Give us cool heads, stout hearts, strong muscles

St. Florian was a Roman General who rose up the military ranks as a firefighter (denoted by his trick green kilt).

He was exposed as a Christian, half-flayed while alive, and then dumped into a river with a millstone tied around his neck.

Before he was put to death he reportedly saved a town from burning to the ground by extinguishing the flames with fluid obtained at the town brewery. He is thus the patron saint of both firefighters and beer-makers.

I ran across the following prayer to St. Florian:

St. Florian, Heaven’s patron of firefighters,who once was dedicated to the servicesof your fellowmen as an official in theArmy of Rome, look with kindly and professional eye upon your earthly force, desirous of the preserving of our fellow men from the dangers to life and property. Give us cool heads, stout hearts, strong muscles an instinct for prudent investigation and wise judgment.

Make us the terror of arsonists, the friends of law-abiding citizens, kind to the frightened, polite to the bores, strict with lawbreakers, and obstinate to temptations.

In troubles give us strength to be efficient, in times of great danger, give us the ability to be calm and enable us to impart assurance to those who verge on panic.

You know, beloved St. Florian, from the sacrifice of your own life for the sake of your faith, that the fireman’s lot on earth is not always a pleasant one, but your sense of duty that so pleased God, your courageous strength that so over-whelmed the devil and your saintly self-control, give us inspiration.

Make us as fearless in practicing the laws of God as we are brave in protecting the lives and property of our fellowmen, and when we answer our final alarm, enroll us in your Heavenly force, where we will be as proud to protect the throne of God as we have been to protect the city.
Amen

What caught my attention was the part about being polite to the bores. Somehow, I feel far more moved by this suggestion of being patient to the dull than by the more flashy self-sacrifices attributed to firefighting and to St. Florian. In the end, isn't this more difficult? Does it take more inner strength to don a helmet with lights and sirens running or to listen...really listen when the grocer timelines his sciatica for you? Which would provide more cumulative benefit to mankind?

St. Florian protect us.