Preparing our Hearts
When I was a young girl, I had a book about St. Brigid of Kildare. I loved her story, not just because we shared a similar name, but because of her simplicity in her love for God.
Her story is well worth looking into for further details, but I'm going to tell you my favorite part of her story. St. Brigid came from a family of noble birth, but her parents sent her off to live with a teacher in the country, to learn her studies and was given the task of overseeing the cows in the pasture and making butter from their milk.
Often times she would see caravans on their way to the castle for dances and the such. She was always amazed at the time these young women, on their way to the castle, would spend making themselves "beautiful" for the dances they would be attending. She compared their beauty to the wild flowers in the fields where she was watching the cows. To her, these simple flowers were of incomparable beauty. She spent much of her time in the field making crosses out of the tall grass of the field and giving them to the many peasants as they passes by.
On one of these quiet days, as St. Brigid was tending the cows in the field and pondering God's beauty in the nature all around her, the Blessed Mother appeared to her holding the infant Jesus. It is said that the Blessed Mother gave little Jesus to St. Brigid to hold. She held the infant Jesus and He soon fell asleep in her arms. After a little while longer, she gave little Jesus back to His mother. This experience had forever impressed upon St. Brigid the love of her God in this very simple way- as the baby Jesus.
I was thinking about this story again as we are in the season of Advent and are preparing for the coming of the infant Jesus on Christmas. St. Brigid must have had a great peace in her soul for the Blessed Mother to bring her little baby to her and for Him to fall asleep in her arms. If St. Brigid would have been as concerned with the many interests of this world, as were the other girls on their way to the castle, she would not have been prepared to hold little Jesus in her arms.
Similarly, are our souls in a state of peace and recollected so that we will be ready on Christmas for when Our Lady will give us her baby son to hold so close in our hearts? Will we be excitedly waiting for this moment and longing for His quiet presence?
My prayer for all of us is that we silence the many distractions and materialism that is trying to take away our peaceful waiting during this time of Advent. I pray that we, like St. Brigid of Kildare, will be found prayerfully waiting when Our Lady is ready to give us her beautiful baby Jesus to hold in our hearts.
Will our hearts be a quiet place for Him to rest? Let us all resolve to purposefully live with an inner peace during this season of Advent and prayerfully await the coming of Our Lord!
Her story is well worth looking into for further details, but I'm going to tell you my favorite part of her story. St. Brigid came from a family of noble birth, but her parents sent her off to live with a teacher in the country, to learn her studies and was given the task of overseeing the cows in the pasture and making butter from their milk.
Often times she would see caravans on their way to the castle for dances and the such. She was always amazed at the time these young women, on their way to the castle, would spend making themselves "beautiful" for the dances they would be attending. She compared their beauty to the wild flowers in the fields where she was watching the cows. To her, these simple flowers were of incomparable beauty. She spent much of her time in the field making crosses out of the tall grass of the field and giving them to the many peasants as they passes by.
On one of these quiet days, as St. Brigid was tending the cows in the field and pondering God's beauty in the nature all around her, the Blessed Mother appeared to her holding the infant Jesus. It is said that the Blessed Mother gave little Jesus to St. Brigid to hold. She held the infant Jesus and He soon fell asleep in her arms. After a little while longer, she gave little Jesus back to His mother. This experience had forever impressed upon St. Brigid the love of her God in this very simple way- as the baby Jesus.
I was thinking about this story again as we are in the season of Advent and are preparing for the coming of the infant Jesus on Christmas. St. Brigid must have had a great peace in her soul for the Blessed Mother to bring her little baby to her and for Him to fall asleep in her arms. If St. Brigid would have been as concerned with the many interests of this world, as were the other girls on their way to the castle, she would not have been prepared to hold little Jesus in her arms.
Similarly, are our souls in a state of peace and recollected so that we will be ready on Christmas for when Our Lady will give us her baby son to hold so close in our hearts? Will we be excitedly waiting for this moment and longing for His quiet presence?
My prayer for all of us is that we silence the many distractions and materialism that is trying to take away our peaceful waiting during this time of Advent. I pray that we, like St. Brigid of Kildare, will be found prayerfully waiting when Our Lady is ready to give us her beautiful baby Jesus to hold in our hearts.
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