December 7th St Diuma
December 7th has 2 major entries in the Celtic and Old English Saints on-line listing: http://www.celticsaints.org/2013/ I was all set to write about St. Biuthe, as I wanted an excuse to write about the large stone Celtic crosses that dot Ireland, the most talked about being from the monastery founded by Biuthe in county Louth. But for some reason, as I started to look into today more, I was led back to the other Saint: Diuma.
Diuma was from the mid 7th century. His name is Irish, so one must assume he was either from Ireland or from the Scots-Irish area around Iona. He was a monk at Lindisfarne in Northumbria, the abbey founded by St. Aidan. Diuma was selected by Abbot Finan, along with Cedd, Betti and Adda for mission to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, whose King had recently converted from paganism to Christianity. He became the first bishop of Mercia.
Reverend Canon Kate Tristram of Lindisarne has a wonderful subsection of the Lindifarne website dedicated to "Little Known Saints of the North." Here is a section from here musings about Diuma:
"We are told nothing about Diuma's character, but we can guess quite a lot. Obviously he was well-trained in the Irish tradition of a strongly disciplined ascetic life, and obviously capable of adapting to new people and situations. There must have been something very attractive about his way of preaching the gospel,for Bede says that he and his companions 'were listened to gladly'." More at: http://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/canon-tristram
There is not a whole lot more known about Diuma, other than he died and was buried in Mercia in the year 658. So why did I get drawn to talk about him? The answer requires me to talk a little about the Kingdom of Mercia.
Unless someone is from England, which I am not, and had to learn about English history in school, the only way a person might know about Mercia is if you are cursed with an insatiable curiosity about history trivia and connections between one set of trivia and another...I have this curse. For several hundred years, Mercia was the bully of England. It kept gradually aborbing other Kingdoms until it controlled pretty much everything except Wales, Cornwall and the area north of Humber river: Northumbria. The Northumbrians were not terribly fond of Merica or their King, Penda (this was not the one who converted to Chritianity.) One of David Adam's remarkable books, Flame in my Heart, St Aidan for Today, opens with his discussion how as a school boy in Northumbria he learned about the wonderful victory of the Northumbrians over the Mercians and Welsh at the battle of Heavenfield. The memory of the emnity obviously did not fade away!
Penda is decribed by Bede as the most warlike of the Mercian royalty and "diabolical." He ravaged the Northumbrian countryside in his battles, burned churches, and killed a royal Northumbrian hostage who was under his "protection"--something that would have been anaethema in that time period.
(On a total trivia side note: Mercia had it's own linguistic variation of Old English. It was studied extensively in the early 20th Century by one of Oxford's leading professors, a certain John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien later look the name of one of his main characters, Eomer of Rohan, from a listing of Mercian Royalty. Another name for Rohan in his books is "The Mark," a derivation of Mercia.)
So...when the major Church in Northumbria sends missionaries to Mercia, this is not a casual decision. They are sending their brethren into the countryside of their most detested enemy. Granted Diuma was likely not Northumbrian by birth, (although Cedd was), but I suspect he would have been sympathetic with Northumbrians and Celts alike who would have lost their lives and property under the devastation reaked by King Penda. This would be somewhat akin to a modern Christian missionary who had lost family in 911, setting out to go towns in the Middle East that were known to have a strong Al-Queda sentiment.
The Celtic church had people in it who were quick to anger...that seems to be a part of the Gaelic disposition. But it also seemed to have a strong sense of Christ's admonitions to Love thine Enemy. We here that phrase quoted a lot from scripture, but how little we really seem to apply it to life. After 911 it seemed to me that it was some of the most purportedly Christian areas of our nation (I am thinking of the home state of the President at that time) had "Christian" leaders wanting to nuke the areas that were speculated to have harbored the terrorists. My own priest had the Grace to suggest that we should pray for the souls, not only of the victims, but of the mis-quided pilots of the aircraft that hit the towers...his suggestion was not well received by many members of the congregation...it was too hurtful, too difficult to think of "those people" as anything other than the hated enemy.
So...just as I have a great measure of respect for my priest's suggestion at that time...so I have a great deal of respect for not only Diuma, but the people in Lindisfarne who sent out the delegation to Mercia in the first place. It showed courage, love and and an orthodox interpretation of Christ's dictum that is sometime not as apparent as it should be in our modern church.
Lord, I pray today, not only for my own tendencies to sometimes harbor grudges or enmity, but for the Church as a whole. Help me, and help the Church, to follow more closely the example and teachings of Jesus...to see our enemies as fellow human beings and as part of your creation, and to love them regardless of their actions and our differences. This is a tough one, Lord, I would love it to be something You inspire us to accept. Amen
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
December 6th Ordinary Saints
December 6th Celtic Advent
Saints Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundius of Ireland.
The names alone of these saints are quite a mouthful. Obviously they are Latin names, they were also known in Ireland by Gaelic names. Each of them has a separate feast day, but for some reason the Orthodox Church has lumped them together for a feast day on December 6th.
These three saints were called by Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, to help him in his continue efforts at both evangelism and organiziation. There are debates about where they were from. Some scholars think they were from northern Italy, but other stories relate that either Auxilius or Secundius or both were Patrick's nephews, which would make them British as Patrick was.
Each was created a bishop, Auxilius is associated with Kildare, Isserninus with Kilcullen and Secundius with Armagh. They died in the 5th Century after a lifetime of work in helping Patrick to create the Irish Church.
