December 24th The last day of Celtic Advent
I wasn't sure back 40 days ago if I would be able to sustain 40 days of blogging about Celtic saints. It has been a big learning experience for me, and did create a strong sense of Advent devotion and discipline, which was my goal.
For December 24th I could find one ultra obscure Scottish saint, Caran or Caranus, of whom all we have is the he was a bishop in Eastern Scotland, and that's it. Not much to write about with that. I toyed with the idea of writing about how many Celtic saints seem to listed on the calendars, and how that lead us to the ability of all of us to participate as saints. But, although the idea is true, it just didn't hit jive with where I wanted to go. Then I thought about time travel...(OK, this is an obscure lead-off, but it will become clear after a while). I am a sucker for a good time travel story or movie, or a story with two time separate time lines that affect each other across the centuries (like A.S. Byatt's Possession.) What is interesting is that the Celts, way before H. G. Wells, had a sense that Saints sometimes would have a mystical ability to transcend time and space to preform needed functions. This was the case with St. Brigid in particular.
Brigid's feast day is February 1st--not December 24th, yet she has a strong connection to Christmas! She is, next to Patrick, probably the most written about of the Irish Saints. I won't go into great detail since what I want to focus on how she broke through our usual temporal laws, but will instead do a brief synopsis. Brigid came from a royal family in Southwest Ireland. At an early age she had a strong sense of religious purpose--she had a tendency to upset her father by giving away his possessions to the poor and needy. She joined religious orders and founded the double abbey of Kildare, where both men and women were housed. She has numerous miracles attached to her history, and was sought after as a spiritual advisor by many. She is often referred to as "Bride" and the naming of young Irish women as Brigid has persisted for centuries. When I was doing research on the "famine ships" that brought my great-great grandfather over from Galway, it seemed that most of the Bermingham women were named either Mary, Catherine or Brigid.
Brigid has a major association with the Nativity in the Irish stories. She at some point was mystically transported to 1st Century Bethlehem, where she found herself working as a serving maid in an inn. She served bannock bread and water to two strangers: a pregnant woman and her husband who were looking for a place for the night. After they had eaten she found that the bread loaf was miraculously whole and the water jug full. Going out of the inn, she saw a golden light coming from the stable. She went into the stable, just in time to help Mary as a mid-wife in the final stages of labor. She placed the newborn Christ into his Mother's arms, placing three drops of water on his forehead as a symbol of his participation in the Trinity. Henceforth she was known as the Nurse or Mid-wife of Mary.
I find this story, whether historical or not, strangely comforting. It gives me a whole new sense of the "communion of saints," and the ability of the spirit of the saints to be present with us now. After all if Brigid could be there for Mary in her need during labor, why could they not be here for us now when we need them? It seems to also be a fitting conclusion for stories about the Celtic saints, reaffirming the unique characteristics if Celtic spirituality, where we each, like Brigid, use our gifts in humble service to others--and in the process, we become servants of God. So I will end with one of the wonderful prayers of the Carmina Gadaelica:
"I am under the shielding of good Brigit each day;
I am under the shielding of good Brigit each night.
I am under the keeping of the Nurse of Mary,
Each early and late,
Every dark, every light.
Brigit is my companion-woman,
Brigit is the maker of song,
Brigit is my helping-woman,
My choicest of women,
My woman of guidance."
Thank you Lord, for all the Celtic Saints. Let the spirit of Brigit be with me this Christmas Eve, as she was with Your mother on that first eve of your birth. Amen.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
St Mazota--stepping into the aftermath of divisiveness
December 23rd St. Mazota of Abernethy
2 days left in Celtic Advent
When I first found the miniscule listing about the life of St. Mazota I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it. Most of the sites that mention Mazota are one or two-liners. She lived in the 8th century, was either Scots or Scots-Irish and went, along with several other maidens (usually 9 or 18) to live among the Picts and minister to them.
But then, thanks to google's digitalized on-line books I found a book about the "Ancient Church and Parish of Abernethy," written by Dugald Butler in 1897, and it all began to make sense. This requires me, however, to review what I learned about Scottish ecclesiastical history as it relates to Abernethy, which is in Central Scotland. The church in the area traces it's roots to St Ninian, the first missionary to the Picts in the 4th and 5th centuries. There is some tie-in also with the Irish monastery of Kildare, the focal point of St. Brigid's life, with some of her sisters from Kildare apparently having gone on mission to Abernethy. But it was with Columba's founding of the Abbey in Iona (see my post yesterday related to this) that Christianity really began to take off in the area.
