O Lord,make haste and illumine the night. I long for You as the dying long for You. Say to my soul that nothing happens without Your permitting it, and that nothing of what You permit is without comfort. O Jesus, Son of God, You who were silent in the presence of Your accusers restrain my tongue until I find what I should say and how to say it. Show me the way and make me ready to follow it. It is dangerous to delay, yet perilous to go forward. Answer my petition and show me the way. I come to You as the wounded go to the doctor In search of aid. Give peace o Lord to my heart! Amen.
Birgitta was born in Finsta in 1303. Her father Birger Persson was a member of the Royal Council. Her mother, Ingeborg, was related to the ruling dynasty. After the death of her mother, at the age of 12, Birgitta was entrusted to the upbringing of her aunt Karin Bengtsdotter, who one night found her niece kneeling near the bed. And she asked her, "What are you doing there?" Birgitta replied, "I thank him who always helps me." "Who is he?" "The man I saw on the cross." In 1316 her father married her to Ulf Gudmarson, five years older than her, a son of a lagman from Västergötland. Birgitta, who would have preferred to die a hundred times, but did not even want to enter the convent, bowed to her father's decision. The first part of her life was that of a secular woman who was happily married. Birgitta soon became known for her charitable work. On her estate she built a hospital for the poor and sick and took care of them herself. She also took ...