A choice between two women today, one from 5th century Ireland and the other from Biblical times. Brigid of Kildare, whose theme song, based on her penchant for giving material possessions to the needy, may well be the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give it Away Now" faces Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, whose theme song would presumably be that early hit known as the Hail Mary.
In yesterday's Madness, Francis of Assisi stormed to victory over John Wycliffe 66% to 34% and will face the winner of Balthazar vs. Cecilia in the next round.
In case you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness you can catch it here. Then readjust your Lenten priorities to insure you never again miss Tim and Scott's hard-hitting commentary.
Brigid of Kildare
Brigid was born into slavery in 453 CE in what is now known as Ireland. She was born out of wedlock to a Druid high priest named Dubhtacht and an enslaved woman named Brocca. Dubhtacht promptly sold Brigid off, since he was hoping for a boy.
This plan didn’t work; Brigid arrived back at her father’s house when she came of age — and had freshly converted to Christianity as well. (Saint Patrick was already active in Ireland by this point, so her conversion was not surprising, but it really annoyed her father).
What further irked her father was Brigid’s practice of giving away every single thing in his house to any impoverished person who asked. Food, clothing, silver — Brigid gave it away without a second thought in order to aid the poor who flocked to her generous spirit. When Brigid gave away his jewel-encrusted sword, her father reached the end of his rope and was determined to sell her to the king.
The king didn’t share Dubhtacht’s frustration — and as he was convinced that she was a holy person, the king promptly gave Brigid her freedom.
Brigid had one goal in mind. She marched across Ireland, from Leinster to Connaught, to find and buy her mother’s freedom. After this, Brigid became a nun, and established a monastery at Kildare, where she lived for the rest of her life.
The Kildare monastery was a double monastery —meaning men and women monastics lived together — and Brigid was the abbess over both houses. It was the first such establishment, but others soon followed throughout the Celtic countryside. As abbess,Brigid was sought out for her advice and counsel, and Kildare became a great cathedral city in Ireland and a center for the arts, learning, and spirituality.
Ever the consummate hostess, many of the miracles associated with Brigid had to do with food — especially dairy foods. Her cows were rumored to give milk three times a day. In one of the most mystical stories of Brigid’s life, we find her miraculously whisked through time and space to be the midwife to Mary and wet nurse to baby Jesus. It’s easy to see why Brigid is celebrated as the patron to both dairy farmers and lactating women.
Brigid was known for being wise and generous and good at explaining the gospel in the people’s language and culture. Legend has it that she went to visit a dying man who was out of his mind with fever. She sat beside him to console him, and as she sat, she started weaving together rushes from the floor into a cross shape. The man saw what she was doing and asked what the cross meant. She explained it, and the man was moved to ask for baptism. To this day, Saint Brigid’s cross is omnipresent in Ireland.
Brigid died at Kildare in 525 CE, but her life and her presence echo still across Ireland and throughout the world today.
Collect for Brigid of Kildare
Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of your blessed servant Brigid, and we give you thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve you all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Elizabeth
We are introduced to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, in Luke’s Gospel. Elizabeth was said to be a descendant of Aaron, Israel’s first priest. She, like so many of the great mothers of the Jewish faith (for example, Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah), was old and barren. Luke is clear that her sterility was not on account of impiety; she was described as “righteous before God” and said to live “blamelessly according to all commandments and regulations of the Lord.”
Her husband Zechariah was serving as priest, offering incense in the temple, when he was informed that Elizabeth would bear a son in her old age. Zechariah expressed disbelief and was rendered mute until the day John the Baptist was presented in the temple. Elizabeth, on the other hand, modeled trust in God’s promises and was rewarded with a pregnancy entirely free of snarky comments about the amount of pita and hummus she consumed.
