St Christopher
On the 2nd day of the Coptic month of Baramouda we celebrate the life of Saint Christopher.
Christopher was known to be unsightly and a giant of a man, but the soul of a good and gentle man. During the reign of Emperor Decius, Christopher had been captured by imperial soldiers. Christopher admonished them for their ill treatment of Christians. Their captain beat him severely in response to this admonishment. “If it was not for the command of Christ,” Christopher boldly stated. “Which teaches me not to do unto others what they do unto us; you and your soldiers could not be delivered from my hands.”
When Decius heard of the courage of this single man, he dispatched two hundred soldiers to bring him in. With Christopher in tow, and on their way back to the Emperor, they ran out of bread, except for a very small portion. Christopher prayed and God blessed that little portion into an abundance of bread. The soldiers marvelled and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Christopher. Upon returning to Antioch, the soldiers were baptized by the hands of Pope Paul the Patriarch.
Eventually Christopher was brought forth before the Emperor and Decius trembled in fear at the appearance of this hulking man. But that imperial snake tried to charm, persuade and deceive Christopher into denying his faith in Christ. Bringing forth two attractive women to try and seduce Christopher. But to the dismay of Decius, Christopher brought the women to Christ and they proclaimed their faith before the Emperor. Enarged, he had their heads cut off - and they received the crown of martyrdom.
The emperor had Christopher put into a boiling hot cauldron, but Christopher was unharmed. The people witnessing this event, believed in the power of Christian faith and believed in Jesus Christ. Disgusted by his attempts to tame the rise of Christianity even in his own court, the Emperor Decius ordered a heavy stone be tied around the giant’s neck and then have him thrown into a pit. But the angel of the Lord took him out of the pit safely. Finally the Emperor has his head cut off, and Christopher received the crown of martyrdom.
Lessons from this story
Christopher, or in Greek “Christophorus” means “bearing Christ.” The story you have heard is the Coptic telling of Christopher’s martyrdom in the name Jesus Christ. But there is a Catholic telling of this same saint, that has elements important to his reference as the “patron saint of travellers”.
Because of his size, he worked along a river, helping travellers to cross a sometimes roaring river. He had long been brought to Christ by a hermit who taught him about the King of Kings. As the legend goes, Christopher was asked to help a small boy to cross the river. Christopher obliged. However, as he approached midstream, the river rose and the child's weight grew, becoming extremely heavy. It was only by great exertion that Christopher safely delivered the child to the other side.
When Christopher asked the child why he was so heavy, the child explained that He was Christ and when Christopher carried Him, he also carried the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. The child then vanished. This telling of his story has passed down from many, many generations. There have been some debate about his past, but his sainthood has never been questioned.
God knows the truth. Not just about Christopher, but about you and me. He knows intimately, even better than we know ourselves. How many times have you done something that someone else got the credit for your effort or idea? This has probably happened more than once in your life. But God knows the truth. In the telling of Saint Christopher’s time of martyrdom, it was not his hulking strength that ultimately saved him, but his faith. Do not burden yourself with the credit deserved, for your credit is always good and safe with God.

Prayer
May the prayers and intercessions of St...