What is remarkable to me is their lack of remarkability...at least in their brief on-line biographies. There are no major or minor miracles associated with them, no grand healings, no chasing snakes out of the country. They just responded to their call in quiet, dutiful way, doing their duty for the continuance of the new church in Ireland. They weren't matryed but died quietly.
As a young attendee of Sunday school, my vision of saints was of people who were larger than life. Obviously there were the apostles and then the early Christian martyrs, but then it was people who developed a new Christian group, like St Francis, or someone who had a magnificent vision as depicted in the Song of Bernadette. As a young adult reading theology, I discovered the angst of Augustine, the poetry of John of the Cross, the discipline of Ignatius of Loyola. Among protestants I was drawn to admire the writings of Deitrich Bonhoffer and Karl Barth. These were all extraordinary people!
Yet aren't saints usually just ordinary people who respond to God's call? They are people who, like Mary, just say "yes" at the right time and place. In his letters, Paul refers to all of the members of the early church as "saints." I think of the people and professions listed in the wonderful children's hymn we sing on All Saints day: "I sing a song of the Saints of God!"
There is a danger I have certainly experienced in wanting to be too much of one of the "extraordinary" saints. I remember reading the life of a Russian saint who became so full of the emulation of Christ that he was thought to glow, as if participatiing in the Transfiguration. A part of my brain started thinking..."now wouldn't that be kind of cool." I wouldn't particularly want stigmata or to be martyred but, sure, doing a little minor faith healing...
Obviously going down that mental road is dangerous, feeding the false-ego that I feel is something that Christ wants us to give up.
Which brings me back to those three seemingly ordinary helpers of St Patrick with the funky Latin names. Aren't these the saints that I really need to emulate? Someone who just quietly goes about doing the right thing for Christ and the Church as a whole?
Lord, thank You for the example of "ordinary" saints, for people who respond to You without fanfare or glamour, who just get the work done. Help me to not only respond like these kind of saints, but to be content in doing so. In thy name, Amen.
Saints Auxilius, Isserninus and Secundius of Ireland.
The names alone of these saints are quite a mouthful. Obviously they are Latin names, they were also known in Ireland by Gaelic names. Each of them has a separate feast day, but for some reason the Orthodox Church has lumped them together for a feast day on December 6th.
These three saints were called by Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, to help him in his continue efforts at both evangelism and organiziation. There are debates about where they were from. Some scholars think they were from northern Italy, but other stories relate that either Auxilius or Secundius or both were Patrick's nephews, which would make them British as Patrick was.
Each was created a bishop, Auxilius is associated with Kildare, Isserninus with Kilcullen and Secundius with Armagh. They died in the 5th Century after a lifetime of work in helping Patrick to create the Irish Church.
What is remarkable to me is their lack of remarkability...at least in their brief on-line biographies. There are no major or minor miracles associated with them, no grand healings, no chasing snakes out of the country. They just responded to their call in quiet, dutiful way, doing their duty for the continuance of the new church in Ireland. They weren't matryed but died quietly.
As a young attendee of Sunday school, my vision of saints was of people who were larger than life. Obviously there were the apostles and then the early Christian martyrs, but then it was people who developed a new Christian group, like St Francis, or someone who had a magnificent vision as depicted in the Song of Bernadette. As a young adult reading theology, I discovered the angst of Augustine, the poetry of John of the Cross, the discipline of Ignatius of Loyola. Among protestants I was drawn to admire the writings of Deitrich Bonhoffer and Karl Barth. These were all extraordinary people!
Yet aren't saints usually just ordinary people who respond to God's call? They are people who, like Mary, just say "yes" at the right time and place. In his letters, Paul refers to all of the members of the early church as "saints." I think of the people and professions listed in the wonderful children's hymn we sing on All Saints day: "I sing a song of the Saints of God!"
There is a danger I have certainly experienced in wanting to be too much of one of the "extraordinary" saints. I remember reading the life of a Russian saint who became so full of the emulation of Christ that he was thought to glow, as if participatiing in the Transfiguration. A part of my brain started thinking..."now wouldn't that be kind of cool." I wouldn't particularly want stigmata or to be martyred but, sure, doing a little minor faith healing...
Obviously going down that mental road is dangerous, feeding the false-ego that I feel is something that Christ wants us to give up.
Which brings me back to those three seemingly ordinary helpers of St Patrick with the funky Latin names. Aren't these the saints that I really need to emulate? Someone who just quietly goes about doing the right thing for Christ and the Church as a whole?
Lord, thank You for the example of "ordinary" saints, for people who respond to You without fanfare or glamour, who just get the work done. Help me to not only respond like these kind of saints, but to be content in doing so. In thy name, Amen.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
St. Justinian of Wales, and Christian in-fighting
Celtic Advent December 5th
St. Justinian of Ramsey Island
Justinian was a 6th century saint from Brittany who immigrated to Wales, initially as a hermit on Ramsey Island off the coast of Pembrokshire. He became the soul-friend of St David, the patron saint of Wales, who convinced him to become abbot of one of the monasteries that David had founded on the mainland. Justinian became disillusioned with laxity of some of monastics there and returned again to Ramsey Island with a group of followers who shared his stricter views. At this point we get a couple of versions of a more mythologic tale of Justinian. Either three servants who are tempted by devils, or three monks who are upset with Justinian's strict rule, seek him out and cut off his head. A healing spring immediately comes up from the site of his head and/or Justinian picks up his head and crosses over Ramsey Sound to the mainland where he dies and is buried.
