(Poem attributed to St. Brigid herself, which seems highly unlikely.)
I’d like to give a lake of beer to God.
I’d love the heavenly
Host to be tippling there
For all eternity.
I’d love the men of Heaven to live with me,
To dance and sing.
If they wanted, I’d put at their disposal
Vats of suffering.
White cups of love I’d give them
With a heart and a half;
Sweet pitchers of mercy I’d offer
To every man.
I’d make Heaven a cheerful spot
Because the happy heart is true.
I’d make the men contented for their own sake.
I’d like Jesus to love me too.
I’d like the people of heaven to gather
From all the parishes around.
I’d give a special welcome to the women,
The three Marys of great renown.
I’d sit with the men, the women and God
There by the lake of beer.
We’d be drinking good health forever
And every drop would be a prayer.
Brigid was born in Ireland in 450 AD. Her mother was a Christian and father was a pagan. He treated the both of them as slaves. Brigid was a beautiful girl and this was a distraction to the community.
site of a mound, Navan Fort, where rituals and pagan holidays were recognized
Brigid asked God make her ugly, take away worldly beauty. God granted her request, and she spent much of her life as a ugly woman. Her father had tried to use her beauty to connect with a husband, but being ugly made that impossible.
Brigid headed to convent of St. Macaille and made her vows to dedicate her life to God.
There she performed miracles and healing. She wove a cross from river reeds, and lay it on a dead man, and he rose alive. The woven handmade cross hangs on my walls.
Her beauty was restored, and her work expanded into a double monastery, for both nuns and monks. Brigid established art school for metal and illumination. The earliest illustrated manuscript was written in the Manuscripts of Kildare, and is recognized as being the oldest illuminated in early church history.
February 1 is known as the "feast day" and "Mary of Ireland" and it is celebrated as the first day of spring. It is also the day on which Irish plant potatoes.
Just how many Irish saints are there? St. Patrick, St. Collumkille, and St. Brigid.
That is far more than I intended to write. Looking at Brigid's life and her acts of devotion made me want to tell you more about her. A Christian, in a country where paganism was strong, had to carry a heavy load.