Elizabeth lived in seclusion for five months until she was visited by her relative, Mary. At Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in Elizabeth’s womb, leading her to praise Mary proclaiming, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” In this moment she acted as prophet, a role her son would take up when he prepared the way of the Lord in the desert. After the boy was born and when he was presented at the temple, since Zechariah was mute, Elizabeth was obedient to God’s command and named her son John. He would later be described by Jesus as “more than a prophet” and that “among those born of women no one is greater than John.”
The Protoevangelium of James narrated how during Herod’s murderous rage, Zechariah was killed for concealing Elizabeth and John. God led Elizabeth to a mountain and miraculously protected her and her young son so that John could grow and fulfill the mission God had prepared for him. Elizabeth, now an elderly widow with a young child, faithfully raised John, who was later recognized not only as a great prophet and the forerunner to the savior but also as a holy figure to be emulated in his own right.
Collect for Elizabeth
Lord God, we remember before you today Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. May we be so convicted of the presence of Jesus that, like her, we would proclaim as blessed those who bear him into the world. Grant that we would have the deep faith and abiding peace to rest in your promises for this life, no matter how incredible those promises seem to us, and to have the grace and will to proclaim those promises to the world, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
Vote!
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196 comments on “Brigid of Kildare vs. Elizabeth”
As a midwife who regularly wears Brigid's cross, I knew immediately who I'd be voting for!
Although I have utmost respect for Elizabeth, I adopted Brigid as my personal saint a long time ago, so I have to vote for her.
Had to go with Bridget as I gave my granddaughter Bridget's cross several years ago because as a young girl of 8 she started raising money for cancer and she was and is always helping people.
Elizabeth was "filled with the Holy Spirit." The visitation is one of the most joyful stories in the entire Bible. Mary and Elizabeth both had miraculous pregnancies, and were part of this huge moment in salvation history. Instead of being alone, God gave them the companionship of each other. Also in general, I really like the stories where God makes new life happen in barrenness, or where something shouldn't happen. "For nothing is impossible with God."
I know this is not the first time this has come up, but it is frustrating nonetheless: when the author, in an attempt to be factual/matter of fact, fails to bring a beloved saint to life or spark the imagination. Oh well, different day in Lent Madness, same story.
I think that will happen in subsequent rounds. Hang in there.
An Irish woman once told me her reasons for revering St. Brigid.
1. As both a Christian saint and a pagan goddess, she united Ireland's spiritual traditions.
2. She had it all over St. Patrick for miracles.
I'm also good with St. Brigid's pro-choice tradition.
Well, I win some, I lose some. Yesterday I voted for loser Wycliffe and today, uncharacteristically, I'm going for another hands-down winner. Any Celtic saint has my vote because, as I think I mentioned earlier, I spent 33 years at a church of Aidan of Lindisfarne, and another church in Boulder CO has a mission of St Brigid (which they spell "Brigit").
As a member of St. Brigid's Guild at Trinity Hattiesburg, I have to vote for St. Brigid. I hope she wins The Golden Halo!
Brigid gets my vote--though I do understand how her dad might have been perturbed by her giving away all his stuff.
Generous daughter
proved costly--Dad was mad, cows
were tired. The poor? Fed!
Lovely poem. Wish I'd written it.
My vote goes to Elizabeth. Without her, we would not have John the Baptist and without his baptizing Jesus, we might not have Jesus, Son of Man and Son of God.
I voted for Bridget, in solidarity with the poor and enslaved, but I did want to share this reflection about Elizabeth. Has it ever occurred to anybody else to wonder how Elizabeth knew that the baby's name was to be John? Zechariah was mute -- he couldn't tell her. Everybody was surprised by the name -- it wasn't just coincidence. I think Elizabeth must have been taught to read and write. Maybe Zechariah taught her himself during their long, childless union. That notion has always intrigued me.
Why ever not? She's the wife and daughter of a priest, after all. Luke tells us Zechariah 'writes on a slate,' to confirm the baby's name is John. He must have spent 9 long months talking to Elizabeth on that slate. Very good lesson in patience for both of them.
Interesting thought. Just one mor reason why I LOVE LM.
You had me at "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."
When I read Brigids story one word came to mind--spunky!
