Like a fine wine or a craft beer, Lent Madness goes down smoothly with notes of penitence and joy. Fortunately, with today's battle, we have both possibilities at play. Arnulf of Metz is the patron saint of beer brewers; Vincent of Saragossa is the patron saint of wine makers. They have other identities as well, as you'll soon discover.
Yesterday, in what any commentators are calling a major upset, Catherine Booth doused Joan of Arc 63% to 37%.
You know, one of the things we love about Lent Madness is the ecumenical nature of both the bracket and the participants. We're happy to give our Lutheran friends some love, and bid you to check out the brilliant video podcast Reflections on Faith by the Rev. Tim Westrmeyer of St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Minnesota. Enjoy!
And then go vote.
Arnulf of Metz
Very few saints have the pedigree of Arnulf (also Arnold, c. 582–642). He was born into the royal Merovingian dynasty and became the third greatgrandfather of Charlemagne.
Arnulf’s life and career began in politics. As an administrator and military officer, he was intimately involved in the palace intrigues and power plays of his day. This eventually led to his appointment as the bishop of Metz, a position imbued with both political and religious importance in the empire.
Whatever his faith life was before his ordination and consecration, the position seems to have transformed him. He was known to be generous with his wealth, redistributing it to those in need. The people of Metz faced constant threat of illness, so the bishop advised them to drink more beer, which was boiled in the brewing process, rather than the water of questionable quality. During one particularly virulent outbreak of illness, Arnulf plunged his pectoral cross into a brew kettle, telling his parishioners, “Don’t drink the water, drink the beer.”
Troubled by the violence among the royal houses and worried that he had contributed to the feuds, Arnulf tossed his episcopal ring into a river and prayed that God would return the ring to him as a sign that he had been forgiven for his earlier life. Legend has it that years later, a fisherman brought dinner to the bishop; cutting into the fish, they discovered the ring in its belly.
At about forty years old, Arnulf withdrew to the monastic life. With a few close friends, he lived as a hermit in the French mountains. The former courtier and bishop lived out the rest of his days in prayer and contemplation.
One more outpouring of grace awaited. In the middle of the summer of 642, a group from Metz traveled to Arnulf’s mountain retreat to gather their beloved bishop’s remains and return them to the city. Trudging over the hard terrain in the heat, the group came to an inn and stopped to refresh themselves. Unfortunately, the innkeeper only had enough ale for one mug. However, as they passed the one mug between themselves, the beer never ran out. All of them had enough and were refreshed. Arnulf reminds us of the importance of life’s second act, and the value of a refreshing mug of beer.
Collect for Arnulf of Metz
O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant, Arnulf, to be a bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Vincent of Saragossa
Vincent of Saragossa was the first Christian martyred in the country of Spain. He was killed under the persecution of the emperor Diocletian in the year 304 in the northeast of Spain.
Vincent was born in Huesca, near Saragossa. He was ordained a deacon and became a preacher and spokesman for the bishop of Saragossa, Valerius, who had a speech impediment. Together, they were brought to Valencia and tried by Dacian, the governor of Spain under Diocletian. Vincent suffered extreme torture—being stretched on a rack, torn at with hooks, and burned on a hot gridiron. Through it all, he remained peaceful and refused to denounce the gospel or burn the Bible. His tranquility while suffering such pain converted his guards, which is a common occurrence in the narratives of early Christian martyrs.
While the elderly bishop Valerius was punished with exile, Vincent died upon a bed of pottery shards. He was wrapped in a sack and thrown into the sea, but his fellow Christians recovered his body and carried it to a spot now called Cape Vincent in Portugal. It is believed that ravens protected his body from vultures, and they continued to guard the shrine where his relics were interred. When Arabs ruled the region, they named this shrine the Church of the Raven. In the twelfth century, Saint Vincent’s body was exhumed and brought to Lisbon to buried at the cathedral.
Vincent is a widely venerated saint, thanks to many popular hagiographies of the Middle Ages. There are churches that honor him all over Spain, including Castres on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. When Christopher Columbus and his crew were the first Europeans to discover an island in the Caribbean on January 22, Saint Vincent’s feast day. Columbus named the island St. Vincent to honor the saint. Vincent is the patron saint of Valencia, Saragossa, and Portugal as well as wine, vinegar, and brickmakers.
