Christbearer: The Story of Saint Christopher

Once upon a time, there was a man named Reprobus, which means Outcast. He was very big, very strong, very ugly, very smart, and very ambitious. His ambition was to serve the greatest king in the world. Unfortunately, he lived in Canaan, a two-bit sort of place where the girls giggled at him, the lads in the bar were always trying to take him down a notch or two, and the king spent his days combing his hair.

So Reprobus left Canaan and walked until he came to the court of a great king, one who knew the value of size and strength and brains when he saw them. For a while, Reprobus served happily, keeping order where the king wanted order and extending the king's domains where the king wanted them extended. One day, however, Reprobus saw his master cross himself when the devil was mentioned.

"Why did you do that?" asked Reprobus.

"To protect myself," replied the king. "That devil is a dangerous chap."

"Aha!" cried Reprobus, smart as a whip. "Since you are afraid of him, he must be greater than you are. Goodbye."

So Reprobus went looking for the devil. As he was trudging through a blazing desert, a fierce man rushed up and yelled, "Hey, you looking for trouble?"

"Maybe," said Reprobus. "I'm looking for the devil. I want to serve him."

"The devil!" exclaimed the fierce man. "Hey, that's me. I accept your service. What's your name? Reprobus? Great!"

So off they went, arm in arm, and for a while Reprobus did the devil's bidding on battlefields and in bars, in great cities and in wretched little villages—wherever. On Sundays, they generally dined in hell. Strange to say, none of this was as satisfying as Reprobus had expected; hell was actually rather shocking, worse than Canaan even, so he looked sharply one day when they came to a roadside cross and his master began to tremble.

"What's the matter?" asked Reprobus.

"That cross is the sign of Christ," said the devil. "I'm afraid of him."

"Hey," said Reprobus without a second thought, "goodbye."

So Reprobus went searching for Christ and at last found a hermit who claimed to know about this great king and was willing to talk. It took quite a while: at first the idea that the greatest king on earth had been crucified didn't appeal to Reprobus—and even when he began to understand, he was puzzled.

"If Christ is the Lord of creation and also served me by dying to save me from sin, what can I possibly do to serve him?" he asked.

"You can fast and pray, as I do," replied the hermit.

"I'm not fitted for those things," said Reprobus, who knew himself well.

"Then you can serve by helping others," said the hermit. "Many people drown trying to cross that river you see down there, but you are big enough and strong enough to carry them over on your shoulders. Do that."

"Will Christ come down now and then to pat me on the back the way the great king and the devil used to?" asked Reprobus.

"Maybe," said the hermit.

So Reprobus built a shelter on the river bank, cut himself a staff for wading, and carried people over the river, never refusing even when it was past midnight or when the people were fat or dirty or covered with sores or even when they were so ungracious as to make bad jokes about his person. Strange to say, he was very happy in his humble work.

One day a child appeared and asked to be taken across.

"Where's your mother?" asked Reprobus.

"My mother is in heaven," said the child.

Reprobus picked up the child and found that he was heavier than he looked. He grew heavier too as the water grew deeper and swifter, and just in the most dangerous part Reprobus began to fear that he might sink.

"Child," he cried, "why are you so heavy?"

"So that you will know who it is you have chosen to serve," said the child. "I am Christ, burdened with the sins of the whole world. Bear me up now, and on the other side, you will be freed from this terrible weight."

So summoning all his strength, Reprobus bore the child up, and sure enough when he came to other side the weight was gone. Reprobus felt light with joy. Then the child blessed him and disappeared, though not before telling him to plant his staff in the earth where it would take root and blossom for a sign. This happened, and people came for miles around to see the miracle and worship Christ. They also gave Reprobus a new name: Christopher, which means Christbearer.

Christbearer he became, traveling to other places to tell his story and to preach Christ. He converted multitudes. It was the happiest time of his life in spite of the fact that, like many saints, he suffered persecution and eventually martyrdom. All of his sufferings he accepted steadfastly, borne up by Christ whom he had once borne, confident in his faith that at last he served the greatest king of the world.