ALL SAINTS: ⛪ Saint Lydwina of Schiedam - Mystic, Stigmatic, Visionary, and Victim Soul

A Child of Suffering, A Soul for God

Lydwina was born in 1380, in Schiedam, Holland, a humble town by the sea. From childhood, she was set apart—her heart drawn to prayer, her soul thirsting for God. Yet, her path was not one of ease but of suffering, a life mirroring Christ’s Passion. God chooses the weak to display His strength.

Her childhood was ordinary, spent among her seven siblings, helping her mother, attending Mass. But even then, her spirit leaned toward sacrifice. She often gave her food to the poor, choosing hunger for herself. She prayed for long hours, preferring solitude with God over childhood games. Early signs of holiness often appear in quiet, unnoticed ways.

At 15, tragedy struck—a fall while ice skating shattered her ribs, triggering a lifetime of agony, paralysis, and mystical grace. Doctors failed, remedies faltered, yet in pain, God’s presence grew. The world saw a broken girl; He saw a soul ablaze with love.

A Life of Unfathomable Suffering

Her illness worsened—her limbs twisted, her flesh wasted, her body a prison of torment. She could not move without pain, could barely eat. Her suffering was so severe that many believed she was possessed. Her family struggled to care for her, her town whispered rumors, but she remained steadfast in faith. This teaches us that suffering is not meaningless, but can be a bridge to God.

For 38 years, she lay in agony—yet her soul soared. She received the stigmata, sharing in Christ’s wounds. She lived only on the Eucharist for years, sustained by His Body alone. Heaven’s glory burned through her frailty.

Her confessor, Father John Pot, witnessed her spiritual transformation. He recorded her visions, her miraculous endurance, and the divine messages she received. As word spread, pilgrims arrived—not to heal her, but to seek her counsel. She, though bedridden, became a pillar of strength for others.

Her suffering intensified over the years. She could not rest, her body wracked with fevers and open sores, her vision sometimes failing, yet she bore it all with supernatural patience. The more she suffered, the closer she grew to Christ, and the more her mystical gifts unfolded.

Mystic and Visionary

God unveiled the hidden mysteries to her suffering soul—she saw heaven’s joys, purgatory’s trials, hell’s despair. Christ led her through visions of souls in need, urging her prayers. Her suffering was not for herself, but for others.

One of her most profound visions was of purgatory. She saw the suffering souls in need of prayer, burning in purification yet longing for God. She dedicated her pain to their release, offering her every sigh, every tear as a prayer. She teaches us the power of suffering united with love.

She also experienced demonic attacks, temptations of despair, loneliness, and doubt. Satan sought to break her, but she clung to Christ, knowing He was near. Holiness invites trials, but also divine strength.

Her visions revealed the supernatural realm vividly—angels, saints, the Virgin Mary, and Christ Himself appeared to her. In one vision, she walked alongside Jesus in His Passion, feeling every lash of the scourge, every thorn, every nail. She knew suffering in its deepest form, yet she embraced it with love.

Despite her suffering, Lydwina radiated peace and joy. Those who visited her often left changed, inspired by her unwavering faith. Even the most skeptical were moved by her gentleness and wisdom. God’s power shone through her fragile body.

Miracles and Supernatural Gifts

Lydwina’s life was marked by miraculous signs. Though she could not eat ordinary food, she thrived solely on the Eucharist. Physicians and theologians alike marveled at how she survived, knowing it was divine sustenance alone.

She had the gift of prophecy, foreseeing events that later came to pass. She revealed hidden sins to those who sought her counsel, urging them to repent. Many left her presence converted, their lives transformed.

Her body bore mystical wounds, but even more astonishing was the fragrance that emanated from her—a heavenly scent, a sign of holiness. Her cell, once filled with the stench of illness, became a place of sweetness, of God’s presence.

Those who touched her garments or took relics from her bed reported healings—cripples walked, fevers vanished, the blind saw. Even in her suffering, she was a vessel of grace.

A Death into Glory

On April 14, 1433, her earthly suffering ended, her soul lifted to God. The room filled with light, peace, the scent of roses—a sign of her holiness. The girl who had lain in pain now stood in glory.

Her last words were simple: “Jesus, I love You.” And with that, she passed into eternity. The one who had suffered most now rejoiced forever.

Her relics became a source of miracles, her story a testament to redemptive suffering. She was canonized as a saint for the sick, the abandoned, those who suffer with Christ.

This teaches us: suffering, united with God, is never wasted—it transforms, redeems, glorifies.

Sainthood and Patronage

Lydwina was declared a saint, a mystic, a guide for all who suffer. She is the patron of the chronically ill, the suffering, ice skaters, and those bearing heavy crosses. Her feast is April 14, a day of hope for all who endure pain in faith.

Her name still echoes—in hospitals, in homes of the sick, in whispered prayers of those who carry unseen burdens. She reminds us that in suffering, Christ is near, and through suffering, we can reach Him.

A Prayer to Saint Lydwina

O Saint Lydwina, suffering soul, chosen by Christ to bear His wounds, intercede for us! You embraced pain as a path to God, uniting your trials with His Passion. Teach us to find meaning in our crosses, to suffer with faith, to trust in His plan. Comfort the sick, the weary, the brokenhearted, as you once comforted those who came to you. Pray that we may see beyond pain to His glory, beyond darkness to His light. Lead us ever closer to Him, as you walked in suffering and in grace. Amen.

Saint Lydwina’s Message for Us Today

Her life is a call—a challenge to trust God in suffering, to offer pain as prayer, to see trials as a path to holiness. She did not waste suffering; she transformed it. So can we.

What burdens do you carry? What wounds, physical or spiritual, weigh upon you? Take them to Christ, as Lydwina did. Offer them to Him, and let Him make them holy.

Her life asks us: Do we see suffering as meaningless, or as a call to deeper faith? She teaches us that Christ does not abandon those in pain—He is closest to them. Let us learn from her, and offer our trials to Him, who suffered first for us.

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saints in April

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Apr 14, 2024

⛪ Saint Lydwina of Schiedam - Mystic, Stigmatic, Visionary, and Victim Soul