His popularity reminds us of the power of the stories of the early Christians whose bravery and faith were so great they inspired the growth of the church. Vincent’s witness helps us remember not to oppress other minorities and reminds us that Christianity is a religion of peace, humility, and sacrifice, not domination or complacency.
Collect for Vincent of Saragossa
Almighty God, whose deacon Vincent, upheld by you, was neither terrified by threats nor overcome by torments: Strengthen us to endure all adversity with invincible and steadfast faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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171 comments on “Arnulf of Metz vs. Vincent of Saragossa”
My church (St. John's Cathedral, Diocese of Rupert's Land) has been called 'the Cathedral that Beer Built', because one of the major donors to the building fund was one of the parishioners who owned a brewery. Therefore, although I do not like the taste of beer, I cast my vote for Arnulf. I'm also voting for him because he used his wealth to help others and strikes me as being very down to earth. He 's someone I'd like to have known. (I'd have found Vincent's piety just a little off-putting, not to mention intimidating!) The fact that Arnulf was Charlemagne's three times great grandfather is a reminder that at one time priests were not required to be celibate. That ruling came in 1139 at the Second Lateran Council.
(The universal church owned far more land in the twelfth century than it had in the seventh, and imposing celibacy was an effective defense against the need to provide inheritances for offspring.)
I prefer wine over beer, but Arnie’s for me.
Vincent gets my vote. Martyr trumps Beer.
I think I’ll support the martyr today, over the leader and hermit. Walker Shaw, you make an excellent point! But I am most impressed by today’s bloggers; there’s very little information available on either of these ancient saints.
I had to vote for Vincent, a humble deacon and brave martyr for Christ.
I was pleased to learn about Arnulf, and have added him to my (fairly long) list of preferred saints -- not least because of the beer -- but having joined the Order of St. Vincent about 70 years ago (and I still have the silver medal that came to me several years later) I had to vote for Vincent.
"Vincent’s witness helps us remember not to oppress other minorities and reminds us that Christianity is a religion of peace, humility, and sacrifice, not domination or complacency." - yes! May it be so with each of us, Lord! My vote went with Vincent.
For wine and ravens and bricklayers, we give you thanks, O Lord. My vote, against the tide though it may be, is for Vincent.
I vote for Vincent because my husband, who was born in OH, taught university-level Spanish for more than 40 years.
Have to vote Saint Arnold because our home grown brewery! https://www.saintarnold.com/
Just reading the Lentmadness bios, with Arnulf 's magic ring tales and retiring to be a hermit, I was inclined to vote for suffering Vincent. Further research revealed the very wise work of the Bishop of the bishop in times of complicated statecraft. His retirement after 15 years and being progenitor for the first Holy Roman Emperor got my admiration. After such scholarly meditation, I decided to have a beer and vote for hops over grapes.
I've given up alcohol more or less permanently, but even my atheist husband would enjoy sharing a mug of beer with Arnulf, so he gets my vote today.
I'm not a beer drinker, but chose Arnulf because he hailed from Metz. I was taught (in the U.S.) for 12 years of school by an order of Catholic nuns whose mother house is in Metz, so it rang a fond bell for me. And although we don't know about his family, still I envy his being able to retreat to a mountaintop. I wouldn't mind that at all...maybe with a bottle of wine on the shelf.
I voted for Arnulf because I lived for a period of years in one of the Metz Mansions in Omaha that was built by one of the Metz brothers who also owned the Metz brewery. Recently one of the local brewers re-created one of the Metz beers, one of our favorites. I do like a good glass of wine, but in this case, beer won over.
Although intrigued by the promise of a bottomless beer mug, I am more impressed by St Vincent's peaceful and unwavering dedication to Christ under horrific conditions.
So what is the connection between Vincent and wine? I might have voted for him if I knew the connection, since I enjoy a glass of wine occasionally.
Being equally fond of beer, I voted for Arnulf.
By the way, in the book "A History of the World in 6 Glasses", mention is made of how beer was better than water because it had been boiled.
I immediately thought of the endless stein of beer to go with the loaves and fishes. Also when my son visited China years ago with a friend they drank beer because they were unsure about the purity of the water.
