On the one hand, there isn’t much to say about Saint Guy of Pomposa. 

His biography reads a lot like those of other saints. He was born into nobility but gave it up to be a simple monk. He gave away his things to the poor. He was the abbot of a monastery and was renowned for his compassion.

On the other hand, there’s a lot to say about this “average” Guy.

His life may not have been filled with dramatic miracles or thunderous proclamations of faith amid persecution. But it was in the quiet consistency of his daily tasks, his earnest prayers, and his genuine love for his monastic brothers that his sainthood silently bloomed.

As abbot, he didn’t rule from a lofty pedestal, but walked alongside his brethren, guiding them through his example of the “average” monk—and how extraordinary the average monk can be when he truly lives out his vocation.

God loves ordinary things. The world is always trying to seduce us with the extraordinary. The culture fills our hearts and minds with spectacular dreams about hitting home runs, but life is about getting up every day and hitting a single.

By doing exactly the same things we did yesterday, but with a new mindset, we are able to inject incredible meaning into the most mundane things—to take something as ordinary as washing the dishes and transform it into a conversation with God; to turn to God and pray an honest prayer: "Lord, I really don't feel like washing these dishes today, but I will do it and do it well. And I offer this task to you as a prayer for my friend Susan, who is suffering from cancer. Please ease her pain a little today. Amen."

Go out and do the ordinary things to the best of your ability. Show the world how amazing the “average” person can actually be—when he or she lives God’s call to the fullest.



Feast Day: March 31

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Balbina

Patron Saint of: Speyer, Germany