Only one thing is known for sure about the life of St Christopher and that is he died a martyr’s death. The rest comes to us thru legend. However, I believe that legends, especially those that linger on, have more than a modicum of truth. These stories often have much to teach us about ourselves and our lives. For this reason, I want to share with you the most common legend about the life of St Christopher…the Christ Bearer.**
Christopher was a Canaanite who was at least 7 feet 5 inches tall. When he was in service to the king of Canaan, he decided that he wanted to serve the greatest king of all, so he went in search to find this great king.
His search brought him first to his own king. However, when he saw the king make the sign of the cross at the mention of the devil’s name, Christopher decided that the devil must be stronger than the king of Canaan. Next he went off in search of the devil. His quest led him to a group of thieves one of whom proclaimed himself to be the devil. Christopher served this man for awhile, but then noticed that his new king went out of his way to avoid a simple roadside cross. This led Christopher to realize that even the devil was afraid of Christ.
He then set off to find Christ. His search led him to a hermit who taught him about the Christian faith. When he was finished with his instructions, Christopher asked how he could serve Christ. The hermit replied he could serve Christ with fasting and prayer. However, Christopher replied that he would not be able to fast. Then the hermit replied that because of his immense size, he could serve Christ by helping people to cross a dangerous river. Many people had died during the crossing and the hermit thought Christopher could save lives if he helped at the river.
With this in mind, Christopher went off to help people cross the river. When he had been doing this for some time, a child asked Christopher to help him across. Although he was only a child, he was the heaviest person Christopher had ever helped. As he made the crossing, the river began to rise and the child became so heavy that Christopher could hardly carry him. He worried that he might not make it to the opposite side of the river. When they finally came to dry ground, Christopher put the child down and said to the child: "You have put me in the greatest danger. I do not think the whole world could have been as heavy on my shoulders as you were." The child replied: "You not only had the weight of the whole world on your shoulders but also Him who made it. I am Christ your king, whom you are serving by this work." The child then vanished.
If we are Christians, then we too are Christ bearers. It is, by definition, who we are because we bear Christ to the rest of the world. St Christopher was called to physically bear Christ across a raging river. However, Jesus said: “As you do unto the least of these my brethren, so you do unto Me” For this reason, even when he was bearing others across the river, Christopher was bearing Christ.
In the same manner, we bear Christ when we bear one another's burdens. Often the “river” that we bear them across is difficult, perhaps at flood level and we can get overwhelmed by the people we are helping. Yet, if we persevere, when we get “to the other side” we, like Christopher, will discover that we were bearing Christ all along.
**In the Greek Language, the name Christopher means Christ Bearer
Please click here to learn how to pray the chaplet for St Christopher
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