In honor of my precious granddaughter, Bridgette, I am casting my vote for Brigid.
This one was a tough choice! Elizabeth was wonderful in her support of Mary, but my vote went to Brigid for her dedication to helping those in need
Elizabeth all the way!
Oh the difficult decision! Elizabeth has my heart as an older mother and mentor to Mary. Today I put my Irish heritage aside and vote for Elizabeth.
Such a hard decision! Both such worthy women. Had to go with St. Elizabeth.
This morning is a contest between folklore and legend. Neither should survive the next round.
oooo.....get Mr. Crankypants some coffee, stat!
Something sweet to suck on also might help.
There is a relationship between Saint Brigid and the Celtic Goddess Brigid. Both are associated with wells, cows and midwifery, for example. This relationship is a plus in my book, because it is an example of a Saintly presence that transcends cultural traditions. So Brigid gets my vote.
Very tough choice! I went with Elizabeth, though, for her support of Mary and her example of faith. She brought up John the Baptist, after all. I feel good if I can just get my kids to church on time and keep them from wiggling in the pews. She was a rock star.
Yes. Though fascinated by the Brigid lore, I find myself wondering if maybe we need saints who not only urge us to get the poor "flocking" to our generosity but convict us to speak out about things like lifting economic valleys and leveling mountains.
Such beauty is the Irish spirit.
Today I vote for St. Brigid of Kildare. Not only is she one of the three patron saints of Ireland, but she is the patron saint of lactating women. Been there, done that, wish I had known of you back when. Sorry, Elizabeth, but I look forward to having an opportunity to vote for you in the future.
I can't resist stories of older women being miraculously blessed with children, so my vote went to Elizabeth. Raising John the Baptist had to be very challenging - he can't have been an easy child. And if she lived to know of his death, what sorrow she felt. Elizabeth for me!
this one was way harder than most of the others. 2 women, both offering great examples. Elizabeth for her faithfulness to God and her welcome to Mary and Jesus, and Brigid for her choice of giving away everything to those in need...But Brigid inched it out in my mind because we know more of her.
Speaking as the mother of teenagers, the woman who managed to raise John the Baptist to adulthood without strangling the boy who was likely one of the most self-righteous, knowitall adolescents of all time gets my vote. Elizabeth earned her chance at the Golden Halo!
Well, I was surprised , after I voted for Brigid, that she was in the lead. I figured Elizabeth would be an easy win. I was a bit torn at first - My second daughter's middle name is Elizabeth (in honor of this Elizabeth) but my first daughter is about to give birth and so the patron saint of lactating women has to get my vote today.
I believe that Saint Brigid's name can also be spelled as Saint Brigit as well as Saint Bride.
(If Brigid/Brigit/Bride wins the Golden Halo then will the 2016 edition of the Lentorium include purple-shrouded Saint Brigid crosses?)
Had Brigid not been up against Elizabeth, I would have voted for her. However, I must cast my vote for a woman who not only gratefully and gracefully embraced a late-in-life pregnancy, but also provided Mary with a comfortable and safe place to spend the first months of HER pregnancy. So, Elizabeth, for gladly suffering the discomforts of pregnancy at a time when you probably also had arthritis, acid reflux, and insomnia, I raise one of Brigid's beers to you!
lovely insight
Cheryle ... I'm with you on this one ... very difficult to choose between such strong and spiritual women, but Elizabeth wins my vote in today's challenge. I too raise one for Brigid!
It is too bad that we can only vote for one....I voted for Brigid. But E lizabeth also touches my heart..what wonders are presented
Two beautiful icons of faithfulness & obedience....my vote goes to Brigid for rather personal reasons - aside from a bit of Irish blood in the veins...I named my Calico tabby cat for Brigid 8 yrs ago, & while she is quite faithful, she has yet to internalize the hospitable features of her patron saint....although she has mellowed somewhat & generally deigns to observe from her throne rather than behave in a decidedly un-Brigid-like way toward guests....