23 July 2020 – Feast of St Bridget of Sweden
The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
From Galatians 2: 19-20
St Bridget lived in the 1300s when the options for women were marriage and family or a monastic life. St Bridget managed to live both. She was a noblewoman, married to Ulf with whom she had eight children. Although they lived at court, neither was happy with the extravagances of such a life and made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Here, they both sensed a call to a monastic life and, it seems, gave each other permission to follow that call. Following Ulf’s death, Bridget founded a double monastery for men and women and eventually, found her way to Rome where she served the poor.
Her faithfulness to the vocations offered to her speak of someone who was willing to offer back her life – and who was willing to change according to the circumstances in which she found herself.
- When have you sensed a call to a change of direction?
- How does willingness to change and grow express your love of Christ and his call for your life?
Pray today for a willingness to change and grow so that you life becomes an offering of love to the one who loves you and gave himself for you.
