Tuesday, May 28, 2024

It is the 28th of May 2024 Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

As a forty-something raised on cartoons, but having never been in the Swiss Alps- were I to find myself distressed in those snowy climes, I would know what to look for: the shaggy dog with the little barrel tied under his neck which, for some reason would revive us with a stiff drink and take us to a shelter.

The dog, of course, is the St. Bernard. Brandy is not recommended for hypothermia, and the legend comes from the Swiss Alps, and the mountain pass is named not for the dog but for the saint.

But not the St. Bernard you may be familiar with as the most famous “Bernard” for whom many things are named is Bernard of Clairvaux- this St. Bernard predates him.

Bernard of Menthon was born in modern day Switzerland around 1020 to a Baron and Baroness. As the story is told Bernard was raised in Christian piety by his mother while his father wanted him to train to be a knight. He was sent to school in Paris but was not interested in worldly affairs and devoted his life to ministry.

Back home, his marriage was arranged for him, but he fought against it, praying to his chosen patron st., St. Nicholas of Myra (this would later become Santa Claus, but at the time, was the patron saint of travelers). In conjunction with a prayer to Jesus and believing he heard his voice, Bernard reached out of his barred windows only to have them fall off in his hand. Then, falling out of the window, he reported that he was caught by angels and brought down to the ground without harm.

According to his vision, he went to the nearby town of Aosta to seek out the archbishop. He was to minister to the locals in the nearby hill passes that had long been held by pagans and brigands. The passes that would take the name of the St were mistakenly believed to have been used by Hannibal with his elephants on his way to Italy but had certainly been used as a holy place to honor the god, Jupiter. Various stories have Bernard initially tearing down the idolatrous sites before ministering there, eventually becoming the archdeacon of the region. One story has his parents, lost on the pass, enter the hostel to be ministered to by their son, whom they didn’t recognize- upon recognizing him, like Jacob meeting Joseph, proclaimed in relief that they could now die having seen their son was alive.

As it would be uncouth to name the pass and hostels in his own name, they were originally named for Bernard’s patron saint, St. Nicholas.

A 16th-century fire destroyed many of the records we could have used to learn more about the development of the hostel and ministry in the past. We know that at some point, dogs from local villages were used as companions and guards. Perhaps bred to maximize its waterproof coat, perhaps to be domestic as they wouldn’t be needed for other services, the dog became a favorite of the region and by the 17th century became associated with the houses. One favorite, “Barry,” is said to have rescued some 40 people, and the dog was initially called a “barryhund.” By 1800, the monks had a kennel and began to breed Great Pyrenees, Great Danes, Newfoundlands, and bulldogs to create the “sacred dog” or “alpine mastiff” that eventually took the name of St. Bernard of Menthon.

But what about the little barrel under the dog's neck from so many legends and cartoons? Well, it seems to be an invention of an author in 1816 who wrote: "Often the dogs receive a little barrel around their neck with alcoholic beverages and a basket with bread.” This may be connected to a story that the dogs would carry milk and butter from the dairy to the hospice, but no other stories of the breed carrying victuals seem to be substantiated. The dog is, however, little Barrel or not, the official dog of Switzerland, while its namesake- St. Bernard, is the patron saint of the Alps, of mountaineers, skiers, and snowboarding. Bernard would die after 40 years of service on the mountain pass on this the 28th of May in 1081; born in 1020, Bernard of Menthon was 61 years old.

 The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and 1 Corinthians 2:

6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 28th of May 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite fictional St. Bernards include Peter Pan’s Nana, Beethoven the Dog, and Cujo; he is Christopher Gillespie. 

The show is written and read by a man whose favorite fictional dogs include Odie, Mr. Peabody, and Max Goof, if the Goofys are indeed Dogs… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.