Celtic Advent Day 11 St. Teilo

November 25th  29 days until Christmas  St. Teilo

St. Teilo of Llandaff was born in the early 6th century in Wales where he became famous as one of the companions of St. David, the patron saint of Wales.  There are multiple parishes named after Teilo and a several entertaining legends, most of which were written centuries after Teilo lived.  Among them are a story of being sent out, with another monk, to get firewood for the monastery. They had more wood than they could carry--but two stags showed up, allowed themselves to be yoked together and carried the firewood for Teilo and his fellow monk.
When Teilo was in Brittany (more on why later) he was requested by one of the local kings to rid the area of dragon, which Teilo tamed and led out to rock off the coast of Britanny where he chained the dragon. Even in death Teilo has legends arise.  Shortly after his death 3 different church in Wales claim to have his body.  The solution was of course to claim the his body had miraculously divided and translocated itself after his death.
It's hard for me to find something personally spiritual of the above stories.  They are fun to read but that's about it.  What I do get something out of is Teilo's decision to take his congregation en masse to Brittany.  In the year 540 a major epidemic hit Wales.  Called the "Yellow Pestilence" it caused jaundice, fevers, prostration and eventually death.  Large segments of the Welsh population died including Maelgwyn the King of North Wales.  Teilo, as the local spiritual leader, had to make a decision--and it was to leave Wales, not just himself, but with his whole following or congregation.  After more than 10  years in Brittany, he then has to make the decision to return.  I have no doubt, reading the accounts about his piety, that both these moves were for Teilo a process of discernment and prayer.  It is one thing to go through a discernment process related to your own personal growth.  It is quite another to do this when a group of people are depending upon you to make the correct decision.  I think of all the backlash that Moses has to put up with in Exodus (why did you make us leave Egypt where we could get our fill of meat?).
I have not been in a position to make spiritual decisions for large groups, but have certainly been in a position to make work decisions that could potentially have effected my family life--and I definitely had a fair amount of angst about those decisions. I have a great admiration for someone like Teilo who is guiding a large group of followers.  If anyone wants to read more about Teilo there is a marvelous website by Mary Jones related to Celtic issues. Her section on Teilo is a reprint of one the late medieval histories of the saint.  It can be found at www.maryjones.us/ctext/teilo.html

Lord, thank you for leader like St Teilo, who have the courage to step and guide others in times of peril.  Help me in the upcoming years to turn to You when I am called upon to make decision that will effect others, whether my family, friends or co-workers.  Amen.