Saint Brigid
“The holy virgin Brigid full of divine wisdom, went with joyalong the way of evangelical childhood, and with the grace of God attained inthis way the summit of virtue. Wherefore she now bestows blessings upon thosewho come to her with faith. O holy Virgin, intercede with Christ our God thatHe may have mercy on our souls.”
Saint Brigid was named after a Druid goddess- the goddess of fire. Her father was a Druid chief, but her mother was a Christian slave who had come to faith through the influence of Saint Patrick. She passed on the
faith to her daughter Brigid.
As we told in Woven, Brigid became a nun as a young woman. She started the convent of Kildare. Brigid
was also known for the simple way she wove a cross out of grasses. The people of Ireland still weave crosses like hers and hang them in their houses.
Brigid was named for a Druid goddess of fire, but God transformed her into his handmaiden. For centuries the people of Ireland have celebrated her name day (February 1st) by weaving Saint Brigid crosses to hang
in their houses. Each year they burn the previous years cross when they replace it with a new one. They ask for her intercession to protect their home from fire.
It is a beautiful sight throughout Ireland to see lovely St. Brigid crosses hanging. God took Brigid, named for a goddess of fire, and gave her a legacy of protecting from fire. In the same way, He takes our shortcoming, our faults, and our weaknesses and gives us grace so those very flaws can be used to His purpose.
God transforms us into something lovely, as we cooperate with Him.
