All Else Confusion

When I first moved back to Worcester, I organized a young adult group. We took St. Elizabeth of Hungary as our patron. The daughter of the king of Hungary, Elizabeth was married at 14 to a German prince. She was known for her charitable work with the sick and the poor. Her husband was also very religious, but worried about her contact with the poor. Therefore, he forbade her from taking bread to the poor. But, Elizabeth still tended to the poor. One day, while she was bringing bread to the poor, Elizabeth encountered her husband. He looked under her mantle to see what she was carrying, but the bread had turned to roses. Elizabeth was widowed at a young age when her husband was killed in the crusades. She cared for her three children and entered religious life as a third order Franciscan. Therefore, Elizabeth, who had embraced both the vocation of married life and the vocation of religious life was extremely suitable to be our patron. Elizabeth died at the age of 24.

Collect:
Father,
You helped Elizabeth of Hungary
to recognize and honor Christ
in the poor of this world.
Let her prayers help us to serve our brothers and sisters
in time of trouble and need.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Labels: Feast Day