What fascinated me about Justinian was not the "miraculous" aspects of his violent death, but rather than underlying theme of disagreement about the Christian lifestyle, even this early in the history of Christianity. I used to have a vision of early Christians, including the Celts, as this harmonious, loving group, praying and serving the wider communities that built up around the Celtic monastaries. I knew there were disagreements about doctrines--what was the nature of the divinity versus the humanity of Christ, or what date do we use for Easter--that caused schisms in the early church, but these seemed like intellectual arguements rather than "how do we live our life as Christians."
But then I realized that there were other examples besides Justinian of the tensions between a strict ascetic lifestyle and a more lax approach. St. Francis of Assisi start his Order of Friars as a reform movement within the church, with a fairly strict interpretation of voluntary poverty as one of it's tenets. Within his own lifetime a group of his followers split off from him, thinking him too strict. In less that 200 years after Francis' death, the portrayal of a Franciscan Friar as an overindulgent glutton became a common joke. (see Chaucer for one example)
Another example, perhaps more like Justinian, is that of one of my favorites contemplatives, St. John of the Cross in 16th century Spain. John is inspired by Teresa of Avila to join the stricter reform movement of the Carmelites. He does, but is resented by the more lax group of Carmelite monks, who capture and imprison him and inflict a regimen on him of weekly whipping and deprivation (until he finally escapes).
And then of course there is Jesus...if we look at Him through the lens of his Jewish background, He is calling for major reform, a return to the a stricter vision of Judaism as outlined in Isaiah. He threatens the hierarchy, the hypocrites who bend the law in order to have a more comfortable lifestyle...and gets crucified. I realize there were other factors at work but certainly this is at least a part of what was going on.
I get frustrated with modern Christian groups and what seems like perpetual dissention and bickering. I sometimes flash to an image of Jonathon Winters in a rarely watched but funny movie called "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," where in exacberation he shouts out, "why can't we all just get along!" But then I realize that maybe that is part of the interaction between a message like Christianity and our own human tendencies.
The church will always be, to quote the early protestants, semper reformando, always in need of reform. There will always be people like Justinian, Francis or John of the Cross who see the church becoming too lax, too immersed in the ease of the culture, too "easy." They will intitate an attempt at reform, maybe sometime it is stricter than we as moderns would like, but it is always in a sincere effort to turn the church back to humbler roots. Other Christians then feel threatened, and often violence, or break-up, or both, ensues. All I can do then is trust in God's plan and pray:
Lord, You have drawn me to be a follower of Christ. You inspire me to follow His precepts and teachings as You inspired saints like Justinian. Help me to watch out for when I become too lax, or compromise too much from His example. Help me also to be patient with those who disagree with the Way that I am treading and with Christian groups in general who become frustrated with each other's views. Help me to dwell in Your love and forgiveness. In Thy name. Amen
St. Justinian of Ramsey Island
Justinian was a 6th century saint from Brittany who immigrated to Wales, initially as a hermit on Ramsey Island off the coast of Pembrokshire. He became the soul-friend of St David, the patron saint of Wales, who convinced him to become abbot of one of the monasteries that David had founded on the mainland. Justinian became disillusioned with laxity of some of monastics there and returned again to Ramsey Island with a group of followers who shared his stricter views. At this point we get a couple of versions of a more mythologic tale of Justinian. Either three servants who are tempted by devils, or three monks who are upset with Justinian's strict rule, seek him out and cut off his head. A healing spring immediately comes up from the site of his head and/or Justinian picks up his head and crosses over Ramsey Sound to the mainland where he dies and is buried.
What fascinated me about Justinian was not the "miraculous" aspects of his violent death, but rather than underlying theme of disagreement about the Christian lifestyle, even this early in the history of Christianity. I used to have a vision of early Christians, including the Celts, as this harmonious, loving group, praying and serving the wider communities that built up around the Celtic monastaries. I knew there were disagreements about doctrines--what was the nature of the divinity versus the humanity of Christ, or what date do we use for Easter--that caused schisms in the early church, but these seemed like intellectual arguements rather than "how do we live our life as Christians."
But then I realized that there were other examples besides Justinian of the tensions between a strict ascetic lifestyle and a more lax approach. St. Francis of Assisi start his Order of Friars as a reform movement within the church, with a fairly strict interpretation of voluntary poverty as one of it's tenets. Within his own lifetime a group of his followers split off from him, thinking him too strict. In less that 200 years after Francis' death, the portrayal of a Franciscan Friar as an overindulgent glutton became a common joke. (see Chaucer for one example)
Another example, perhaps more like Justinian, is that of one of my favorites contemplatives, St. John of the Cross in 16th century Spain. John is inspired by Teresa of Avila to join the stricter reform movement of the Carmelites. He does, but is resented by the more lax group of Carmelite monks, who capture and imprison him and inflict a regimen on him of weekly whipping and deprivation (until he finally escapes).
And then of course there is Jesus...if we look at Him through the lens of his Jewish background, He is calling for major reform, a return to the a stricter vision of Judaism as outlined in Isaiah. He threatens the hierarchy, the hypocrites who bend the law in order to have a more comfortable lifestyle...and gets crucified. I realize there were other factors at work but certainly this is at least a part of what was going on.
