St Elizabeth of Hungary

November 17, 2014

St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207 – 1231)

“As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40)

In her short life Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. At the age of 14 Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia (a German principality), whom she deeply loved; she bore three children. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she led a life of prayer, sacrifice and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land, who came to her gate. 

After six years of marriage, her husband died in the Crusades, and Elizabeth was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her and mistreated her, finally throwing her out of the palace. Though Elizabeth was rejected by her family, she continued her good works; she built a hospital, where she personally attended to the sick almost constantly.

In 1228, Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of St. Francis. Working continually with the severely ill, Elizabeth became sick herself, dying of illness in November, 1231 at the age of 24.

Lesson:
Elizabeth understood well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples' feet at the Last Supper: every Christian, indeed everyone, must be one who serves the humblest needs of others.