It was the great festival of Easter. St. Oswald (604-642), King of Northumbria, had a feast prepared in honor of this holy time. Among others seated at the banquet was the holy Bishop Adrian.

During dinner, a servant came and said to Oswald.

"My king, a multitude of poor people have just come to the gates, and are asking an alms. What am I to do with them?"

In reply, the king took a massive silver plate that was on the table before him, and filled it with as much food as it could contain. Then he gave the plate of food to the servant, saying:

"Go to these poor people, and distribute this food among them in my name. Then break the plate to pieces, and give a part of it to each of them."

When the servant had gone out to obey the order, Bishop Adrian gently took Oswald by the hand and said:

"O King, may this hand ever remain incorrupt."

God had blessed Northumbria with a virtuous and fatherly king. But sadly, this was not to last much longer. A short time after that Easter, Oswald was killed in battle. His grateful people honorably buried the body of their great king.

Long afterwards, when his tomb was opened, all of the king’s remains had since fallen into dust - except the right hand. This hand remained perfectly preserved and untouched by death in answer to the prayer of the Bishop, because St. Oswald had used it as an instrument of so much charity.