Well, one thing is for sure in this round. Celebrity Blogger extraordinaire Megan Castellan will have a saint vying for the Golden Halo tomorrow. Yes, Megan is advocating for both Brigid of Kildare and Egeria, as she has throughout Lent Madness 2015. The real mystery is how she will trash talk herself!
The winner of today's battle will face Francis of Assisi for the Golden Halo tomorrow on Spy Wednesday. Francis trounced Molly Brant, one of the true cinderallas of this year's bracket, 71% to 29%.
To get to the Faithful Four, Brigid defeated Elizabeth, Dionysius the Great, and Kamehameha while Egeria beat Hildegard, Thomas Ken, and Frederick Douglass (click on the names of the vanquished foes to refresh your memory about the information shared about Brigid and Egeria in previous rounds).
Don't forget to catch this week's episode of the Emmy-winning (fine, we were robbed -- again) Monday Madness. Tim and Scott offer Oliver, everybody's favorite seven-now-eight-year-old Lent Madness oracle, official birthday greetings and share news of great joy -- how you can pre-order a mug featuring the to-be-determined 2015 Golden Halo winner.
Oh, and does voting for saints feel somehow at odds with the solemnity of Holy Week? Click to read Scott's contribution to the blog of St. Luke in the Fields in New York City, in a post titled Lent Madness: Holy Competition in Holy Week? Spoiler Alert: He thinks it makes perfect sense.
Brigid of Kildare
I fear I must trouble you with a story.
I was ordained to the diaconate on February 1. I learned that it was St. Brigid’s day when I was filling out the form for my ordination certificate, but I didn’t think much of this — merely that she sounded Irish or something, which might please my grandmother.
During the service, several things went awry. Not so badly as to spoil the day (it was glorious) but just as to be disorienting. So when it came time for the bishop to lay hands on our heads, I guess he was a mite flustered. He put his hands on my head (I came first, alphabetically), and said the prayer of ordination, ending with “By the power vested in me, I now ordain you a bishop….
no, wait….
a priest…..
no, wait….
Look, I’m just going to start all over again.”
Everyone got a good chuckle, and he took a breath and finally ordained me to the correct order of ministry. Thank the good Lord.
Afterwards, at the reception, my presenting priest commented to me that this was a really appropriate occurrence for Brigid’s day. I looked at her blankly, and she smiled, and told me to do some research.
Sure enough, I discovered that Brigid has much to commend her, even besides her penchant for microbrewing before it was popular. Her leadership, her wisdom, her generosity, her tenacity in what she knew was right (she marched across Ireland and back!) are rare and valuable indeed. And even if you are dismissive of ancient tales of columns of heavenly fire, or bathtubs that transform into beer, recall this: Brigid loved the people in her charge such that she made sure they never went hungry or thirsty. She gave away all she had for their sakes. And they saw in her wisdom and courage that could lead them safely.
Brigid — with or without miracle tales — lit the light of Christ in Ireland through her words, presence, and actions.
What better saint could you ask for? Vote Brigid!
Egeria
Holy Week, as observed through liturgy, changes a person. From the shouting, singing frenzy of Palm Sunday, to the poignant movements of Maundy Thursday, and the descent into the darkness, to the bleak desolation of Good Friday, to the expectant waiting and watching of the Vigil, which finally explodes into sunlight and the joy of Easter. One week captures all human emotion and wraps it in prayer.
Jerusalem, too, changes a person. There is a saying you hear when you visit on pilgrimage: “Go to Jerusalem for a week, you write a novel. Stay for two -- you cannot write even a sentence.” It’s a comment on the difficulties of conveying the depth of the experience, the complexities of people, the intensity of faith in this place. The heat of Jerusalem dries up your words.
Egeria, however, held onto her words. She not only held onto her words, she gifted us with words that would echo down the centuries and affect each and every one of us.
When she went on pilgrimage, she wasn’t content with a surface view of the things she saw. She asked questions, she took notes, she recorded everything, she sent her observations back home so everyone there could share her joy. She got to know the people around her, and described them with respect and dignity. She told the rest of the church what Holy Week liturgy looked like, in the place where it all began.