Columba sent multiple missionaries to the Picts, converting large segments of the population and building or re-establishing churches. The church at Abernethy came under a Columban influence, and was considered one of the pre-eminent churchs in what was later to become Scotland. This pre-eminence of Abernethy and the influcence of the monks from Iona was not to continue however.
If you have been following this blog, think back (or look back) to Hilda of Whitby on November 17th. Hilda was the abbess who hosted the great synod of Whitby to decide which set of traditions of the church, either that of the Celtic church or that of Rome, was to prevail in the British Isles. The Romans won out.
But it wasn't an over night switch and there was a lot of turmoil in different areas of the Celtic world about this. The Picts held their own Synod late in the 690's to decide if they were going to tow the Roman line as outlined at Whitby. They also, probably for political reasons, voted to go with the Roman rite.
But the monastery at Columba not only held to its Celtic ways but actively tried to persuade many other areas to resist the Roman rites and hierarchy. This led, around 717AD, to the decision of the King of the Northern Picts to expell the Columban monks from his area, including those in Abernethy. The church there dwindled and the high position of the church there passed to Scone and St. Andrew's where it remains. So the climate in the mid 700's around Abernethy was one of fall out from a major church fight. I suspect much of the local populace felt confused or lost spiritually. It was into this situation that we find the nine virgin daughters of St. Donevald, a Scot-Irish hermit whose was living amongst the Picts around Ogilvey.
The most mentioned of the daughters was Mazota. They petitioned the king to set up a hermitage for themselves in the area, where they performed miracles, ministered to the local populace and lived a life of prayer and devotion. (They even, per one source, miraculously drove out group of obnoxious, noisy geese that were disturbing the residents--I know several golfers in Northern Colorado who probably would like Mazota's help when confronted with a flock of Canadians on the fairway.)
This was apparently exactly what this spiritually distraught population of Picts needed. Pilgrimages to the hermitage of the nine virgins increased, and continued to the well of St Mazota even after the deaths of the sisters. Their quiet devotion and sincerity met a need to re-ignite the church in the area.
We seem to be living in the America of 2013-2014 in a time of incredible factionalism. Political ideologies, religious beliefs, opinions about health care, guns laws and methods of oil exploration (fracking in our geographic area) continue to create tensions and arguments. Sometimes there seems to be no middle ground...in the spiritual realm this is particulary frustrating for me as my own church tradition, the Church of England, used to tout itself as the Middle way, the Via Media. But maybe I let myself get carried about by the arguing and posturing. Maybe what is important is the way of Mazota, which seems not disimilar now that I think about it, to the way of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: don't get to concerned with ideologies, just serve the people who need help and be Christ to them.
I think for the rest of Advent and the following 12 days of Christmas, I will turn off CNN and the McLaughlin report. (I still might sneak a look at John Stewart once and a while). Instead I will continue to focus on my own mission...am I walking my talk, and being the kind of Christian that a Celtic saint like Mazota would have approved of.
Lord, I know there will always be strife and human arguments, including in the church. Guide me, in the season of peace, to be centered, like Mazota and her sisters, in Your Peace, and trust that You are guiding us in the way that will most serve Your desires. Amen.
2 days left in Celtic Advent
When I first found the miniscule listing about the life of St. Mazota I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it. Most of the sites that mention Mazota are one or two-liners. She lived in the 8th century, was either Scots or Scots-Irish and went, along with several other maidens (usually 9 or 18) to live among the Picts and minister to them.
But then, thanks to google's digitalized on-line books I found a book about the "Ancient Church and Parish of Abernethy," written by Dugald Butler in 1897, and it all began to make sense. This requires me, however, to review what I learned about Scottish ecclesiastical history as it relates to Abernethy, which is in Central Scotland. The church in the area traces it's roots to St Ninian, the first missionary to the Picts in the 4th and 5th centuries. There is some tie-in also with the Irish monastery of Kildare, the focal point of St. Brigid's life, with some of her sisters from Kildare apparently having gone on mission to Abernethy. But it was with Columba's founding of the Abbey in Iona (see my post yesterday related to this) that Christianity really began to take off in the area.
Columba sent multiple missionaries to the Picts, converting large segments of the population and building or re-establishing churches. The church at Abernethy came under a Columban influence, and was considered one of the pre-eminent churchs in what was later to become Scotland. This pre-eminence of Abernethy and the influcence of the monks from Iona was not to continue however.
