St. Brigid of Ireland

To be honest, I don't keep track of that many saints' festival days. I remember the feast day of St. Michael and All Angels on September 29th (because it's my birthday). And, like most Americans, I remember St. Valentine's and St. Patrick's Days, since they're pretty hard to miss. Today is one of the few saint's days that I remember without all the trappings of commerciality: February 1st is the feast day of St. Brigid of Ireland.

There are lots of great legends about her - a Christian in pagan Ireland in the 5th century, she founded abbeys and was known for her extreme generosity to the poor. One story tells of how she wove a cross out of rushes from the floor while sitting at the death bed of a pagan chieftan. When he asked what she was doing, she explained the cross and life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The chieftan then converted and was baptized before he died.

I wear a silver Brigid's cross most days- it was a gift from Grant while we honeymooned in Ireland. It reminds me not only of what Jesus has done for me and for the world, but also reminds me of my time and friends in Ireland, and that I need to be ready to explain my faith, even to unlikely people. Brigid's cross has sparked more than one conversation, when folks have commented on the "different-ness" of my necklace, which has given me opportunities to talk about Jesus when I would have least expected it.

Who could you share your faith with today?