5 Lessons from St. Brigid of Kildare

St. Brigid of Ireland was born, according to tradition, near Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland in 450AD and died around 525AD in Kildare, Ireland. February 1st is the feast day of Saint Brigid, one of the patron saints of Ireland. It is true that much of Brigid’s life is surrounded in myth and folklore, but that does not take away from the valuable lessons and stories that have been passed down in Celtic tradition from Brigid. Brigid, according to legend, was the daughter of a nobleman and a slave, being sold with her mother into slavery to a Druid family.

So what can the daughter of a slave from 5th century Ireland teach us in our modern lives? Here are 5 distinct Lessons Saint Brigid teaches us from her life and legend. By looking backward at the life of Brigid, we can apply the things her life experiences teach us. Applying the insight of her life in our current world.

Lesson 1- A Persons Beginnings Has no Bearing on a Persons Importance

Brigid began her young life as a slave, being sold with her mother by her father to a Druid. In many instances this would have spelled the end of any great person, mythical or otherwise. However Brigid did not ever let go of her faith, even converting the Druid Pagan and family to Christianity according to legend. Upon being set free, Brigid’s father attempted to marry her to the King of Ulster. The King was so impressed by her piety, he ordered her removed from parental control, making Brigid completely independent. An 11th century text even states that the Curragh, an area in Kildare, was given to her by the King of Leinster.

This was a child born into slavery, sold by her own father to another person. Not only did she gain her freedom but converted the slave holding family to Christianity. Her reputation was so respected that one king granted her independence and another granted her land. And on that land she founded her first abbey for both monks and nuns of the church. In a society where she had her race, gender and father against her, her dedication to Christ and determination has made her a person the Irish will never forget. It truly doesn’t matter where you start or finish. What matters was how meaningful to others your journey was.

Lesson 2- Women are Just as Effective as Men in the Ministry of Jesus Christ

St Brigid was not only a founder of abbeys and a converter of Druids to Christianity, but a caregiver to all, regardless of religion. In this tale an old pagan chieftain lay delirious on his deathbed in Kildare. His servants summoned Brigid to his bedside, in the hope this saintly woman might be able to calm his restless spirit.

As she sat by his bedside, trying to calm and console him, she picked up some of the rushes which were strewn across the floor of the room. As her fingers played with the dry strands, she started weaving them together, eventually forming a cross.

As she worked she explained the meaning of the cross to the sick man. Her calming words brought peace to his soul. The chieftain’s fever broke, and he grew quiet. Captivated by her lesson of love and enlightenment, the old chieftain was baptized as a Christian, just before his death.

What we learn in this story is that women, just like in the time of Jesus, are more than capable of teaching the gospel to men. Brigid is an early example of a woman preacher and we would do well to honor those women who are called of God today. Brigid teaches us that the Kingdom of God does not use gender to decide worth. Maybe we could do the same?

Lesson 3- Sometimes Having Sight is More Difficult Than Not Having Sight

“One of the loveliest and most gently profound legends of Brigid is the story of Dara, the blind nun, for the restoration of whose sight Brigid prayed. When the miracle was granted, Dara realized that the clarity of sight blurred God in the eye of the soul, whereupon she asked Brigid to return her to the beauty of darkness.” (britannica.com/biography/saint-Brigid-of-Ireland)

This is really a lesson to Pastors in my opinion. When we sit behind the walls of our churches, not seeing the struggle of so many, we may think that the world is at peace. But once we are awakened to the reality of pain in this world, we may desire to shut it out. We may desire blindness to the light of reality. Like Dara, we must fight this urge and seek the uncomfortable realities of the world. We must see them, pray for them and then act on them. May we be so bold.

Lesson 5- Beer is Proof God Loves us and Wants Us to be Happy?

Brigid is also said to have miraculously changed water into beer for a leper colony and provided enough beer for 18 churches from a single barrel; she is sometimes considered to be one of the patron saints of beer! Now while this may seem odd, I think the lesson here is that even the afflicted have the eye of God. The lesson might be “Why don’t they have our eye?” Brigid, by miracle or not provided beer to this colony of outcasts. This is a direct lesson from the gospel. As Jesus ate with lepers, Brigid drank with them. The least of these were certainly on the mind of Brigid. We must ask the question of ourselves, “Our the broken on our minds?”.