I get frustrated with modern Christian groups and what seems like perpetual dissention and bickering. I sometimes flash to an image of Jonathon Winters in a rarely watched but funny movie called "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," where in exacberation he shouts out, "why can't we all just get along!" But then I realize that maybe that is part of the interaction between a message like Christianity and our own human tendencies.
The church will always be, to quote the early protestants, semper reformando, always in need of reform. There will always be people like Justinian, Francis or John of the Cross who see the church becoming too lax, too immersed in the ease of the culture, too "easy." They will intitate an attempt at reform, maybe sometime it is stricter than we as moderns would like, but it is always in a sincere effort to turn the church back to humbler roots. Other Christians then feel threatened, and often violence, or break-up, or both, ensues. All I can do then is trust in God's plan and pray:
Lord, You have drawn me to be a follower of Christ. You inspire me to follow His precepts and teachings as You inspired saints like Justinian. Help me to watch out for when I become too lax, or compromise too much from His example. Help me also to be patient with those who disagree with the Way that I am treading and with Christian groups in general who become frustrated with each other's views. Help me to dwell in Your love and forgiveness. In Thy name. Amen
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
St. Bertoara and a Rule of Life
Celtic Advent Day 20
December 4th St Bertoara
So...I am halfway through my attempt to blog about a "saint" for each of the 40 days prior to Christmas: Celtic Advent. This is the time that in the secular world that the pace of things really starts to accelarate. Hopefully saints like Bertoara will help me with this.
I had a problem similar to what I have described in previous posts for December 4th, a paucity of Celtic Saints listed in my books or on-line. I had decided to just let the spirit guide me through general lists of saints for the date, randomly chose the name of Bertoara as it sounded a little unusual and was pleasantly surprised
Bertoara was French, from the mid 7th Century AD. Obviously an initial reaction is "why are you writing about a French person, since this is supposed to be a Celtic blog?" People who know my cinematic sense of humor won't be surprised that my own initial reaction to being led to a French saint was a vision of John Cleese calling out with a French accent from the top of a castle, "You stinking English!'
But remember, that St. Hilda--see November 17th--was Anglo-Saxon, not Celtic, yet had adopted the way of Celtic Christianity as taught by St. Aidan. And that is exactly the situation with Bertoara.
She was the founder abbess of the Notre-Dame-de Sales abbey in Bourges and is described a participating in many miracles of healing along with the local bishop, St. Austrille. The monastery at one time had upwards of 900 nuns in residence. She is also described as living under the "Rule of Columbanus."
If you recall the post from November, Columanus was the Irish monk who travelled throughout France, Switzerland and Italy, setting up monastaries as he went. One of his major centers was as Luxeuil, not too far from Bourges. Jonas of Bobbio was the earliest biographer of Columbanus and mentions the monastery of Bourges and Bertoara in the Vita Columbani. So obviously she was, like Hilda, a strong local proponent of the Celtic way. Which now leads us to the Rule of Columbanus.
Monastic groups, for the most part, were bound to together by a common sense of committent, which included a list of expectations for how they lived their lives together. The most commonly quoted Rule for monastics in modern times is the Rule of St. Benedict. There are marvelous websites and books devoted to this way of life, including daily devotions on particular aspects of the Rule. It was a mild surprise to me to find out that although Benedict's life predated that of Columbanus, that it was the Rule of the latter saint that was being used more in the European monastaries during the 7th century. You can see it in its entire content on Wikipedia in the section on Columbanus, but it consists of vows of poverty, obedience, constant fasting, and confession of sins followed by penances. Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbanus if you want to read more. Benedict's rule is described by some as being slightly more lenient and became more popular.
What has been derived from both these saints is the concept making a personal Rule of life, a set of personal expectations to stay true to a spiritual commitment. Most neomonastic groups have a format for these, and, as a member of the Order of St. Aidan and Hilda, I came up with my own personal Rule several years ago. It commits me to prayer, service, non-attatchment, and several other areas of spiritual discipline. And it is during times like the commercial pre-Christmas season that I need my rule the most. Yesterday my mail box was filled with catalogues--it is awfully easy to start getting excited as I peruse them, thinking--"hmm, maybe I should ask Santa for that fancy plastic pistol that kills house flies by shooting table salt at them"...(I am not kidding-this exists). But if I turn again to my rule and life with God, then I remember my committment, not only to honor God's creation (which means not taking a perverted sense of delight in killing flies) but to avoid spending on such items in the first place.
So, thanks, Bertoara. Few people remember you. There is no church dedicated to you. But for some reason I was led to you to remind me of staying true to my rule as you were true to yours.
Lord, thank You for the joy of the pre-Christmas season, the love, the expectation of family time together. Thank You also for Your limits, Your rule of life for me, that keeps me devoted to You during times of commercial exploitation and temptation. You keep me safe in Your love. Amen
December 4th St Bertoara
So...I am halfway through my attempt to blog about a "saint" for each of the 40 days prior to Christmas: Celtic Advent. This is the time that in the secular world that the pace of things really starts to accelarate. Hopefully saints like Bertoara will help me with this.
I had a problem similar to what I have described in previous posts for December 4th, a paucity of Celtic Saints listed in my books or on-line. I had decided to just let the spirit guide me through general lists of saints for the date, randomly chose the name of Bertoara as it sounded a little unusual and was pleasantly surprised
Bertoara was French, from the mid 7th Century AD. Obviously an initial reaction is "why are you writing about a French person, since this is supposed to be a Celtic blog?" People who know my cinematic sense of humor won't be surprised that my own initial reaction to being led to a French saint was a vision of John Cleese calling out with a French accent from the top of a castle, "You stinking English!'
