Once, when King John of England showed him an amulet which John believed could protect him from all harm, Hugh is reported to have said,
"Do not put your trust in lifeless stone, but only in the living and heavenly stone, our Lord Jesus Christ."(Not exactly the attitude towards statues, amulets, etc. that we are used to expecting from Medieval believers. Practically Protestant!)
Hugh was in many ways the English St. Francis of Assisi and the "real" Robin Hood. Like Francis, he had a great zeal for reforming and rebuilding the Church, defending it against the abuses of the wealthy and powerful, especially the Kings. And like Francis, he was renowned for his love and kindness, not only for children, the poor and outcast, but for animals. Reportedly the birds and squirrels ate from his hand and he had a tame swan which followed him around, slept near his bed and defended him from strangers. (Swans are large and mean birds!) Like Robin Hood, he was a champion of the poor. Hugh didn't rob the rich, so much as he refused to participate in the plundering of resources. He refused to fund Richard the Lion-Heart's foreign wars and would not consent to Henry II's appointment of a royal favorite to a meaningless but well-funded position. He even risked his life defending Jews when there were riots in England during the Third Crusade.
Hugh of Lincoln, one of my new favorite saints.
PRAYER (contemporary language)
Holy God, our greatest treasure, you blessed Hugh and Robert, Bishops of Lincoln, with wise and cheerful boldness for the proclamation of your Word to rich and poor alike: Grant that all who minister in your Name may serve with diligence, discipline and humility, fearing nothing but the loss of you and drawing all to you through Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you in the communion of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
links: Hugh of Lincoln
Mission St. Clare
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