Tag: Catholic Saints

Ordo Virtutum

Not all voices can join the music. And in that silence, the story finds its sharpest truth.

The Play of the Virtues by Saint Hildegard of Bingen (A short retelling)

There’s this Soul. She’s hanging with the Virtues—Humility, Charity, Patience—the good crowd. They’re all singing together, and it’s not just music, it’s like the whole vibe of heaven. Everything clicks.

Then the Devil shows up. And here’s the funny part: he can’t sing. Not a single note. He just yells, spits promises, tries to sound cool. “Come with me, I’ve got freedom, I’ve got pleasure.” But it’s all noise. No rhythm, no tune.

The Soul falls for it. Steps out of the harmony, follows the noise. For a while, she thinks she’s winning. But the deeper she goes, the more empty it gets. Just chains. No beat.

Finally, she snaps out of it. “I wanna go back.”

The Virtues don’t shame her. They don’t say, “Told you.” They just welcome her back, and their music rises again. Stronger this time, bright enough to drown out the Devil’s noise. He rages, but he’s powerless—because noise can’t beat music.

And that’s how it ends: the Soul restored, the harmony alive, and the Devil stuck in silence.

Evil makes noise. Love makes music. You decide which crowd you wanna jam with.

We remember Saint Hildegard not only through her memorial on September 17, but also through her play that still sings of mercy and truth.

ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Written around 1151, Ordo Virtutum remains the earliest known morality drama with music.

WATCH: A full staged performance of Ordo Virtutum by Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Performed live at St. John’s Cathedral, Los Angeles, directed by Patricia McKee, Katina Mitchell, and Ned Tipton.

The Rule of Life

What started as a guide for the few would one day shape the many.

Saint Albert of Jerusalem and the Carmelite Way

Bishop Albert Avogadro once served in Italy before becoming Patriarch of Jerusalem. Around 1209–1210, hermits on Mount Carmel asked him for a guide to shape their way of life. He gave them a short, practical rule—simple on paper, but powerful in spirit.

The Rule of Bishop Albert guided them through:

• Living in cells close to each other — balancing solitude with community.

• Meditating on the Law of the Lord day and night — letting Scripture shape their rhythm.

• Daily Eucharist if possible — making Christ the center.

• Manual labor and fasting — strengthening both spirit and body.

• Obedience to a prior chosen by the group — unity through humility.

Bishop Albert was assassinated in 1214, never seeing how far his rule would spread. What began as guidance for a few desert hermits became the foundation of the Carmelite Order, later producing saints like Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Thérèse of Lisieux.

Saint Albert’s memorial comes each September 17, yet through the years the few pages he wrote in a war-torn land for hermits on Mount Carmel endure as a sacred guide.

ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Traces of courage, silence, and sacrifice—this is Saints.

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