But remember, that St. Hilda--see November 17th--was Anglo-Saxon, not Celtic, yet had adopted the way of Celtic Christianity as taught by St. Aidan. And that is exactly the situation with Bertoara.
She was the founder abbess of the Notre-Dame-de Sales abbey in Bourges and is described a participating in many miracles of healing along with the local bishop, St. Austrille. The monastery at one time had upwards of 900 nuns in residence. She is also described as living under the "Rule of Columbanus."
If you recall the post from November, Columanus was the Irish monk who travelled throughout France, Switzerland and Italy, setting up monastaries as he went. One of his major centers was as Luxeuil, not too far from Bourges. Jonas of Bobbio was the earliest biographer of Columbanus and mentions the monastery of Bourges and Bertoara in the Vita Columbani. So obviously she was, like Hilda, a strong local proponent of the Celtic way. Which now leads us to the Rule of Columbanus.
Monastic groups, for the most part, were bound to together by a common sense of committent, which included a list of expectations for how they lived their lives together. The most commonly quoted Rule for monastics in modern times is the Rule of St. Benedict. There are marvelous websites and books devoted to this way of life, including daily devotions on particular aspects of the Rule. It was a mild surprise to me to find out that although Benedict's life predated that of Columbanus, that it was the Rule of the latter saint that was being used more in the European monastaries during the 7th century. You can see it in its entire content on Wikipedia in the section on Columbanus, but it consists of vows of poverty, obedience, constant fasting, and confession of sins followed by penances. Here is the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbanus if you want to read more. Benedict's rule is described by some as being slightly more lenient and became more popular.
What has been derived from both these saints is the concept making a personal Rule of life, a set of personal expectations to stay true to a spiritual commitment. Most neomonastic groups have a format for these, and, as a member of the Order of St. Aidan and Hilda, I came up with my own personal Rule several years ago. It commits me to prayer, service, non-attatchment, and several other areas of spiritual discipline. And it is during times like the commercial pre-Christmas season that I need my rule the most. Yesterday my mail box was filled with catalogues--it is awfully easy to start getting excited as I peruse them, thinking--"hmm, maybe I should ask Santa for that fancy plastic pistol that kills house flies by shooting table salt at them"...(I am not kidding-this exists). But if I turn again to my rule and life with God, then I remember my committment, not only to honor God's creation (which means not taking a perverted sense of delight in killing flies) but to avoid spending on such items in the first place.
So, thanks, Bertoara. Few people remember you. There is no church dedicated to you. But for some reason I was led to you to remind me of staying true to my rule as you were true to yours.
Lord, thank You for the joy of the pre-Christmas season, the love, the expectation of family time together. Thank You also for Your limits, Your rule of life for me, that keeps me devoted to You during times of commercial exploitation and temptation. You keep me safe in Your love. Amen
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
St Ethernan, Vikings, and the decline of the Celtic church
Celtic Advent December 3rd
St. Ethernan
St Ethernan was a Scottish saint from the 9th Century, also known as St. Adrian. After being sent to Ireland for his education, he appears to have alternated between times of church building and times as a solitary hermit. He is associated with the Island of May which is about 5 miles out into the Firth of Forth in Northeast Scotland. In 875 AD the Island and much of surrounding mainland fell to Viking marauders. It was said that as many as 6,000 monastics, including Ethernan, were killed and placed in a huge burial cairn on the island. Interest in Ethernan was rekindled in the 12th century when a new monastery was started with a shrine to Ethernan. This monastery was also levelled during the constant border wars between England and Scotland during which time the possession of the island became a cause for Scottish pride. Pilgrimages to the island became common until the time of Scottish reformation.
The great Celtic Christian religious period began in the 400's and reached a peak in mid to late 600's. In addition to the incursion of Roman based Christianity after the Synod of Whitby (see the post about St. Hilda from 11/17), the other major threat was the beginning of the Viking period, which began in the 800's. Attracted by the gold and silver vessels of churches and the general lack of resistance on the part of monastics, the Vikings devasted the churches in Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of Man, Wales and Cornwall...as well as England. The Celtic church continued for a time in Ireland but gradually diminshed and then disappeared after about 1100 AD.
There is a marvelous cartoon movie about this period called "The Secret of Kells." It also outlines a purported history of one of major examples of Celtic Monastic art, the Book of Kells, currently housed at Trinity College in Dublin. The movie depicts the ever increasing threat of the Northmen and the church's attempts to protect itself and it's treasures.
When I read about things like the violent destruction of the Celtic church by the Vikings, I have a reaction that is similar to my reaction to things like the holocaust: "why?," or "how could God let this happen to these people." Obviously there is no response to this beyond faith. One can speculate with things like, " if the church hadn't started building up wealth, but kept a simple lifestyle, then the Vikings would have passed them by." But, obviously that is only speculation.
There was an resurgence in interest in Celtic Christianity in the last 1800's which has literally exploded in the last 20 years across denominational lines. There are at least 2 major neomonastic groups devoted to Celtic Christianity, and the number of books and devotionals continues to increase. Would this been possible if Celtic Christianity had continued as a main stream religious denomination? Maybe now is the time we need the infusion of the Celtic spirit, a form a renewal for the church. Obviously I am attracted personally to so many of the aspects of the Celtic Christian movement. I can only hope that others can experience the same sense of awe that I do when encounter Celtic spirituality.