If you have been following this blog, think back (or look back) to Hilda of Whitby on November 17th. Hilda was the abbess who hosted the great synod of Whitby to decide which set of traditions of the church, either that of the Celtic church or that of Rome, was to prevail in the British Isles. The Romans won out.
But it wasn't an over night switch and there was a lot of turmoil in different areas of the Celtic world about this. The Picts held their own Synod late in the 690's to decide if they were going to tow the Roman line as outlined at Whitby. They also, probably for political reasons, voted to go with the Roman rite.
But the monastery at Columba not only held to its Celtic ways but actively tried to persuade many other areas to resist the Roman rites and hierarchy. This led, around 717AD, to the decision of the King of the Northern Picts to expell the Columban monks from his area, including those in Abernethy. The church there dwindled and the high position of the church there passed to Scone and St. Andrew's where it remains. So the climate in the mid 700's around Abernethy was one of fall out from a major church fight. I suspect much of the local populace felt confused or lost spiritually. It was into this situation that we find the nine virgin daughters of St. Donevald, a Scot-Irish hermit whose was living amongst the Picts around Ogilvey.
The most mentioned of the daughters was Mazota. They petitioned the king to set up a hermitage for themselves in the area, where they performed miracles, ministered to the local populace and lived a life of prayer and devotion. (They even, per one source, miraculously drove out group of obnoxious, noisy geese that were disturbing the residents--I know several golfers in Northern Colorado who probably would like Mazota's help when confronted with a flock of Canadians on the fairway.)
This was apparently exactly what this spiritually distraught population of Picts needed. Pilgrimages to the hermitage of the nine virgins increased, and continued to the well of St Mazota even after the deaths of the sisters. Their quiet devotion and sincerity met a need to re-ignite the church in the area.
We seem to be living in the America of 2013-2014 in a time of incredible factionalism. Political ideologies, religious beliefs, opinions about health care, guns laws and methods of oil exploration (fracking in our geographic area) continue to create tensions and arguments. Sometimes there seems to be no middle ground...in the spiritual realm this is particulary frustrating for me as my own church tradition, the Church of England, used to tout itself as the Middle way, the Via Media. But maybe I let myself get carried about by the arguing and posturing. Maybe what is important is the way of Mazota, which seems not disimilar now that I think about it, to the way of Mother Teresa of Calcutta: don't get to concerned with ideologies, just serve the people who need help and be Christ to them.
I think for the rest of Advent and the following 12 days of Christmas, I will turn off CNN and the McLaughlin report. (I still might sneak a look at John Stewart once and a while). Instead I will continue to focus on my own mission...am I walking my talk, and being the kind of Christian that a Celtic saint like Mazota would have approved of.
Lord, I know there will always be strife and human arguments, including in the church. Guide me, in the season of peace, to be centered, like Mazota and her sisters, in Your Peace, and trust that You are guiding us in the way that will most serve Your desires. Amen.
Iona: from St. Ernan to George McLeod
December 22nd 3 days left in Advent
Saint Ernan of Hinba
There are two "Saint Ernans" listed under the Celtic and Old English Saints for today, both related to St. Columba. The older of the two, Saint Ernan of Hinba was Columba's uncle. I sometime make an assumption the someone reading this will know who Columba was. That may be an erroneous assumption, so here is a quick review on Columba!
Columba, or Columcille, who died in 597, was from a royal family in Ireland and was inspired to become a monastic. He created quite a stir by copying an illuminated manuscript and taking it from its home monastery without permission, which caused a "war" between two monastic groups and resulted in a not insignificant loss of life. Columba, in remorse, left Ireland never to return, along with 12 disciples to Northwest Scotland where he founded the great Abbey of Iona. Iona became one of the main centers of the Celtic Christian movement at this time, and it was from here that St. Aidan was sent as a missionary to Lindisfarne, evangelizing most of Northern England.
Columba's uncle was one of the twelve disciple who accompanied him on his "green martyrdom." After a time at Iona, he was asked by Columba to set up a church at the nearby island of Hinba, identified by some as the modern island of Canna. It is reported by Columba's biographer, Adamnan, that many of the prominent leaders of the Celtic church at the time, such as Comgall and Brendan, came at times to worship at Ernan's church.
As a much older man, Ernan made one last journey from Hinba to the main Abbey at Iona to see Columba, but was overcome by weakness and died a mere 24 steps from where Columba was staying, fulfilling a prophecy by Columba that he would not see his uncle in the flesh again. He was buried at the spot and a stone cross was raised at that location.
