Feast Day of Saint Martin
November 11 is the day set on the church calendar as the feast day of our patron saint, Martin, Bishop of Tours. Martin was born about 330, to pagan parents. At about 15 years of age, he began his service as a soldier in the Roman army, as was expected of him since his father was a soldier. Martin had begun to learn about Christianity, but had not yet made the commitment to be baptized. While still in service as a soldier, one cold winter day, he came upon a poor, ill-clad beggar at the city gate in Amiens. Martin had no money to give the man, but cut his Roman soldier’s cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. Then, in a dream that night, or the following night, Jesus appeared to Martin wearing the half-cloak. Martin knew then that he had encountered Christ in that beggar and was soon baptized. He made the decision that he could not serve Christ and be a soldier. Martin pursued the vocation of a hermit and monk, eventually founding a monastery in Gaul, and lived a life of strict asceticism.
Around the year 371 or 372, Martin was reluctantly elected Bishop of Tours. “The legend goes that whilst trying to avoid being ordained bishop, St Martin hid in a goose pen only to be betrayed by the squawking of the geese.”[i] So, often times, a goose is used as a symbol of St. Martin. Martin agreed to accept the election as bishop only if he could continue with his ascetic lifestyle, and so continued to live outside the city in very sparse conditions. Interestingly, his fellow bishops were not happy with Martin and this choice, as many of them enjoyed extravagant living and comfortable surroundings. Martin’s lack of creature comforts tended to make them look greedy or self-centered. Martin “was always a staunch defender of the poor and the marginalized.”[ii]
November 11, “The Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an Earthly sovereign, and then enlisted in the service of Christ, is also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War”[iii] that we now observe as Veterans Day. May we, today, remember Martin and all those who have pursued a life of selfless service to others.
Collect for Martin of Tours:
Lord God of hosts, you clothed your servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice and set him as a bishop in your church to be a defender of the catholic faith: Give us grace to follow in his holy steps, that, at the last, we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.[iv]
[ii] "Lesser Feasts and Fasts," 2018, Church Publishing Incorporated, pg. 496.
[iv] "Lesser Feasts and Fasts," 2018, Church Publishing Incorporated, pg. 497.
