‘’Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise’’ (Luke 3:1)

 I have long been fascinated by the Celtic saints. Generosity towards the poor and needy was one of their hallmarks, along with simplicity, passionate faith, closeness to the natural world and hospitality They were often itinerant but sometimes self-exiled to remote locations.  They founded a spreading network of monasteries in which women sometimes took a prominent part. I have recently been reading more about the lives of this early group of Christians and became particularly  interested in Brigid of Kildare, Irish saint of the 5th - 6th century. As well as for her kindness and generosity towards the poor,  she was known for her healing miracles, her determination to pursue her calling by God and her later prominence as an abbess.  

According to tradition, ,Brigid as born in 451, her father a pagan chieftain, her mother a Christian slave.There are few historical facts about her; accounts of her life are mainly anecdotes and miracle stories. She was sold while still in her mother’s womb, becoming the property of a druid. At the age of about ten she was returned to her father as a household servant. Her commitment to a life of holiness became evident early in life. As she grew older, she was said to have performed miracles of healing. Her habit of charitable giving led her to donate her father’s belongings to anyone in need. She was determined not to marry and thwarted her father’s attempt to sell her to a king of Leinster. While her father was talking to the king, she gave away her father’s bejewelled sword to a desperate beggar, so that he could barter it for food to feed his family. causing the king to recognise her holiness and persuade her father to grant his daughter freedom.  

In adulthood she was a woman of prayer with compassion for the pagan world around her. She was a healer and a leader She showed her determination in ingenious ways: on one occasion she challenged a king who was reluctant to give her some and for a monastic foundation but agreed to her suggestion that he would give as much land as her cloak would cover. Brigid, with the help of her companions and much prayer, spread out her cloak which expanded in size over many acres, compelling the king to make a more realistic offer. He later became a Christian, helped the poor and commissioned the building of the convent. Her compassion for the sick led her, while praying with a very ll man, to fashion a cross from straw; through seeing and hearing about the cross, the man turned to Christ. ‘’St Brigid’s cross’’, woven from rushes, is still popular in Ireland.  

 Brigid founded a monastery at Kildare in about 480 on the site of a pagan shrine, under a large oak tree. She founded two monastic institutions, one for men, the other for women and appointed an abbott / bishop to govern the religious communities along with herself. For centuries the Abbess of `Kildare was regarded as Superior General of the monasteries in Ireland, a tribute to Brigid’s enduring female influence. Brigid is credited with Kildare becoming a centre of religion and learning, also founding a school of art and illumination.

Following her death in 525, Brigid gradually became the subject of veneration and today is one of three national saints in Ireland, along with Patrick and Columba. Her feast day is 1st February and from 2023 it will become a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the first such holiday to be named after a woman.

So what might we learn from Brigid? She was a woman of prayer, of courage and a determination not to let anything come between her and her God-inspired vision. From her early days she had a compassion for the poor and needy. It could perhaps be regarded as questionable that she took  things from her father’s household  to meet the needs of the poor. Or maybe it could be looked on  as an early example of redistribution of wealth to make a fairer society? Today with the steep rise in the cost of living we need to support agencies like Food Banks and CAP (Christians against poverty) but also be aware of individuals near to us who may require help.  

PRAYER  

Dear God, we thank you for the example of Christians like Brigid who showed in their lives a practical compassion for those in need.  Help us to open our eyes and hearts to the need around us, in the name of your son Jesus Christ who shows us the way, the truth and the life. Amen.