Egeria shows us what curiosity looks like, sure. But had she merely been a fourth-century busybody, I doubt her legacy would have lasted. Instead, what Egeria shows in her writing is respect and love for the different people and practices she encountered. It is that love which moved her to learn so much about rituals and customs different from her own and it was love that compelled her to convey the dance of the early liturgies so clearly to her sisters back home.
Surely, in our world today, we need more of Egeria’s questing love. Go Egeria!
Vote!
[poll id="138"]
164 comments on “Brigid of Kildare vs. Egeria”
I voted for Egeria and although so far Brigid seems to be winnning, I have one consolation: My vote tomorrow will be much easier than if Egeria wins today.
I'm a wee bit Irish but my college major was 100% Journalism. Egeria it is!
I love Brigid, and we will be celebrating her in a Celtic service next month. But I've also been trying to support the less well-known folks here, so I' m going with Egeria again.
Oh, and did Brigid write that wonderful Lake of Beer piece?
Egeria - please! - I don't think either Brigid or her have a real shot at the "Kentucky" of this year's Lent Madness - the powerhouse St. Francis, but if anyone can hit that last second bucket, it's Egeria. After all, she could almost be considered the "Michelle Naismith" of much of our liturgy. And I know that she won't choke like Notre Dame did in the "Elite" Eight!
I have to go with the early church historian, Egeria.
Egeria! Please, everyone vote for Egeria. She is my new favorite saint and I would dearly love to have a mug commemorating her so I could have lots of opportunities to tell people who she is. As a cultural anthropology student who never made it to the field she embodies the work I would have loved to do, traveling, recording, immersing herself in the culture of a particular area and then moving on and doing it all over again. Brigid is cool, but everyone already loves her.
Brigid did great things and is deserving of all honor and praise. However, the historian in me has to vote for Egeria. It is people like her who have given us the best of history -- a true account of what happened, and when, and where, and portraits of the people of the times.
I voted for Brigid because she had a story like The Silver Chair at the beginning.
The Silver Chair is a Narnia story. (from Martin, 7 years old)
Hi, Martin, and welcome to Lent Madness. My oldest son is named Martin, but he is much, much older than you! I hope you'll join us again next year.
I agree...Francis and Brigid is a bit ho-hum.
That's more than a BIT ho-hum
I second this thought and the actions of Oliver and Brigid
You got my vote today and hopefully tomorrow! I want her mug in the worst way!
Hey Martin! I enjoy the Narnia stories too! Happy Lent and then, Happy Easter!
Go Martin! You LM Kids have it right.
This was a really tough choice. I voted for both of them all the way through. I love Brigid and her walks across Ireland, loving her people, but when I go on a trip (not just a small weekend one but a long one) I keep a journal full of what I have seen and what I have heard, to share with my family. On that note, I must vote for Egeria. The need to share important things with others is hard to pass up. I HATE these tough decisions.
Happy Birthday Oliver. See you at church on Sunday.
Love Brigid but voted for Egeria. Such a hard choice!!!!
I can't decide if I should vote for the most-likely-mythical saint/Goddess or the real Christian whose existence is historically verifiable.
Cool myth or actual contribution to liturgy.
Which should it be?
Because the liturgy is a big part of what drew me to the Episcopal Church, I cast my vote for Egeria today. And because I see which way the tide is turning, tomorrow I will take great pleasure in voting for Brigid for the Golden Halo!
Thank you, Megan, for two fantastic essays on both saintly women with no bias to sway the voting either way. But then you now will have to create yet another essay for the winner to face off in the Golden Halo determination tomorrow! May God's Spirit be with you! And thanks again to all the celebrity bloggers who have given of their time and research to write all these essays to illuminate the lives of all these wonderful saints of God. May we all learn and emulate all the best qualities we have learned from them all and put those into action in our own lives.
I'd vote for Oliver if I could - for his short, but wise, posts. Can I nominate him for the role of celebrity blogger next year?
A we move toward the powerful liturgies of the next few days, I have to place my vote for Egeria.
