ST. BRIGID'S DAY--FEBRUARY 1--THE BREAKING OF WINTER

Today is the feast day of St. Brigid (Bride, Brigit, Bridget) of Kildare, one of the four great saints of Ireland.  Her feast day surrounds the Celtic pagan feast of Imbolc which heralded the ending of winter and the beginning of spring (mostly because of the increase of light, not so much the temperature).  She is pictured with her St. Brigid's Cross and oftentimes is pictured with a flame--an eternal flame burnt at her monastery undimmed for over 1000 years.  Oftentimes she carries a crozier because of her role as abbess.  She is a protector of the land and the ordinary folk.  Below, you will find the Blessing of Brigit, an old Hebridean blessing from the islands off the coast of Scotland.  She was second only to the Blessed Virgin as the most powerful woman intercessor to stand before our Lord.  Lovely tales are told of her being the foster-mother of Christ, obviously a time impossibility, but a tribute to her closeness to Jesus.  Even today, she is seen as a personal protector of the Celtic people and someone to call on in time of need.  May St. Brigid bless us, intercede for us and protect us, revealing to us always the powerful surrounding protection of the Cross of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

THE BLESSING OF BRIGIT

Each day and each night

That I say the Descent (a type of litany) of Brigit,

I shall not be slain,

I shall not be sworded,

I shall not be put in cell,

I shall not be hewn,

I shall not be riven,

I shall not be anguished,

I shall not be wounded,

I shall not be ravaged,

I shall not be blinded,

I shall not be made naked,

I shall not be left bare,

Nor will Christ

Leave me forgotten.

Nor fire shall burn me,

Nor sun shall burn me,

Nor moon shall blanch me.

Nor water shall drown me,

Nor flood shall drown me,

Nor brine shall drown me...

I am under the shielding

Of good Brigit each day;

I am under the shielding

Of good Brigit each night.

I am under the keeping

Of the Nurse of Mary,

Each early and late,

Every dark, every light.

Brigit is my comrade-woman,

Brigit is my maker of song,

Brigit is my helping-woman,

My choicest of women, my guide.

  Alexander Carmichael, trans. Carmina Gadelica

Comments

[Steven Barr]

Fr. Eric , this comment isn't about St. Brigid , but I just wanted to ask you a question , In your book , in the chapter on the Celtic virtue of Sacrament , you mention St. Kevin and also St. Colman and these are such great stories that actually bring up real good imagery , you mention that when looking at these Tales there is often times some humor , I often struggle to come up with good bedtime stories for my 4 ½ year old daughter , if you could point me towards some good resources to learn more of these type of Tales or more info on the ones already mentioned that would be so much appreciated , I might as well start using bedtime to start building a foundation of knowledge of the Saints ! -- Steve Barr

*****Try Amy Wellborn's book on saints for kids. I think it's called Loyola Kid's Book of Heroes--just check Amazon for that and others you might like. Thanks for the post.