September 1 | Saint Giles

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, imagine this scenario for a second. You are exhausted. You are trying to get some peace, quiet, and isolation. You just want to be completely alone to pray, think, and live a remarkably simple life.

But every single time you find a quiet spot, a massive crowd of eager fans tracks you down. You are practically a 7th century superstar. What do you do? Well, you run further into the deep, dark wilderness. But out there in the wild, danger is lurking behind the trees. One day, out of nowhere, a hunter's arrow comes flying through the branches and strikes you right in the knee.

This is the story of St. Giles. St. Giles was born around the year 650 AD. He originally came from Greece, but his incredible and unexpected journey ultimately led him all the way to southern France. He wanted to be a hermit. For those of you who might not know, a hermit is a person who leaves normal human society behind to live in complete isolation, dedicating every single moment of their day to And to God.

But Giles had a major problem. He was just too holy. Because of his incredible reputation, people simply would not leave him alone. Crowds of people seeking his wisdom, his prayers, and his guidance constantly tracked him down, interrupting his peaceful life. Whenever the multitudes of people got too big, Giles would pack up his few belongings and withdraw even further into the untamed wilderness just to escape them. He just wanted to be alone with God.

But living out in the wild isn't just about peace and quiet. It comes with real physical risks, and this is where our story takes a dramatic and painful turn. While living his quiet life out in the wilderness of southern France, Giles was accidentally shot in the knee with a hunter's arrow.

Now, what would you do if you were shot with a hunting arrow? You'd probably scream, call for an ambulance, and beg for painkillers. But Giles was built different. In a move that is really hard for us to imagine today, he decided not to treat the severe wound. Why would he do that? He did it out of a profound desire for mortification. Mortification is an... ancient practice where someone willingly takes on physical suffering or gives up comforts to grow closer to God.

He wanted to offer up his intense physical suffering as a spiritual sacrifice. Because he left the wound totally untreated, he remained disabled for the rest of his entire life. Despite his deep love for pure isolation, God ultimately called Giles to be a leader. He eventually gave in to the people who wanted to learn from him, accepted a group of disciples, and actually built a monastery in southern France where he was living at the time. He went from being a solitary hermit hiding in the woods to a spiritual father leading a whole community of monks.

He continued this holy work until he died around the year 1780. 10 AD. Because of his incredible life and his permanent injury, St. Giles is recognized today as a very powerful intercessor. He is incredibly famous in the church as one of the 14 Holy Helpers, a special, legendary group of saints known for answering prayers. His canonization is pre-congregation, meaning he was officially recognized as a saint by the early Christians long before the modern canonization process we have. What if today even existed?

He is the patron saint of the handicapped and disabled. He is also the patron of beggars, blacksmiths, breast cancer, breastfeeding, and even the city of Edinburgh. If you ever see a classical painting or a statue of St. Giles in a church, you can usually recognize him by his specific attributes or symbols, an arrow, a crow's ear, which looks like a shepherd's staff, A hermitage and a deer. St. Giles teaches us two massive lessons.

First, think about how badly Giles wanted silence. He literally ran away from the crowds to hear God's voice. Today, you are constantly surrounded by noise. Your first challenge is to unplug. Find just five or ten minutes today to be a hermit in your own room.

Turn off the screens, close the door, and just sit in complete silence. To reflect. Second, think about his arrow wound. He took a painful, difficult situation and offered it up to God as a sacrifice. While you, hopefully, won't be taking an arrow to the knee anytime soon, you will face annoyances, disappointments, or even physical pain. Your second challenge is to offer it up. The next time you stub your toe or have to do a chore you absolutely hate, don't complain. Instead, silently say, God, I offer this frustration to you, just like St.

Giles did with his injury. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.