Fulfilling a Promise - Thanks St. Expeditus

I have a special place in my heart for Saint - but - not - officially - endorsed - Saints.  I don't know why really; perhaps I think they are more relatable on some level.

My patron, Saint Veronica, isn't on the calendar because her story is based in legend and tradition.
I'm also fond of Saint Christopher with all the back and forth I do between work, my family, and seeing Joshua.  Only recently was Saint Christopher removed from the calendar for the same reasons Saint Veronica was - his story is also based on legend and tradition.

I also have a special place in my heart for the not - so - well - known - or loved Saints. It seems you always hear of Saint Anthony or Saint Christopher or Saint Therese.  I recently needed help because I knew I was completely at a loss on my own.   Suffice it to say, I've gone two months with out a paycheck, and I was under the impression I would be getting paid February 1st.  And then I was told I wouldn't be getting my first paycheck until March 1st.  I had used my savings to live off of for January, so I did not know what to do or how to come up with money for rent, groceries, and gas for February. And then I did the only thing I could think to do. I hit up the Saints.

Of course I went straight to St. Jude because I was desperate and my situation just seemed hopeless.  Heathcliff is on the same pay schedule as I am, and just yesterday, I had called my mother about my car problems, and she told me they really didn't have any money to spare at that point.  All in all, it seemed silly to me to ask St. Jude for help with money because when I think of St. Jude, I think of incurable cancer prayers or prayers to save a life that seems like it can't be saved.  And prayers like that need more space in heaven than prayers for money.  Regardless, I tossed it out there.

Still, I didn't feel good about the situation. So what's a millennial generation gal to do? Google.  And here I found St. Expeditus.

Saint Expeditus is not an official Saint, and the poor guy has a bit of a sordid history.  A primer: Supposedly a martyr in Rome, his name actually seems to be Elpidius, but the person copying down names of remains got it wrong along with several other martyrs who accompanied Elipidius.  Originally, he was invoked against procrastination, which is why you see him standing on top of a crow.  In Italian, a crow is often associate with "tomorrow" because the "caw-caw" onomatopoeia is a lot like "cras cras" which is Latin for "tomorrow."  Thus, he's normally depicted as standing on top of a crow with a banner that reads "Cras," and the banner Expeditus holds or is around him reads "Hodie" or Latin for "Today." 

Legend has it that some nuns received a package marked "expedite."  When the nuns opened the package, they found the remains of a martyr, and they mistakenly took his name to be "Expedite" which they then Latinized to Expeditus. From this, many people began to have fun with the name and invoke Elipdius for quick and speedy answers and prompt deliveries of packages.  However, if you do a bit of research, it seems that this story has holes poked in it pretty easily, but I still like it. 

From there, it seems his patronage grew, but unfortunately, he became popular among voodoo and hoodoo-ists, and they adopted him for their own reasons, causing some Catholics to shy away from him. 

After reading about him, though, I really liked him.  I'm the worst about procrastinating.  In fact, I've got a few things I could be doing now, but I'm not because I decided I could do them later (because that's how we phlegmatics roll).  He also seems to have a cult following among computer programmers, who essentially, but not always, are nerds.  I am, unfortunately, a nerd.  (Many people aren't probably aware of how nerdy I am.  Just ask Heathcliff.  He has to hear all the time about the science of theoretical time travel and why hot water makes ice quicker). So, I said a prayer to him as well.

Within three days, all my money problems disappeared.  All the bills are paid, I still have my apartment, the kitties are fed, and I have plenty of gas and groceries.  I have no extra money to do extra things, like go out to eat or buy birthday presents, but I have just enough to survive on, and that's all I could ask for, and I'm incredibly grateful to both Jesus and to Expeditus for helping my prayer be heard quickly.  

Supposedly, if you invoke St. Expeditus, he asks that you advertise your patronage of him somewhere very public.  (Probably because of all the bad press he gets for being involuntarily associated with voodoo).  So please, if you like to procrastinate or if you need a quick solution to a problem or if you'd like your package delivered promptly, ask St. Expeditus for his help. 

Linkage! 

Saint Expidite.org

Catholic.org Entry

SQPN Entry

General Overview Page with Prayers

Less than 3,

V. 

P.S. I found the random saint generator via much linkage which eventually led me to Conversion Diary.

I got Saint Paul the Hermit.  Seriously? He seems more like a Saint for Heathcliff... Then again, he is patron saint of the clothing industry, and I did work in the clothing industry for a long time. My first instinct is to associate him with my desire to dress modest but remain cute and fashionable at the same time.  I don't know about this...