St. Christina the Astonishing
On the Grapevine 27
St. Christina the Astonishing (1150 - 1224) was 21 when she experienced a seizure so severe that she was thought to have died. However, during the funeral mass, Christina suddenly rose and levitated up in the rafters, only coming down when she was ordered to after the mass ended. She said that she had been to heaven, hell, and purgatory, and that it was only in order to do penance and pray for the souls in purgatory that she had come back. She also said that when she could smell the stench of sin on people, and it was so bad that she couldn't stand to remain in the casket any longer, and that was why she levitated up into the rafters.
St. Christina spent the rest of her life doing penances that were sometimes very amazing. She continued to be able to smell sin on people, and would climb high or levitate to get away. She slept on rocks, begged for food, touched and even rolled in fire without being burnt, stood in freezing water for hours, etc. - all for the souls in purgatory. She experienced ecstasies where she led souls to purgatory, and from purgatory to heaven. After her experience of heaven, hell and purgatory, her body and soul seemed sometimes ill at ease with each other. Her wild and strange ways often frightened people or led them to believe she might be possessed, but she was always perfectly obedient to the authority of the Church in priests, prioresses, etc. and held the esteem of several holy men and women.
You can read more about her HERE.
<3 Meg
St. Christina spent the rest of her life doing penances that were sometimes very amazing. She continued to be able to smell sin on people, and would climb high or levitate to get away. She slept on rocks, begged for food, touched and even rolled in fire without being burnt, stood in freezing water for hours, etc. - all for the souls in purgatory. She experienced ecstasies where she led souls to purgatory, and from purgatory to heaven. After her experience of heaven, hell and purgatory, her body and soul seemed sometimes ill at ease with each other. Her wild and strange ways often frightened people or led them to believe she might be possessed, but she was always perfectly obedient to the authority of the Church in priests, prioresses, etc. and held the esteem of several holy men and women.
You can read more about her HERE.
<3 Meg