Guy was born at Anderlecht, near Brussels in Belgium. He was a fervent catholic and a great devotee of the Blessed Virgin. One day as he was praying before the altar of Mary at Laeken, a nearby town, the pastor invited him to serve as his Sacristan. Guy was thrilled at the prospect of working at a place of worship. With a throbbing heart he swept the floor, dusted the windows, cleansed the sacred vessels and arranged the altar for Mass and Benediction. By evening, he was out in the streets of Laeken to befriend the poor and offer them a share of his meager earnings. Towards the end of his life, Guy undertook a seven-year pilgrimage on foot to Jerusalem and Rome. On his return he fell ill and breathed his last at Anderlecht in 1012.
Reflection: Guy felt highly privileged to serve Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament all his life whereas even Christ’s contemporaries could minister to Him only for thirty-three years or better, three years. The life of this poor and uneducated Janitor reminds us that holiness is not the privilege of a select few, but it is open to every Christian irrespective of the work he is called upon to perform.
Christianity is a romance – a way of falling in love with Jesus and relishing that relationship. (G.K. Chesterton)
