January 29: Saint Blath of Kildare

Sometimes our lives seem quite simple and ordinary. In comparing ourselves to the Holy men and women who came before us, saints and martyrs, we may feel as if we fall short, or aren’t accomplishing daily tasks of any great significance. Saint Blath of Kildare demonstrates for us that even the most simple and ordinary tasks of daily life can become extraordinary and sacred when completed with unfailing love and devotion to Christ.

Saint Blath of Kildare (born unknown, deceased 523), also known as Flora (as her name means “flower), was a lay-sister of the Convent of Saint Brigid in Kildare, Ireland. Saint Blath was especially devoted to Saint Brigid, who founded the monastery which would become the center of religious teaching, art, and study.

Saint Blath served as cook for the monastery, the sisters of which having taken a vow of poverty, frequently gave away all their food to the poor. Saint Blath’s simple, personal sanctity, and unending faith in the Lord, is credited for consistently putting just enough food on the table for the sisters—whether it be due to stray dogs showing up at the kitchen door with bacon, the monastery’s cow producing supernatural quantities of milk, or pounds of butter and bread given away miraculously appearing in the larder the next day. It is said that, under the care of St. Blath, that the bread and bacon at St. Brigid's table were better than a banquet anywhere else at the time.

Little else is known about Saint Blath, other than her heart of service and her faith in the Lord to provide. But perhaps these two things are enough! She undertook the most basic of daily tasks—something that most of us do everyday—with devotion to Christ, and in the process created the impossibly extraordinary. We might all take a lesson from this humble servant, turning our faces toward the Lord in the midst of routine, mundane, and everyday tasks. With Him beside us, we can’t predict the extraordinary fruits of our labors!




Day 29 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Never to lose sight of God, even in “ordinary” daily tasks
Requested Intentions: Reconciliation of struggling marriages (A); Reconciliation and healing in personal relationships (N); Safety for friend deployed to Afghanistan (S); Those considering or having attempted suicide (Pr. L); Those who serve the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (N); Safety of friend/ relief worker in Haiti (L); Health and safety of new daughter (J); Renewal of loving Christ-centered relationship (A).