Day 3 - The Turning Point — Loss, Solitude, and Surrender - St. Bridget of Sweden Novena

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Day 3 – The Turning Point — Loss, Solitude, and Surrender – St. Bridget of Sweden Novena

Quote from the Revelations

“It is I who have taken from thee what was thine, that I might give thee what is Mine.”
—Revelations, Book I, Chapter 3

Reflection
The death of Ulf was a profound turning point in Bridget’s life. After years of shared love and labor, she was now a widow, left with grief, responsibility, and a stirring call from God. Her children were grown or nearly grown, and she withdrew for a time to the monastery at Alvastra, where she deepened her life of prayer and silence.

In the rhythm of monastic life, Bridget began to listen more attentively to the voice she had always known. There, she received the first of many mystical revelations—words and images that would become the foundation of her spiritual mission. But this surrender did not come all at once. It unfolded through grief, letting go, and learning to listen in stillness.

In times of loss and uncertainty, Bridget teaches us not to rush to fill the silence, but to allow space for God’s voice. He often speaks most clearly when we are emptied of everything else. Her solitude became a sacred threshold, where she could entrust her sorrow and receive the beginnings of a new calling.

Prayer for Intercession
St. Bridget, in your sorrow you turned to the Lord with a heart open to His voice.
Help us in our own moments of transition and loss.
Teach us to surrender what we cannot hold and to trust that God is doing something new.
With confidence in your prayers, we now place before the Lord the intention we bring to this novena.
May our hearts find peace in God’s timing and purpose, as yours did at Alvastra.
Amen.

St. Bridget of Sweden, pray for us