Saints of the Suds: Katharina von Bora

It’s been a long time since I wrote about one of the great holy women or men who had an association with beer.  Today a new one was brought to my attention and so I couldn’t wait to share her with you.         

Of course most of us know that the great reformer and theologian Martin Luther also had a great love of beer.  He once jokingly wrote that, “Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!” But, did you know that his favorite beer was brewed not by some monastery or town brewery but by his wife, Katharina von Bora?

Lutheran friends may already be familiar with her since her “saint” day is December 20^th and thus is fast approaching.  A little quick research revealed that she was in fact an incredible woman who well deserves to be more broadly known and admired.  Katharina became a nun early.  After becoming enamored of the Reform movement and fleeing the  convent, she turned down a number of other suitors before surprising everyone and marrying the older Luther.

The Luthers lived in the Black Cloister, the former home of the Augustinian monks in Wittenberg. Katharina supported her family by gardening, making wine, raising livestock, and through use of the monastery’s right to brew, made some mean beer. She was a force to be reckoned with rising at 4 am in the summer and 5 am in the winter to oversee the workings of their large home and farm. Luther and Katharina had six children and adopted eleven more. At any given time, university students, refugees and homeless relatives lived with them.

Katharina’s prowess was not lost on Luther who showed her great respect.  He is reputed to have said, “In domestic affairs, I defer to Katie. Otherwise I am led by the Holy Ghost.” and, “At home I have good wine and beer and a beautiful wife, or (shall I say) lord.”             

Katharina’s importance has not been entirely overlooked.  She has graced a postage stamp and had Danish brewery name a beer in her honor.  So, please join me in raising a pint or, more appropriately, ein maß (mass), to Katharina von Bora.  Prost!

Every Saint has a Past, Every Sinner has a Future

One never knows where inspiration will strike.  As someone who looks for moments of the Divine outside its traditional milieu, I try to stay alert for such things, but at times even I get caught off guard.

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I was heading towards the checkout line at the local Acme when I noticed the young woman standing in front of me.  Her tank top revealed a multitude of tattoos, none of which were very good.  Yet as I was about to squinch up my nose in displeasure, I noticed the tattoo on her shoulder.  But what struck me was not its quality (it was just a poor as the others) but rather the sentiment that was permanently inscribed there.  It read “Every saint has a past.  Every sinner has a future”

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I stood transfixed, completely absorbed in considering the depth and meaning of those words.  If anything their poor execution made them even more profound.  In these words I heard a plea to look beyond the surface of a person and consider not just who they might be at the moment, but instead to try and see them as a work in progress.  Who might they have been?  Who might they still become?

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As I thought about it more I realized how very apt these words were for the occasion.  The young woman who first brought them to my attention was in fact covered with about a dozen tattoos of poor quality.  I confess that I am often quick to both judge and dismiss those who cover themselves in bad ink.  I am not proud of this fact but there it is.  How wonderfully and indeed grace-fully ironic that the very thing that would normally elicit my contempt was instead the catalyst that challenged it.

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When I got home I hurriedly googled the phrase only to find that it was in fact a rather popular expression appearing on a multitude of tattoos and Etsy jewelry.  The quote itself, like so many other profound and witty words, comes from Oscar Wilde.  In full context it reads, “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.”  In full context it rings a bit more of Wilde’s wit and social commentary, yet still held its power to challenge me.

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In thinking about those words and the young woman who first brought them to my attention I realize that I was not nearly as open-minded as I liked to think.  Truth be told I knew nothing of her past yet I was fully prepared to judge her present and indeed her future based solely on the quality of her tattoos.  Although I shall never know her name I will always be grateful to her for helping to open my eyes and see that I had a long way to go in terms of accepting that fact that regardless of whether we are saints, sinners or somewhere in between, we all have a past and that no matter how bad our past may be, that it doesn’t always have to determine our future.

Saint Brigid’s Great Lake of Beer

I should like a great lake of beer to give to God.
I should like the angels of Heaven to be tippling there for all eternity.
I should like the men of Heaven to live with me, to dance and sing.
If they wanted I’d put at their disposal vats of suffering
White cups of love I’d give them with a heart and a half.
Sweet pitchers of mercy I’d offer to every man.
I’d make heaven a cheerful spot,
Because the happy heart is true.
I’d make men happy for their own sakes.
I should like Jesus to be there too.
I’d like the people of heaven to gather from all the parishes around.
I’d give a special welcome to the women,
the three Marys of great renown.
I’d sit with the men, the women of God,
There by the great lake of beer
We’d be drinking good health forever,
And every drop would be a prayer.