Lord, I often do not comprehend your work in human history, particularly when there is death and suffering. The violent deaths during the end of the Celtic Christian period is one of these times. Help me to have faith in your ultimate plan, and help me to keep alive what these ancient Celts accomplished through devotion and study. In thy name, Amen.
St. Ethernan
St Ethernan was a Scottish saint from the 9th Century, also known as St. Adrian. After being sent to Ireland for his education, he appears to have alternated between times of church building and times as a solitary hermit. He is associated with the Island of May which is about 5 miles out into the Firth of Forth in Northeast Scotland. In 875 AD the Island and much of surrounding mainland fell to Viking marauders. It was said that as many as 6,000 monastics, including Ethernan, were killed and placed in a huge burial cairn on the island. Interest in Ethernan was rekindled in the 12th century when a new monastery was started with a shrine to Ethernan. This monastery was also levelled during the constant border wars between England and Scotland during which time the possession of the island became a cause for Scottish pride. Pilgrimages to the island became common until the time of Scottish reformation.
The great Celtic Christian religious period began in the 400's and reached a peak in mid to late 600's. In addition to the incursion of Roman based Christianity after the Synod of Whitby (see the post about St. Hilda from 11/17), the other major threat was the beginning of the Viking period, which began in the 800's. Attracted by the gold and silver vessels of churches and the general lack of resistance on the part of monastics, the Vikings devasted the churches in Scotland, Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of Man, Wales and Cornwall...as well as England. The Celtic church continued for a time in Ireland but gradually diminshed and then disappeared after about 1100 AD.
There is a marvelous cartoon movie about this period called "The Secret of Kells." It also outlines a purported history of one of major examples of Celtic Monastic art, the Book of Kells, currently housed at Trinity College in Dublin. The movie depicts the ever increasing threat of the Northmen and the church's attempts to protect itself and it's treasures.
When I read about things like the violent destruction of the Celtic church by the Vikings, I have a reaction that is similar to my reaction to things like the holocaust: "why?," or "how could God let this happen to these people." Obviously there is no response to this beyond faith. One can speculate with things like, " if the church hadn't started building up wealth, but kept a simple lifestyle, then the Vikings would have passed them by." But, obviously that is only speculation.
There was an resurgence in interest in Celtic Christianity in the last 1800's which has literally exploded in the last 20 years across denominational lines. There are at least 2 major neomonastic groups devoted to Celtic Christianity, and the number of books and devotionals continues to increase. Would this been possible if Celtic Christianity had continued as a main stream religious denomination? Maybe now is the time we need the infusion of the Celtic spirit, a form a renewal for the church. Obviously I am attracted personally to so many of the aspects of the Celtic Christian movement. I can only hope that others can experience the same sense of awe that I do when encounter Celtic spirituality.
Lord, I often do not comprehend your work in human history, particularly when there is death and suffering. The violent deaths during the end of the Celtic Christian period is one of these times. Help me to have faith in your ultimate plan, and help me to keep alive what these ancient Celts accomplished through devotion and study. In thy name, Amen.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Celtic Advent day 18 St Llechid
Celtic Advent December 2nd
St. Llechid
St. Llechid, who died in 566 AD, was the daughter of a Breton prince, Ithel Huel. She and several of her brothers, including St. Trillo and St Tegai, were in a large party that was led by St. Cadfan to return from Brittany to Northern Wales, with a mission to re-establish churches. Her church is in the area now named after her, Llanlechid, in Caernarfonshire. Supposedly when she went to build her church, which was more of a chapel, the stones miraculously appeared overnight from a site more than a mile off. There was a well in the area named after her, which was rumored to have curative properties, particularly for scrofula (a now almost extinct form of bovine tuberculosis which humans get by drinking unpasteurized milk)
I am going to digress a little and talk about how I find saints to discuss, and how I found Llechid. I have several books on Celtic Saints lives, one of the most helpful being Shirley Toulson's The Celtic Year That had no entry for December 2nd, so I went on-line to a feed called Celtic and Old English Saints that has a wonderful daily listing, albeit usually brief. The only listing for the 2nd was an Englishman who failed miserably trying to minister to the Picts in the 700's. There is an Eastern Orthodox site that lists Celtic Saints--also no listing for December 2nd. Usually at that kind of juncture I start googling and try to sift out the junk.
I found St. Llechid as a minimal entry, with a feast day of December 2nd, in a page copy from google-books of a 19th century Welsh listing of saints, and took off on my research from there.
What was unusual in this search was that about 30% of the hits I was getting were from geneological databases. Initially I bypassed them, and then the whole issue of family heritage and spirituality hit me (the proverbial celestial 2x4).
In St. Llechid's family tree, which is basically the Royal House of Dumnonia and Armorica (Cornwall and Brittany) from the mid 400's on, there are listed a ton of saints, most of them with direct descent, father to daughter to grandson, etc. What a change from Roman Catholicism! In that discipline we have a few "families" who have multiple saints, Monnica and Augustine for example, or the Cappodocian family of Basil the great, but nothing like the 30 plus saints listed just in Llechid's family tree. The period the fluorishing of Celtic Christianity was obviously prior to the dictum from Rome that priests shouldn't marry and have children, and there didn't seem to be the restriction on monastics to have children either. Being Christian was, for the Celts, a major family affair, with a fair amount of support for spiritual growth within the large extended family.
