March 6 | Saint Colette

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, we have a story about dreams, grit, and a woman who simply wouldn't take no for an answer when she knew she had a job to do. This is the life of Saint Colette.

Imagine this. You are living in a world that is loud, chaotic, and confusing. You decide the only way to get close to God is to shut it all out. Literally. You move into a tiny space at an abbey, living as a hermit. You cut ties with the world to focus entirely on prayer. You are safe. You are quiet. You are hidden. But then, you have a dream. And in that dream, you are told that your quiet life is over. You have to go back out there, into the mess, and fix things.

That is exactly what happened to Saint Colette. But her story actually starts with a miracle before she was even born. Colette was born in Picardy, France, in the year 1381. Her entry into the world wasn't simple. Her father was a poor, aging carpenter, and for a long time, he and his wife struggled with infertility. It seemed like they would never have children. Desperate, they prayed to Saint Nicholas for help.

Their prayers were answered. They had a baby girl, and to honor the saint who interceded for them, they named her Nicolette, or as we know her, Colette. By the time she was 17 years old, both of her parents had passed away, leaving her an orphan. She was young, alone, and had an inheritance to manage. But Colette did something radical. She didn't keep the money for safety. She gave away her inheritance to the poor. She joined the Third Order Franciscans and went to live at the Benedictine Abbey of Corby.

But she didn't just live in the abbey. She lived as a hermitess. Even though she was hidden away, word got out. People realized there was something special about her, a deep holiness, and they started coming to her, seeking her spiritual counsel.

She could have stayed there forever, but in 1406, Colette had a dream. In this vision, she was told that she needed to reform the Poor Clares. The Poor Clares are a religious order of nuns. At this time in history, things had gotten a bit lax. They had drifted away from their original, strict way of life. Colette, the quiet hermit, was being called to shake things up. This wasn't just a good idea she had. She received the official Poor Claire habit, the clothing worn by the nuns, from a man named Peter de Luna.

At that time, because of some major confusion in the church and politics, he was the man recognized as Pope by the French. He didn't just give her a blessing. He gave her a massive job. He commissioned her to reform the Poor Clares and appointed her as the superior of all the convents she reformed. Imagine being appointed the boss of a huge organization when you've been living as a hermit. It wasn't smooth sailing. The sources tell us she faced significant hardships and opposition.

You can imagine that not everyone wanted to be reformed. Change is hard, and people often fight back against it. But Colette didn't back down. She was a powerhouse. By the end of her life, she had founded 17 new convents and reformed several existing ones. In fact, her influence was so strong that a branch of the Poor Clares is still known today as the Colettan Poor Clares. Saint Colette died in 1477 and was eventually canonized in 1807 by Pope Pius VII. But her legacy isn't just about buildings and habits.

She is known for miracles, specifically those relating to childbirth. Because of her own miraculous birth to older parents, Saint Colette is the patron saint of expectant mothers and women seeking to conceive. So, what made her so tough? How did she endure the opposition and the hard work? She had a laser-like focus on her mission. We actually have a prayer that captures her intensity perfectly. She said, I dedicate myself in health, in illness, in my life, in my death, in all my desires, in all my deeds, so that I may never work henceforth except for your glory, for the salvation of souls, and towards the reform for which you have chosen me.

From this moment on, dearest Lord, there is nothing which I am not prepared to undertake for love of you. We all have comfort zones. Maybe yours is sitting in the back of the class, or only hanging out with the same two friends, or avoiding trying a new sport because you might not be good at it. This week, identify one thing you've been avoiding because it seems hard or uncomfortable, even though you know it's the right thing to do. Take a page from St.

Colette's book. Say a quick prayer dedicating your action to God, and then just do it. Be prepared to undertake the hard stuff. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.