Since St. Patrick’s Day has me in an Irish frame of mind, I wanted to share one of my favorite poems that perfectly melds love of God and love of beer. In it, St. Brigid envisions heaven as being a place of infinite hospitality and pleasure in which people join with saints and even God drinking good health throughout eternity.

Now to be fair, this is not a hedonistic vision. Heaven is not simply a celestial kegger. Indeed, to fully understand it you cannot overlook the “vats of suffering” and “white cups of love” which refer to the enormous acts of asceticism undertaken by Irish monks and nuns and White Martyrdom (voluntary exile) that was embraced by tens of thousands spiritual women and men over the centuries. It was all undertaken as a means to purify themselves and draw closer to God. Moreover, while the poem certainly reflects Brigid’s theology, it is almost certainly written long after Brigid lived.

Yet none of this has diminished its appeal or staying power. You may have heard references to the “Lake of Beer” before. It has also inspired art. Here it is as envisioned by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS.

In it you can see not only the Lake of Beer, Jesus, the Three Marys and Brigid herself (shown holding her cross), but also many icons of Celtic Christianity, including a high cross, round tower, and famous saints like Kevin, Brendan, Colmcille (Columba) and Patrick. You can buy it from TrinityStores.

So as you recover from your St Patrick’s celebrations, you can find a little inspiration from Brigid and her heavenly Lake of Beer.

Saints of the Suds #2: Brigid of Kildare

Our second installment deals with the much better known, Brigid of Kildare (451-525).

She, like Columbanus, is also Irish. Now you may think that it is no surprise that the Irish seem to hold the lead in this unusual category of saints, it is not for the reasons you might imagine. Rather it is due to the theology of the Celtic Church which emphasized the essential goodness of creation. More on that in another post though.
Getting back to Brigid, she is second only to Patrick in terms of both reverence and popularity. In the town of Kildare there are a number of pubs (again to on one’s surprise) which certainly try to emphasize an association with Brigid.
Like Columbanus her association with beer comes from both story and quotation. Brigid was famed for her generosity and her caring nature. She offered particular care to lepers as can be seen in the second story.
The first tale holds that she stretched one blessed barrel of beer to supply the thirsty members of 18 churches from Maundy Thursday all the way through the Easter season (53 days in all).
The second and more colorful story tells that in order to meet the needs of the thirsty lepers she was caring for she transformed their dirty bathwater into wonderful beer (ick!). A history states the following, “For when the lepers she nursed implored her for beer, and there was none to be had, she changed the water, which was used for the bath, into an excellent beer, by the sheer strength of her blessing and dealt it out to the thirsty in plenty.”
There is a related story in which she transformed her own bath water into beer for a visiting delegation of clergy (not quite as icky).
Finally, a poem attributed to Brigid begins as follows, “I should like a great lake of ale, for the King of the Kings. I should like the family of Heaven to be drinking it through all eternity.” I will share the whole poem in a future post.
It is clear that this great woman, who was revered by Christian and Pagan alike, also had a great love of beer. Indeed, as can be seen in this picture, there is even a beer named in her honor.

Almeda’s Saint Brigid’s Irish Red

So at your next opportunity take the time to raise a toast to Brigid! Slainte’

Saints of the Suds, Part II: Columbanus.

St Columbanus

This is the second of a small series of sporadic entries dedicated to saints who loved beer. While there are a number of authentic accounts of saints who personally imbibed, praised or otherwise promoted beer, they are a minority when compared to the number of saints who went on record condemning our favorite beverage. Of course to me this makes them only all the more interesting. But enough of the prologue… let’s get to the saint.

Saint Columbanus (543-615) was an Irish-born saint who helped bring Celtic monasticism to the continent. There are two associations connecting him with beer. The first is a story and the second, a quote. Legend has it that Columbanus came upon a group of men in the town of Bregenz (in modern day Austria) who were sacrificing a vat of ale to the god Wodan. Angred by this act of idolatry Columbanus breathed upon the vessel which promptly shattered and spilled the beer upon the ground. Columbanus is then reported to have then told the now frightened Wodan worshippers that good ale is wasted on false gods. He then explained that the Christian God also loved beer but only when it was drunk in his name. The result of the miracle and Columbanus’ attractive (and beer-friendly) theology brought about many conversions.

Even more famous is this quotation,

“It is my design to die in the brew house; let ale be placed to my mouth when I am expiring, that when choirs of angels come they may say, ‘May God be propitious to this drinker.’”

While this may bring a chuckle, its real significance lies not in its humor but in the fact that for Columbanus did not see any disconnect between love of beer and a life devoted to God. For too long in the country we have suffered under the weight of our Prohibitionist legacy. It is high time we recognized that it does not represent all of Christianity. Indeed the Celtic strain of the faith emphasizes the goodness of creation and so naturally fosters a love and appreciation of the blessings of life,  beer included.