Candlemas Day

On which we got nothing done.  Almost nothing done.  We did get a wheelchair delivered to the parents of Herself's godson who lost a leg in a traffic accident.  He lives even further away but they will get it to him forthwith I'm told.  That, unaccountably, took up the entire day.

But we didn't get to Mass with or without candles, only said the Little  Office of Our Lady (because it's "little" and fits in my pocket),  didn't finish a bunch of insurance documents I'm supposed to review, didn't practice for an upcoming funeral, didn't finish taking down the Christmas decorations, and didn't do a whole raft of other things which I not only didn't do but can't remember at the moment.

Since it is Candlemas Day you might want to read about same.  The Inn has a couple of relevant posts from past years here and here which are still enjoyable if I do say so who shouldn't.

If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
The half o the winter's to come and mair;
If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
The half o the winter's gane at Yule. 

Not from Accuweather but possibly just as accurate.

February 1 -- St Brigid's Day

A collect for St Brigid:

O God, whose dwelling-place is the  pure in heart : grant that we who venerate the memory of Saint Brigid, thy faithful spouse, may have grace to follow the example of her unspotted life  Through Our Lord.   Amen.

That is from the lovely old Anglican Breviary. She's not in the general Roman calendar, the American Ordinariate calendar - a sad failing - nor any of the local feasts given for North America in my old St Andrew Missal.  The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham gives her feast and a delightful reading but no collect.   Ireland, of course, has a proper collect for her.  The old rite has one -- but I don't have access to it.  The Pauline rite has one, too, but I don't know what I've done with the book.  It's around here somewhere but I don't use it and haven't seen it in a while.  As I recall, it was quite good.  A tad bland as is the modern fashion.  But not heretical as is, alas, sometimes also the modern fashion.

UCD's cultural heritage collection has an interesting article here on her legend and lore throughout the ages.  Not terribly devotional - and a bit too obsessed with druids and suchlike, as is yet again the modern fashion, but still pretty interesting.

Here the Medieval Manuscripts Blog gives a collection of tales of St Brigid's miracles.  (The exploding eye one does seem a bit gruesome, even if it was an illusion.)

And, for what it's worth,  February 1 is my grandmother's birthday.  When she was born Ireland was British, Victoria was still queen and, indeed, had yet another 20+ years to go, and Rutherford B. Hayes was president.