July 18 | Saint Elizabeth of Schönau

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine waking up in the middle of the night in a drafty stone room in medieval Germany. You are a young woman, completely alone in the dark. Suddenly, the veil between heaven and earth lifts. You are given incredible, world-changing visions of the divine.

But that's not all. From the shadows, dark forces push back. You are physically and spiritually attacked by actual demons who want to silence you. Today, we are traveling way back to the 1100s to meet a woman who wasn't just quietly praying in a corner. She was a visionary, a prophet, an author, and a fierce leader. Her name is Saint Elizabeth of Shownow.

Elizabeth was born in the year 1126 in Bonn, Germany. When Elizabeth was just 12 years old, she began attending school at a Benedictine monastery. Back in the 12th century, monastery schools were some of the only places to get a real education. But for Elizabeth, this stone building full of praying sisters didn't just feel like a strict boarding school. Over the years, she eventually began to view the monastery as her true home. She stayed there through her teenage years, figuring out her calling, and finally, around the age of 21, she officially professed her own vows to become a religious sister.

But Elizabeth's life as a nun was anything but ordinary. Remember those terrifying middle-of-the-night moments I talked about in the intro? This is where Elizabeth's story gets absolutely wild. She was receiving direct, powerful spiritual visions. But with this immense spiritual gift came intense spiritual warfare. Elizabeth endured severe assaults from demons. Because she faced these dark, terrifying attacks head-on and didn't give in to their attempts to bring her down, she was given a very specific and powerful patronage. Today, Saint Elizabeth of Shonau is the patron saint against temptations.

If you ever feel like you are being pulled towards something you know is wrong, or you're facing a tough mental battle, Elizabeth is exactly the saint you want in your corner. Now, if you were seeing visions of heaven and battle and demons, you'd probably want to tell someone about it, right? Elizabeth desired to write down the visions she received, but doing that alone in the 12th century wasn't easy. So, she called in some family backup. Elizabeth employed the help of her brother, a monk named Egbert.

Together, this brother-sister duo worked incredibly hard, writing three entire volumes detailing exactly what she encountered in these visions. Because of her immense wisdom, her courage, and her deep faith, Elizabeth was highly respected by everyone around her. In fact, she was appointed abbess, the head leader of her monastery, and she served in that position until her death in the year 1164.

Officially, Elizabeth was never actually canonized by the church. Instead, she had such a massive following of people who loved and respected her that she was simply added to the Roman martyrology, which is the official list of saints. Her reputation was just that powerful.

When you are facing your own temptations, whether that's a temptation to gossip, cheat on a test, or give in to anger, do what Elizabeth did. Don't fight it alone. Find your Egbert. Ask a trusted sibling, a parent, a youth minister, or a good friend for help. And consider grabbing a journal this week to write down what you're feeling, just like Elizabeth recorded her experiences.

Getting those thoughts out of your head and onto paper can be a huge step in overcoming whatever you are struggling with. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.