The Catholic World, Vol. 20, October 1874‐March 1875Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 20, October 1874‐March 1875
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
The duke refused to send for Odile. Perhaps, without owning it to himself,
he experienced a certain fear of one so miraculously healed, and whom he
had so unjustly banished. Nevertheless, he was not entirely insensible to
the news, and, wishing to testify his gratitude to Hidulphe, he gave him
the lands of Feldkirch for his abbey of Moyenmoutier.
Odile, then, continued after her baptism to live in the Convent of Baume.
Her devotion, her indifference to the things of this world, and her
profound recollection inspired a sentiment of respect among the virgins
with whom she lived. With a grave and elevated mind, fervent piety, and an
active charity, she possessed uncommon beauty,(30) and a child‐like
simplicity marked with all the grace of her age. Not one of the recluses
of the monastery subjected herself to greater austerities than Odile. Her
fervor was particularly manifest during the solemn days in which the
church celebrates the great mystery of the Redemption.
Her countenance and her tears testified to the love with which her heart
was filled. It was evident that, at her first essay, her pure young soul
had soared heavenward with the swiftness of a dove on the wing.
But she was to experience the trials of life. The nurse, for whom she had
an affection truly filial, and who had sundered her family ties to be near
Odile, fell dangerously ill at Baume. Her sufferings lasted several
months. Doubtless God ordained it to be so, say the ancient chronicles,
that she might satisfy in this world the eternal justice, and that Odile’s
gratitude, generosity, and charity might be displayed. With the sanction
of the superior, she only left the bedside of the guardian of her infancy
to attend service at the chapel. She was at once servant, nurse, and,
above all, comforter. She inspired her patient with courage, so that she
humbly offered up her sufferings to our Lord, and awaited with joy and
hope the hour of her departure. When the hour of deliverance appointed by
Providence came, having received the last sacraments, she died peacefully
in the arms of Odile, who closed her eyes and buried her.
VI.
In spite of her cruel exile, Odile had for a long time felt an ardent
desire to behold her parents, at least once, and this feeling became
stronger after the death of her nurse, the only tie that recalled her
native land. She did not dream of being restored to her rank, or of
exchanging her peaceful life for the bustle of her father’s court. She
only wished to testify her love for her parents, and to be loved by them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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