St Christopher was a man of great stature and unusual strength. According to tradition, St Christopher was very handsome, but wishing to avoid temptation for himself and others, he asked the Lord to give him an unattractive face, which was granted to him. Before Baptism he was named Reprebus [Reprobate] because of his disfigured appearance. Even before Baptism, Reprebus confessed his faith in Christ and denounced those who persecuted Christians. Consequently, a certain Bacchus gave him a beating, which he endured with humility .
Christopher once made a vow to serve the greatest king in the world, so he first offered to serve the local king. Seeing that the king feared the devil, Christopher thought he would leave the king to serve Satan. Learning that the devil feared Christ, Christopher went in search of Him. St Babylas of Antioch told him that he could best serve Christ by doing well the task for which he was best suited. Therefore, he became a ferryman, carrying people across a river on his shoulders. One stormy night, Christopher carried a Child Who insisted on being taken across at that very moment. With every step Christopher took, the Child seemed to become heavier. Halfway across the stream, Christopher felt that his strength would give out, and that he and the Child would be drowned in the river. As they reached the other side, the Child told him that he had just carried all the sins of the world on his shoulders. Then He ordered Christopher to plant his walking stick in the ground. As he did so, the stick grew into a giant tree. Then he recognized Christ, the King Whom he had vowed to serve.
ThatĪs why his name was changed to Christopher which means “Christ-bearer” alluding to the fact that the saint carried the Saviour across the river. St. Christopher is considered a patron Saint for travellers and drivers, thus many Christians place his icon in their modes of transportation.
When we are good and fair in our hearts, our loving God gives us the occasion to carry Him over the river of our Life. It depends on us to have the courage to use this occasion.
The man in the picture has 6 (six) children and the one which is in his arms is an adopted one with syndrome Down. Through this post we want to express our deepest love and respect to him.
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