Daughter of a pagan chieftain and a Christian slave, she started the first religious women (nuns) in Ireland, and went up and down the countryside tending to the poor and sick. She truly exemplified the following two quotes of St. Francis de Sales:
"Ought we not to love dearly the neighbor, who truly represents to us the sacred Person of our Master? And is this not one of the most powerful motives we could have for loving each other with an ardently burning love?"
and:
"It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially."
The person who most needs our love and care may not be the person that we "feel like" showing love to...but our love should come from God, through us as a channel, into those who need it the most.
I smile inwardly when I think of how Saint Brigid's pagan father brought her to the king one day in frustration because she kept giving away so many of his possessions to the poor and needy. Young Brigid waited patiently in her father's chariot while he went inside. Instead of being intimidated and curtailing her activities, she gave away her father's jeweled sword to a beggar who happened to come by! When Duffy (the English version of her father's name) returned to the chariot, he was infuriated, but the king declared that Brigid was someone special, and that he should give the girl her freedom.
St. Brigid of Ireland, pray for us to have charity like unto yours!
No comments:
Post a Comment