We know little about Giles save his being a French Saint whose cult was brought to England by the Normans and that he is paradoxically the Saint of cripples and hunters. St Giles, Horsted Keynes, of which I am former Rector, has a wooden medallion where he is stuck with an arrow. The story runs that 7th century Giles lived in southern France as a hermit in the forest and there was a deer who sustained him on her milk. Hunters one day tried to kill the deer and shot an arrow at her but Giles jumped over the deer and took the arrow. This is why he’s patron Saint of both cripples and hunters.
Giles reached out to the deer at a cost to himself. Christians reach out to the vulnerable and get wounded. We are active symbols of Christ who reaches out to sinners and suffers on their behalf. St Giles encourages us to serve the Lord who died in our place to live in our place, who died for our sins so we can live with new life by his Spirit.
That sacrifice renewed for us daily at the eucharist is captured in the fine painting of ‘The Mass of St Giles’ in the National Gallery (picture) painted about 1500 by the anonymous Master of Saint Giles. The scene is set before the high altar of the royal abbey of St Denis near Paris. The king, Charlemagne (kneeling left), is unable to confess a sin and asks Saint Giles to pray for him. As the saint elevates the host during Mass, an angel appears with a paper explaining the king's sin is pardoned.
As we offer the eucharist this morning on the Feast of St Giles angels in heaven indeed surround us, carrying our requests and relaying answers to the specific prayers we offer. Those prayers will include, if not hunters, certainly the disabled and, the people of France, the people of Horsted Keynes down the road, and all called to the contemplative life.
Father through the example of St Giles help us to be ready to risk ourselves in reaching out to the vulnerable in our circle. Lord, hear us.
Lord, we pray for the sick and those who live with disability, their carers and supporters. Mindful of the threatened closure of Hollyrood residential home for adults with autism in Lindfield, we pray for all involved and the best outcome for the residents. Lord, hear us
Devotion to St Giles bridges the English Channel. We pray for President Macron and the people of France especially for an effective partnership with them in stemming the flow of migrants across the sea. Lord, hear us
At the prayer of St Giles, Lord, bless this deanery and especially the people of Horsted Keynes. Raise up among us fuller contemplation of you and Christian service of the needy. Lord, hear us
With Blessed Mary, St Wilfrid, St Giles and all the saints we pray for the faithful departed and those whose anniversaries of death fall at this time. Lord, hear us.
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