So my vote went to arnulf
"Patron Saint of winemakers" brought to mind the Sunday Mike stared at the chalice before him, and took it to the sacristy and was gone so long the congregation began to murmur. A robed acolyte and a robed Altar Guild lady came out and stood back-to the congregation, near the credence table and then moved sideways, awkwardly, to the table, and still back-to the congregation. Mike appeared with the chalice, covered, facing the congregation, moving quickly, but blocked by the now quivering robed parishioners. Turns out the entire chancel area and the table was swarming with a multitude of ants, first noticed in the chalice of wine. I voted for Vincent, not for what either saint did, or what either blogger wrote, but for the collect for St. Vincent of Saragossa offered by Amber Belldene. The comments are fantastic. To me, there's no question we all need strength to endure adversity with invincible and steadfast faith, for several more months--maybe even years. Cheers to St. Vincent and to Amber!
I found this about Vincent's connection to winemakers: read://https_www.chateaudepommard.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chateaudepommard.com%2Fwine%2Fsaint-vincent-patron-saint-winemakers%23%3A~%3Atext%3DSaint-Vincent%2520was%2520a%2520deacon%2C%2520a%2520martyr%2520of%2520the%2Cwhy%2520Saint%2520Vincent%2520was%2520granted%2520patronage%2520of%2520winemakers. It makes for interesting reading.
That being said, I am not a drinker at all except for communion (where I intinct rather than drink because I don't care for the taste of strong wines). So I had to look elsewhere for inspiration for my vote other than preferring one beverage over another. The festivals that arise around St Vincent of Saragossa, with mutual cooperation among the vintners inspired me.
I got nothing on the link. Said the page was not available... 🙁
Vincent has my vote but I am partial to wind. He suffered so much for his love of Jesus and did so with peace and never denounced the gospels. What bravery and fait.
Puzzler and ponderer that I am, I have been worrying this issue of Vincent refusing to "burn the Bible" for hours. He died in 304, but the Bible was not assembled until around 400 CE. "Bible" is "ta biblia" in Greek, "books" in the plural, not singular. The Bible is a collection of "books," or manuscripts, both Hebrew and New Testament. But the Bible was not assembled until the early fifth century. And it was a manuscript, not a "book" as depicted in the icon of Vincent above. So I guess what I'm saying is, anachronism is integral to hagiography. Saints' lives are a pious concoction of faith, dogma, fantasy, and political calculation. Somehow the "Bible" itself as a physical artifact began to be impressed into narratives about the corporeal and spiritual journeys of people important to Christians' understanding of themselves and their heritage. It makes me wonder how central the Bible is as a physical and spiritual object for us today, and then I have only to remember that but a few months ago it was used as the centerpiece for a photo opportunity in the service of propaganda while citizens and clergy were gassed to allow the passage of the fungible totem, toted carefully in a $1540 Max Mara handbag. Vincent toted his Bible in his own blood. For him it was precious, not "my precious." I hereby reaffirm my vote for Vincent and go now to crack open my Bible and my book of common prayer for some Lenten devotions.
https://www.learnreligions.com/when-was-the-bible-assembled-363293
Thanks for the history lesson, Celia. I decided to vote for Vincent in part because of his connection to the Camino. I had been intending to walk the Camino for a week last year, postponed it to October of this year, and now am hoping to do it in 2022, praying that I will still be physically capable at 69 to walk 80 miles in six days.
And I love your metaphor of Vincent carrying the Bible which did not physically exist in his blood. Mr. Trump's photo op appeared to be strictly a physical display, I am afraid he had nothing of the Bible in his heart or his blood. I will try to carry it in my blood whenever I get the opportunity to trod the Camino in addition to a Book of Common Prayer in my pocket.
I also want to walk the Camino. Vaya con dios!
Thank you both for your thoughtful and interesting comments.
A saint who withdraws from society with a handful of close friends is a saint for our age.
Here's to the importance of the second act in life. My vote for Arnulf/
Your comments are always well-worth reading. I just glossed over the whole Bible anachronism. Glad you caught it!
StCelia, that comment was for you. I must have hit the wrong “reply” button.
"Here I am." 😉
When one an illness gets, drink beer, per Arnulf of Metz!
The bottomless beer mug!
Amber Belledene Thank you for Vincent's Collect - pretty powerful!
Based on the comments, I suspect that Arnold is winning, but my father's name was Vincent, so I have to vote for him. On a trip to Portugal a few years ago, we visited Capo Dr Sao Vice so, and I had to buy a tee shirt to wear in honor of my father.
The ravens convinced me for the vote! I can never resist a raven, although the name Arnulf is quite charming. So Vincent it is.
I am lifting a glass for St. Vincent. A good wine is a wonderful blessing. If it is inexpensive, even more so.