Which got me to thinking about my own journey and the family members who influenced me spiritually. My mother took me to church regularly and talked a little about her own switch from her New England Unitarin upbringing to the Episcopal Church. But is was my Swiss grandmother, Sophie, and her daughter, my aunt Ethel, whose devotion and lifestyle continue to inspire me. They didn't preach but simply walked their talk, prayed daily, gave of what they had to the church and showed love and devotion to family and strangers alike. It was my Aunt who gave me my first personal bible, which I still have, at the time of my confirmation. Without them, I don't think I would have the spiritual roots that I have today.
I don't know how the continued growth of my own family spiritual tree is going to go. I think of all three of my children as having a strong moral and spiritual sense in their lives, although only one of them is nominally Christian. What happens from here on out is not up to me, but I obviously hope that I can be, as my grandmother and aunt were, an example to someone in the next generations of what it means to be a Christian in more than just going to Sunday services.
Lord, thank You for families where sincere faith abounds. Thank You for the quiet, almost contemplative lives of family members who show integrity in their beliefs and lifestyles and who continue to inspire us in our journey to You. Grant me the grace to continue that family heritage as my own familly tree puts out new branches. In Thy name, Amen
St. Llechid
St. Llechid, who died in 566 AD, was the daughter of a Breton prince, Ithel Huel. She and several of her brothers, including St. Trillo and St Tegai, were in a large party that was led by St. Cadfan to return from Brittany to Northern Wales, with a mission to re-establish churches. Her church is in the area now named after her, Llanlechid, in Caernarfonshire. Supposedly when she went to build her church, which was more of a chapel, the stones miraculously appeared overnight from a site more than a mile off. There was a well in the area named after her, which was rumored to have curative properties, particularly for scrofula (a now almost extinct form of bovine tuberculosis which humans get by drinking unpasteurized milk)
I am going to digress a little and talk about how I find saints to discuss, and how I found Llechid. I have several books on Celtic Saints lives, one of the most helpful being Shirley Toulson's The Celtic Year That had no entry for December 2nd, so I went on-line to a feed called Celtic and Old English Saints that has a wonderful daily listing, albeit usually brief. The only listing for the 2nd was an Englishman who failed miserably trying to minister to the Picts in the 700's. There is an Eastern Orthodox site that lists Celtic Saints--also no listing for December 2nd. Usually at that kind of juncture I start googling and try to sift out the junk.
I found St. Llechid as a minimal entry, with a feast day of December 2nd, in a page copy from google-books of a 19th century Welsh listing of saints, and took off on my research from there.
What was unusual in this search was that about 30% of the hits I was getting were from geneological databases. Initially I bypassed them, and then the whole issue of family heritage and spirituality hit me (the proverbial celestial 2x4).
In St. Llechid's family tree, which is basically the Royal House of Dumnonia and Armorica (Cornwall and Brittany) from the mid 400's on, there are listed a ton of saints, most of them with direct descent, father to daughter to grandson, etc. What a change from Roman Catholicism! In that discipline we have a few "families" who have multiple saints, Monnica and Augustine for example, or the Cappodocian family of Basil the great, but nothing like the 30 plus saints listed just in Llechid's family tree. The period the fluorishing of Celtic Christianity was obviously prior to the dictum from Rome that priests shouldn't marry and have children, and there didn't seem to be the restriction on monastics to have children either. Being Christian was, for the Celts, a major family affair, with a fair amount of support for spiritual growth within the large extended family.
Which got me to thinking about my own journey and the family members who influenced me spiritually. My mother took me to church regularly and talked a little about her own switch from her New England Unitarin upbringing to the Episcopal Church. But is was my Swiss grandmother, Sophie, and her daughter, my aunt Ethel, whose devotion and lifestyle continue to inspire me. They didn't preach but simply walked their talk, prayed daily, gave of what they had to the church and showed love and devotion to family and strangers alike. It was my Aunt who gave me my first personal bible, which I still have, at the time of my confirmation. Without them, I don't think I would have the spiritual roots that I have today.
I don't know how the continued growth of my own family spiritual tree is going to go. I think of all three of my children as having a strong moral and spiritual sense in their lives, although only one of them is nominally Christian. What happens from here on out is not up to me, but I obviously hope that I can be, as my grandmother and aunt were, an example to someone in the next generations of what it means to be a Christian in more than just going to Sunday services.
Lord, thank You for families where sincere faith abounds. Thank You for the quiet, almost contemplative lives of family members who show integrity in their beliefs and lifestyles and who continue to inspire us in our journey to You. Grant me the grace to continue that family heritage as my own familly tree puts out new branches. In Thy name, Amen
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Celtic Advent: St Tudwal and pilgrimages
Celtic Advent December 1st
St. Tudwal
St Tudwal, also known as Tugdual, was originally from Wales, the son of King Hoel the Great (who himself was purportedly the nephew of King Arthur). He lived from 528 to 564 AD He spent time as a solitary hermit on an island off the Lleyn peninusula, now known as Tudwal's Island. (There are apparently an east and west Tudwal's island, both now privately owned, the west version belonging to TV star Bear Grylls). Tudwal then emigrated along with 72 followers to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life evangelizing and setting up congregations. He is considered one of the seven founders of the Breton church.
