all creatures of our god and king
March 2, 2007
I’m doing a bunch of research on monasticism right now as part of my masters degree, and I uncovered this gem which I felt needed to be shared. This comes from the 13th Century Dialogue of Miracles, vol II, by Caesarious of Heisterbach:
A certain woman kept many bees, which throve not but died in great numbers; and, as she sought for a remedy, it was told her that if she placed the Lord’s Body among them, this plague would soon cease. She therefore went to church and, making as though she would communicate, took the Lord’s Body, which she took from her mouth as soon as the priest had departed, and laid it in one of her hives. Mark the marvelous power of God! These little worms, recognizing the might of their Creator, built their sweetest Guest, out of their sweetest honeycombs, a chapel of marvelous workmanship, wherein they set up a tiny altar of the same material and laid thereon this most holy Body; and God blessed their labors. In process of time the woman opened this hive, and was aware of the aforesaid chapel whereupon she hastened and confessed to the priest all that she had done and seen. Then he took with him his parishioners and came to the hive, where they drove away the bees and hovered round and buzzed in Praise of their Creator; and, marveling at the little chapel with its walls and windows, roof and tower, door and altar, they brought back the Lord’s Body with praise and glory to the church. For though God be marvelous in the saints, yet His smallest creatures preached Him yet more marvelously.