Browsing Category Saint of the Day

The Rev’d Alban Butler (1710-1773) undertook to write a thoroughgoing account of saints for the Catholic Book Society (Derby, England: Thomas Richardson & Son). What resulted was a massive 12-volume (one per month) work: The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints: Compiled from Original Monuments and Other Authentic Records. The first edition was completed in 1759, and became a classic in hagiography, with later editions that included commentary, such as the 1842-1846 work, used here.
[Because subsequent research showed that certain individuals never existed or had actually been pagan deities cloaked in a Christian veneer, or because the miracles were simply too “out there” for a more modern audience, a severe gelding of Butler’s magisterial work took place in 1956. Alas.]
Out of each day’s multiple stories, I shall lift up those vignettes to riff on. Enjoy and (if it’s in your particular vernacular) be edified! – TK

A Leader CAN Care About Poor Folk! St. Oswin (August 20)

Tim Koch Saint of the Day 0 Comment

See if you can follow this all:

Ethelfrid had two sons, Oswald and Oswi. (There’s a lot of “Os-” people in this tale). Oswald and Oswi had a cousin, Oswin (our saint). Just for good measure, our Oswin’s father was named Osric. Our Oswin took over as king of a territory bordering that of cousin Oswi (who, sadly, later kills our saint in order to capture Oswin’s kingdom).

Butler describes our Oswin’s reign and his own bearing thus:

[H]e governed seven years with great virtue, prudence and prosperity, beloved by all [excepting cousin Oswi, of course], and enjoyed plenty, and every spiritual and temporal advantage. He was tall in stature, comely in his person, liberal and affable to all, especially to the poor, sober at table, modest and most devout.

In short, Oswin was a seventh-century Justin Trudeau!

With all of this going for him, Oswin was still willing to be called out when he lost sight of what’s truly important–and it is this quality that makes Oswin so worthwhile. The story goes like this: The king had a bishop that he truly respected, and he provided this bishop with a royal horse with magnificent accoutrement so that the bishop could make his rounds more easily and spread the Gospel over even greater parts of the country. Well, the bishop one day met a beggar, and because the bishop had nothing else of value to offer the mendicant, the bishop gave him the horse (with all the trimmings)!

When next Oswin met up with the bishop, Oswin chid the bishop for giving away such a valuable horse–telling the bishop that if the poor man needed a horse, there were many, many other (lesser) horses in the king’s stables. What would this beggar need with so fine a mount, anyhow?! The bishop’s reply: “Is then a colt more valuable in your majesty’s eye, than a son of God?”

Not immediately, but after serious thought, Oswin came forth and threw himself at the bishop’s feet, asking the bishop to forgive him for trying to censure charity of any sort whatsoever! The bishop bade Oswin rise, and then reassured the king that he had found the right and righteous way.

Can you imagine, my friends, a national leader who actually sees the poor as daughters and sons of God? Who would dedicate himself to never blocking generosity to those in need?