St. Gertrude was a 13th century nun and mystic. When she prayed, she was often blessed with hearing the response from Heaven. Generally it was Our Lord, Our Lady, or a particular saint.

One example out of many is as follows:

In the area where her convent was, there was a period of such bad weather that everyone suffered terribly from it. No amount of prayers, including the saint’s, caused the weather to improve.

Gertrude wondered why the petitions of so many people had no result, especially since she herself had obtained many and much greater favors simply by having strong confidence in God.

She brought this question to Our Lord, and heard His reply:

"Why be surprised that a father should allow his son to ask him repeatedly for a crown [a local unit of money], if he [the father] laid aside a hundred marks of gold for him each time the request was made? Neither should you be surprised if I defer answering your petition; because each time you implore My aid by the least word, or even in thought, I prepare a recompense for you in eternity of infinitely greater value than a hundred marks of gold."