It was a tough call indeed! In the end I voted for Brigid, as I am born on Feb. 2. This year our parish had a Candlemas celebration and learned about Brigid. We made candles and ate crepes, the traditional Candlemas fare in France.
Happy Birthday to Oliver! Your insights made my mornings. Blessings to you!
As a member of the congregation of St.Jude Episcopal in Ocean View, HI I feel I must vote for the saint known for her radical hospitality. Go Brigid!
Wow! Egeria for my vote even though she is going to lose. It is so close!
Brigid squares off so cleanly with Francis, that I must vote for her. Both devoted to poverty, simplicity, and aid to the poor. Ireland vs. Italy tomorrow for the World Cup!
I have Francis winning my bracket; my wife has Brigid winning. Tomorrow might be a rough day for us...
Two wonderful saints of the faith that makes this perhaps the most difficult of choices for my day. Brigid it is. But, Egeria, Bless you.
Brigid still needs lots of votes to wrap this election up.. and tomorrow, well. VOTE IRISH! Both clearly are worthy souls... but Francis already has so many historical references and kitch... let's go for broke with the Patron Saint of HomeBrew!
Going home to drink that chocolate stout in honor of Brigitte now . . . and cast my vote for Egeria. Oh, did I vote already? It seems like a whole day since this morning . . . one vote per day? Boston Irish vote early and often . . .
Ha!
Happy Birthday Oliver!
Even if she doesn't win, you guys could make your own mugs for her on CafePress, and sell them. I'd probably buy one..... 😉
what a great idea!
The deciding factor for me was that Brigid loved the people in her charge such that she made sure they never went hungry or thirsty.
Pilgrimage is good, but caring for people gets my vote..
May Oliver have the very best of birthdays and may his wisdom continue to grow with each passing year. Perhaps he will have a future in writing saintly blogs for Lenten Madness.
This is a delicious dilemma for me. I have family reasons to lean toward Brigid. I love Megan Castellan's story about her ordination to the diaconate, for both its resonance with Brigid and for its colorful particularity. I find myself voting for Egeria. Lent Madness has introduced her to me -- and she's awesome -- and it is Holy Week. In my estimation, either or both are worthy of golden headwear. So the outcome today will be satisfying regardless. And then tomorrow will be . . . . a thing of beauty, to be sure.
I thought Oliver was eight. What's it gonna be kid?!
This is the toughest choice of all! Whichever wins will get my vote for the Golden Halo tomorrow, but, truly, I am torn between the bounteous hospitality of Brigid (and Susan B's reminder of the Lake of Beer for the King of Kings - that SO meets us where we are in the world, which is where God meets us every time) and, as a writer myself, the lovely and important documentation of Egeria, and especially the fact that she embraced the differences and recorded them faithfully. Would that we all did so today, instead of judging and rejecting others on their differences! And I think that decides my vote: Hospitality is wonderful and welcoming, and I am intrigued by the Lake of Beer for the King of Kings, but Egeria sets an example that is so needed in our world today. Egeria for the Golden Halo!
I have become so engaged with Egeria that I've not opened her diary even though my fingers are itching to do so. It's saved for the early hours of Friday morning as I am in vigil at the altar of repose.
I loved Peg S.'s summation of Bridgit's qualifications, and I think she'll probably win. But I still have to go with the woman who traveled so far and shared what she found with the rest of the church. Her writings and the liturgy based on them have fed people's spirits down through the centuries. Here's to Egeria.
Is that beer from THE bathtub that you're toasting with?
Happiest of birthdays, Oliver! Eight is a great number! Thanks for your wonderful comments! XOXO Kathy
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Oliver! I've enjoyed following your votes.
Welcome to Martin, also.
As well as adding a "Like" button to the comments next year, I think we need to get more children involved. Their wisdom is insightful.
I'm thinking of having my confirmation class do LM next year. The eyes of the young are so full of stuff that we old folks miss.
Oliver was 7 but he just had a birthday so now he is 8! And so wise! But, for the record, I voted for Egeria!
I voted for Brigid of Kildare
Because to me she just seems holier