Elizabeth of Hungary was born in Sárospatak or Pressburg (Kingdom of Hungary) in 1207, and was given in marriage to Louis I, landgrave (prince) of Thuringia-Hesse. Since her destiny would be that – to be part of the Crown – from an early age Elizabeth was sent to Wartburg Castle to be educated at the Thuringian court.

There he patiently endured the pain of being separated from his family, as well as the misunderstandings and palace intrigues, which he faced with all the kind spirit possible and constant prayer. Those dispositions of spirit, precisely, helped him earn the affection and respect of many, starting with the townspeople.

Being a wife and mother

The marriage between Louis I and Elizabeth took place as soon as Louis inherited the principality of Thuringia. God gifted the young couple three beautiful children and a happy home. The king, who saw how generous and selfless his wife was, did not put any major impediment to her works of charity and even let her distribute assets from the royal household to the poor.

It is also said that Luis lovingly cared for Isabel so that she did not exceed her sacrifices and rested properly. And Saint Elizabeth had the habit of sleeping very little, since she spent much of the day serving people and got up at dawn to pray, no matter how hard the previous day’s day might have been.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mt 20, 28)

When famine struck Thuringia, the saint organized her subjects and did everything she could to help the peasants and prevent the crops from failing. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, he ordered the distribution even of the grain reserved for the royal house. This earned her great criticism from many nobles, but she did not care.

Like the castle where he lived next to the landgrave was on a hill, he ordered a hospital to be built at the foot of the mountain, where he began to care for the sick personally, feeding the weakest with his own hands. To alleviate the hospital’s shortage of resources, she sold jewelry and dresses, and with what was left over she paid for the care and education of many orphaned children.

“…Give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20, 28).

Unfortunately, her husband, Louis I, died a victim of the plague, infected on the way to the crusade organized by Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen (1194-1250). Isabel suffered greatly from the absence of her husband, who had always supported her in her initiatives. Then came a series of conflicts at court that led to the abrupt seizure of the crown by his brother-in-law.

In the absence of Luis, Isabel had been in charge of the administration of the royal house and had given very positive political signals to the people, such as a long trip throughout the entire principality. That is why her brother-in-law, upon assuming the throne, forbade Elizabeth to continue her works of charity. The new ruler saw Isabel as a rival, so she decided to leave the court.

“I am going for glory” (Saint Elizabeth of Hungary)

Isabel, having foreseen that her children would not lack anything, took the habit of the third order of Saint Francis of Assisi. From then on, he lived a life of poverty: he spun or carried wool to support himself and the sick in his care; He lived austerely and worked until the end of his short days. He died on November 17, 1231, very young, at 24 years old.

Tradition has it that on the same day of his death, in another place, a Franciscan friar had seriously broken one of his arms in an accident, and was suffering indescribable pain. At that, Saint Elizabeth appeared to him wearing a radiant dress. The lay brother asked the saint why she was so beautifully dressed, to which she responded: “I am going for glory. I just died to the earth. “Stretch your arm as it has been healed.”

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If you want to know more about Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, we recommend that you read the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Isabel_de_Hungr%C3%ADa,_Santa.