One of the fascinating side lights I found out about St. Tudwal was his association with an activity called the Tro Breizh. This is a pilgrimage route, set out in a circular pattern in Brittany, to include the towns associated with the 7 founders of Christianity in the area. As such it includes a site for St Tudwal at Treguier. Originally started in medieval times (and thought to pre-date other European pilgrimage routes), it was "re-invented" if you will in the 1800's at a time when interest in Breton culture was increasing. The idea during medieval times was to complete the 600 km journey in a week. There was a Breton myth that if you didn't complete the pilgrimage prior to death that your soul would be fated to wander the route once every 7 years. There are several sites dedicated to the pilgrimage. One of the more concise ones is:
www.brittanywalks.com/trobreizh.htm
The idea of pilgrimage really appeals to me. My second son and I periodically daydream about walking the Camino in Northen Spain, and I used to fanticize about biking the Mission trail in California that stretches from San Diego to San Francisco. The Celts also seemed to have this fascination with visiting holy places and the Celtic landscape seems to be dotted with spots one could visit. Modern students of Celtic Christianity seem to flock to either Iona in Scotland, the monastic home of St. Columba, or to Lindisfarne in Northumbria where St. Aidan settled.
Ray Simpson, one of the founders of the Order of St. Aidan and Hilda, discusses the concept of "holy places" at some length in his book Exploring Celtic Spirituality. One section really struck me:
"A holy place evokes an atmosphere by devotion. It invites prayer. It carries a story. It can be a means of mission. It inspires encounters with God. It is never enough, though, to honor those places made holy by past obedience to God. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, it is not a question of whether this mountain or that holy city is most hallowed: God is Spirit and must be worshipped sincerely whever we are...it is, however, a question of allowing God to lead us to the place he has for us, both in life and in terrain."
So maybe instead of planning out a pilgrimage, I just need to be aware of what "holy place" God is leading me to next. Maybe it will be an inner city soup kitchen, or perhaps it will be a small chapel out on the Great Plains as I travel to see my grandson. I have to be spiritually awake enough to know when this occurs.
Lord, as I read more about these wonderful early Celtic Christians, I feel drawn to experience that sense of "holy places" that one visits on pilgrimage. Help me to make each day a pilgrimage, to see a holy shrine in the ordinary. And keep my heart open when You do want me to take the voyage to one of Your "thin-places," where the division between heaven and earth is a mere mental attitude. Amen
St. Tudwal
St Tudwal, also known as Tugdual, was originally from Wales, the son of King Hoel the Great (who himself was purportedly the nephew of King Arthur). He lived from 528 to 564 AD He spent time as a solitary hermit on an island off the Lleyn peninusula, now known as Tudwal's Island. (There are apparently an east and west Tudwal's island, both now privately owned, the west version belonging to TV star Bear Grylls). Tudwal then emigrated along with 72 followers to Brittany where he spent the rest of his life evangelizing and setting up congregations. He is considered one of the seven founders of the Breton church.
One of the fascinating side lights I found out about St. Tudwal was his association with an activity called the Tro Breizh. This is a pilgrimage route, set out in a circular pattern in Brittany, to include the towns associated with the 7 founders of Christianity in the area. As such it includes a site for St Tudwal at Treguier. Originally started in medieval times (and thought to pre-date other European pilgrimage routes), it was "re-invented" if you will in the 1800's at a time when interest in Breton culture was increasing. The idea during medieval times was to complete the 600 km journey in a week. There was a Breton myth that if you didn't complete the pilgrimage prior to death that your soul would be fated to wander the route once every 7 years. There are several sites dedicated to the pilgrimage. One of the more concise ones is:
www.brittanywalks.com/trobreizh.htm
The idea of pilgrimage really appeals to me. My second son and I periodically daydream about walking the Camino in Northen Spain, and I used to fanticize about biking the Mission trail in California that stretches from San Diego to San Francisco. The Celts also seemed to have this fascination with visiting holy places and the Celtic landscape seems to be dotted with spots one could visit. Modern students of Celtic Christianity seem to flock to either Iona in Scotland, the monastic home of St. Columba, or to Lindisfarne in Northumbria where St. Aidan settled.
Ray Simpson, one of the founders of the Order of St. Aidan and Hilda, discusses the concept of "holy places" at some length in his book Exploring Celtic Spirituality. One section really struck me:
"A holy place evokes an atmosphere by devotion. It invites prayer. It carries a story. It can be a means of mission. It inspires encounters with God. It is never enough, though, to honor those places made holy by past obedience to God. As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, it is not a question of whether this mountain or that holy city is most hallowed: God is Spirit and must be worshipped sincerely whever we are...it is, however, a question of allowing God to lead us to the place he has for us, both in life and in terrain."
So maybe instead of planning out a pilgrimage, I just need to be aware of what "holy place" God is leading me to next. Maybe it will be an inner city soup kitchen, or perhaps it will be a small chapel out on the Great Plains as I travel to see my grandson. I have to be spiritually awake enough to know when this occurs.
Lord, as I read more about these wonderful early Celtic Christians, I feel drawn to experience that sense of "holy places" that one visits on pilgrimage. Help me to make each day a pilgrimage, to see a holy shrine in the ordinary. And keep my heart open when You do want me to take the voyage to one of Your "thin-places," where the division between heaven and earth is a mere mental attitude. Amen
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