Friday 31 January 2014

Vignettes from the Lives of the Irish Saints: Maidoc Dispenses Poetic Justice



Another day, his cook came to St. Maidoc and said: "To-day we have nothing left in the store-room but a small vessel of milk and a little butter; shall this be given to our guests ?" Our saint replied: "Give in abundance to all, as if you had drawn from a mountain." His command was obeyed, and on that night all were helped abundantly. Some imposters and deceitful persons, having hidden their garments in the woods, afterwards presented themselves to the bishop, asking means for clothing themselves. Our saint then said: "Wait awhile, until you receive what you ask for." The holy bishop then sent his servant to where their clothes had been hidden, without those impostors having been made aware of his intention. On returning with the garments, which the schemers recognised as their own, they immediately departed in disappointment and confusion.



Note: January 31 is the feast of Saint Maidoc (Aidan) of Ferns. A post on his life can be found here. The saint seems to have left as many accounts of his miracles as there are variants of his name and above is one of these miraculous episodes, taken from Father Colgan's Acta Sanctorum Hiberniae and brought to us by Canon O'Hanlon on page 563 of Volume One of his Lives of the Irish Saints.

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