Nurturing bright flames of love with Saint Brigid

Today is the 1,501^st anniversary of the death of Brigid of Kildare. Brigid is one of the three patron saints of Ireland and is now the first woman for whom a national holiday is named in Ireland. After generations of devotion, this recognition was established in 2024.

Brigid lives at the intersection of worlds: pagan and Christian, as well as privileged and oppressed. Accounts agree that her father was a pagan chieftain, her stepfather may have been a druid, and her mother was brought to Ireland while enslaved and then later baptized by Saint Patrick. Like Saint Francis, Brigid gave away her family’s wealth to those in need. 

In looking for information about Brigid, much is prefaced by the phrase “is said to have.”  Restore hearing to those who were deaf. Rescue the unjustly accused. Bloodlessly and painlessly end the accidental pregnancy of one of her nuns. Turn water into beer. Always, always intercede on behalf of the oppressed. 

These “are said to haves” can be frustrating; wouldn’t it be better if we had a proper historical document? Surely some monastic somewhere could have taken better notes? 

There’s something ironic about our current times when factual information seems to be dismissed on a political whim, but we are at the same time obsessed with understanding “what really happened.” When Brigid asked for land for her monastery at Kildare, the king of Leinster refused. She and her sisters prayed for his heart to soften, then went back to ask if she could have as much land as her cloak would cover. He laughed and said yes. Her nuns then ran out in four directions as the cape enveloped every acre of ground their feet touched. Of course, the king was converted by his amazement and, as a Christian, became a patron of their community. 

Maybe a story of someone who outsmarted a tyrant with a magically expanding cape is just what we need. Maybe we need a sense of hope and faith that our capes can expand to cover all of those who are suffering in these literally mercy-less, cruel times. Maybe if we held on to that hope that our capes would expand, our hearts would, too, along with our minds’ capacity to organize and work for change.

Brigid’s prayer today is all about light.

O God, whose servant Brigid, kindled with the flame of your love, became a shining light in your church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before you as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

On February 1, we’re halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Brigid shares her feast day with the pagan goddess Brigid, whose feast Imbolc is the traditional Celtic first day of spring. The day is also shared by the Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility Proserpina (Persephone in Greek, if you prefer). While we’re at it, we could also point out that on February 2, we have Candlemas and the Feast of the Presentation, celebrating Jesus as the light of the world. With so many references to light this week, let’s pray we’ll be guided to find and nurture those bright “flames of love” where we find them, even as we recognize that sometimes nestling in sweet restful dark can also be where God is calling us.

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Collect for Brigid used with permission from the General Convention office of the Episcopal Church.