Gertrude the Great

On the Pelican

Introduction by Ruth Meyer

Gertrude the Great says: "After she had taken communion, when she had returned to her private quarters, the Lord showed himself to her in the form of a pelican, just as it is usually portrayed, piercing its heart with its beak. And when she said, marveling at these things, "Of what do you strive to persuade me, my Lord, through this appearance?","

Original Latin