ST BATHILD, SLAVE, QUEEN, NUN AND SAINT - 30 JANUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY

Saints celebrated on the 30th of January

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST BATHILD, SLAVE, QUEEN, NUN AND SAINT 

St Bathild [Bathildis] lived in the 7th century and her life took on great changes. She was a slave who became a queen, and then ended her years as a humble nun. All through her life, St Bathild remained a devout Christian.

SHE WAS SOLD AS A SLAVE

A beautiful and gifted Anglo-Saxon girl, St Bathild was sold as a slave to an officer of the imperial court of the Frankish king, Clovis II. She caught the king’s eye, and he married her in 657. St Bathild bore him three sons, all of whom would wear the crown. 

SHE SERVED AS A REGENT

The youngest son was only four years old when the king died, so St Bathild served as regent. Although these were difficult times she was able to take a firm stand on religious and social issues. St Bathild made generous contributions to several abbeys and founded monasteries, into one of which she planned to retire. 

SHE WAS FORCED OUT OF HER OFFICE

This came sooner than expected as a political revolution forced her out of her office in 665. In her declining years she became a nun and lived with the other sisters in humility and obedience, considering herself the lowest in the community. 

THE MOST DEMEANING CHORES

She chose the most demeaning chores, like cleaning up the dung from the latrine. She did this gladly, performing such humble service for Christ’s sake. Towards the end of her life, St Bathild endured much pain as her health deteriorated, but she concealed the extend of the pain from the other sisters to keep them from worrying about her. St Bathild – slave, queen, nun and saint – died in 680.

(From "Spiritual Thought From Father Chris")