When I was young, it was common to see men wearing a St. Christopher medal affixed to a chain around their necks. Known as the patron saint of travelers, his likeness also appeared on the dashboard of motorists as they gained comfort from his intercession over their safe passage to and from their destinations.
Christopher was known as a martyr who died in the third century under Decius. Though there were many conflicting stories about his journey to notoriety, he became famous for an event that was ultimately determined to be unproven. Since the details of his life are so conflicting, undocumented and cloudy, I will describe it the way I tell the story when someone asks me why I wear his medal today.
“Christopher was a big dopey guy who lived 200 years after Christ died. He was a huge man, almost giant-like. Because of his size, he was given the job of carrying people across the river by the town where he lived. One night the Christ child appeared before him and asked to cross the river. Christopher took him about half way across when he realized that baby Jesus had become incredibly heavy. It took all his strength to complete the journey and bring Jesus with the weight of the world safely to the opposite shore.
Word of Christopher’s act grew widespread after his death. By the 700’s they were naming churches after him. He was designated a Saint and remained a saint for 1200 years. In 1969, as part of Vatican Two, the church went through the exercise of reviewing each of the saints to make sure they lived holy lives. When they got to Christopher, they could not find evidence that he did any of the things that were attributed to him or that he even lived at all. In 1969, the church decided Christopher was not a saint. That same year, I asked my grandmother for this medal I wear today. Since I’ve worn it, I’ve driven and flown well over a million miles, all without any serious incident. The church could not find evidence, but I believe he did carry Christ and I believe he watches over me.”
Researching Christopher, you will find stories of a life where he served Kings and the devil on his path to Christ. Stories of his life include receiving guidance from hermits and being tempted to heresy by beautiful women only to end up converting them to Christ. All very fantastic, interesting and undocumented.
It is impossible to know whether Christopher has interceded on my behalf, but then it is impossible to know that about any saint. Praying for intercession requires faith.
What I do know is that I pray to Christopher for safe passage (particularly when my youngest sister is driving) and I have been safe. I believe those two things are related, that the Christ child appeared to Christopher, that he carried him across the river and that he’s watching over me. I don’t know if Christopher converted temptresses, but I do know that when I see his medal in my mirror each day, I think about him, I think about my grandmother and I am grateful to God for blessing my life with people who love me and stories of saints. Both bring me strength.
Links to Other Saints:
Bede the Venerable
Ephram the Syrian
Gregory the Great
Leo the Great
Peter Canisius
