00:00Today, September 16, the church commemorates Saint Edith of Barking,
00:08also called Edith of Wilton.
00:12On this day we also celebrate Saint Ludmilla of Bohemia and Saint Cornelius, pope and martyr.
00:19But we will focus on the luminous figure of Edith,
00:2310th-century Anglo-Saxon abbess, venerated for her holiness,
00:28his refined education and his charity.
00:32Edith was born around the year 961 in Kemsing, Kent, England.
00:40She is the daughter of King Edgar the Peaceful, ruler of the unified English kingdom,
00:45and Wulfstreet, a noblewoman who had chosen the religious life before the king turned her away from it.
00:51Shortly after Edith's birth, her mother returned to Wilton Monastery,
00:57near Salisbury, where she resumed the monastic veil.
01:03Little Edith grew up within the religious community,
01:07raised by learned and pious nuns.
01:10From her childhood, Edith stood out for her intelligence,
01:16his sensitivity and his attraction to the life of prayer.
01:21She receives a solid intellectual training,
01:24learning the scriptures, liturgical chant,
01:28but also the arts and poetry.
01:32Gifted with remarkable beauty,
01:34she could have aspired to court life and royal prestige.
01:37But she freely chooses consecration to God,
01:42rejecting the pomp of royalty to embrace voluntary poverty.
01:46His vocation is expressed in a unique style.
01:49Edith lived in the monastery,
01:52but she retained a refined taste for beautiful clothes and jewelry
01:55that she wore without ostentation,
01:57as a sign of gratitude for God's gifts.
02:01Some criticized this attitude,
02:03but her contemporaries say that she always had a detached heart
02:06and that his appearance was only a reflection of inner nobility.
02:11She gave generously to the poor
02:13and constantly divested himself of his possessions to help the needy.
02:19Edith did not become Wilton's low,
02:22because she refused this charge out of humility.
02:24However, his spiritual influence was immense
02:28and the nuns, like the faithful,
02:31considered her a model of holiness.
02:35She had a deep devotion to Christ
02:37and a special tenderness for the Virgin Mary
02:39that she invoked every day.
02:42Tradition reports several miracles performed by Edith,
02:46including healings and prophecies.
02:48She also allegedly predicted her own death.
02:54She fell asleep in the Lord on September 15, 984,
02:59at the age of only 23.
03:02His body rests at Wilton Abbey
03:04and very quickly a local cult developed around his memory.
03:08In 997, his relics were transferred in a solemn hunt
03:14and his holiness is officially recognized.
03:19Saint Edith of Barking remains today
03:22a shining example of dedicated youth,
03:25of nobility offered to God and joyful fidelity.
03:30His life invites us to live our faith with authenticity,
03:34unafraid to be ourselves,
03:35but always putting our talents and gifts
03:38in the service of God and others.
03:40Prayer to Saint Edith
03:42Lord,
03:45you who gave to Saint Edith of Barking
03:47the grace to live in purity and humility
03:50despite the attractions of power and honors,
03:54Help us keep our hearts turned towards you.
03:57Teach us, following his example,
04:00to prefer inner light to outer appearance
04:03and to seek holiness in simplicity
04:06and daily loyalty.
04:10Through his intercession,
04:12grant us the grace to remain faithful to our vocation
04:15and to walk with confidence on the path of the Gospel.
04:21Saint Edith of Barking pray for us.
04:33Saint Edith of Barking pray for us.
04:41...
04:50...
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