This story about the beginnings of the Abbey of Iona made me start to think about a more contemporary person, George McLeod, who died also at a quite advanced age in 1991. McLeod served in World War I and was affected forever after by the horror and devastation of the war. Living a life that revolved around alcohol and cigarettes after the war, he had a conversion experience in a Scottish railway station and became eventually a Presbyterian minister. He was drawn to serve the poor and destitute and during the depression was involved in an inner city ministry in Glasgow.
In 1938, McLeod had a revelation and felt called to move to Island of Iona and to rebuild the abandoned monastery of Columba at Iona. He and a few colleagues lived in huts, not unlike the beehive huts of the early Celts, until more permanent places could be erected. Out of his effort the Iona Community was created, an ecumenical neomonastic group with three centers around Iona, including one at the Canna, the probable site of Ernan's church at Hinba. The Community was one of the main revival movements for Celtic Christianity and focuses its mission and writings on caring for creation, peace and social ministry. It continues McLeod's originial mission in inner city Glasgow as well.
McLeod's biography is included in one of the books in my library: Prayers with Celtic Saints, Prophets, Marytrs and Poets by June Skinner Sawyers. She has a small reflection after each biography. Here is was she has to say about MacLeod: "When everyone else thought he had lost his senses, George MacLeod soldiered on, knowing he was doing the right thing. How does the opinion of your peers affect your decision making process? Once you make a decision, do you stick with it?"
I really resonated with this short reflection. (Perhaps it was the influence in the 1950's of watching Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, whose famous phrase was "Be sure you're right, then go ahead.") Ernan, Columba and McLeod all had to make decision about life changing directions. Without them we would likely had neither the flourishing of the early Christian Celts, nor the magnitude the modern revival of interest in their teachings.
Lord, thank You for the renewal and rediscovery of the values and teachings of the early Celtic Christians like Columba and his uncle, St. Ernan. Thank You for the vision and energy of people like George McLeod who reallized the need to bring back the Celtic way into our mainstream and to combine it with ministry to the underserved. Help me with my life decisions as You did with them, and allow me listen to You as they did. Amen.
Saint Ernan of Hinba
There are two "Saint Ernans" listed under the Celtic and Old English Saints for today, both related to St. Columba. The older of the two, Saint Ernan of Hinba was Columba's uncle. I sometime make an assumption the someone reading this will know who Columba was. That may be an erroneous assumption, so here is a quick review on Columba!
Columba, or Columcille, who died in 597, was from a royal family in Ireland and was inspired to become a monastic. He created quite a stir by copying an illuminated manuscript and taking it from its home monastery without permission, which caused a "war" between two monastic groups and resulted in a not insignificant loss of life. Columba, in remorse, left Ireland never to return, along with 12 disciples to Northwest Scotland where he founded the great Abbey of Iona. Iona became one of the main centers of the Celtic Christian movement at this time, and it was from here that St. Aidan was sent as a missionary to Lindisfarne, evangelizing most of Northern England.
Columba's uncle was one of the twelve disciple who accompanied him on his "green martyrdom." After a time at Iona, he was asked by Columba to set up a church at the nearby island of Hinba, identified by some as the modern island of Canna. It is reported by Columba's biographer, Adamnan, that many of the prominent leaders of the Celtic church at the time, such as Comgall and Brendan, came at times to worship at Ernan's church.
As a much older man, Ernan made one last journey from Hinba to the main Abbey at Iona to see Columba, but was overcome by weakness and died a mere 24 steps from where Columba was staying, fulfilling a prophecy by Columba that he would not see his uncle in the flesh again. He was buried at the spot and a stone cross was raised at that location.
This story about the beginnings of the Abbey of Iona made me start to think about a more contemporary person, George McLeod, who died also at a quite advanced age in 1991. McLeod served in World War I and was affected forever after by the horror and devastation of the war. Living a life that revolved around alcohol and cigarettes after the war, he had a conversion experience in a Scottish railway station and became eventually a Presbyterian minister. He was drawn to serve the poor and destitute and during the depression was involved in an inner city ministry in Glasgow.
In 1938, McLeod had a revelation and felt called to move to Island of Iona and to rebuild the abandoned monastery of Columba at Iona. He and a few colleagues lived in huts, not unlike the beehive huts of the early Celts, until more permanent places could be erected. Out of his effort the Iona Community was created, an ecumenical neomonastic group with three centers around Iona, including one at the Canna, the probable site of Ernan's church at Hinba. The Community was one of the main revival movements for Celtic Christianity and focuses its mission and writings on caring for creation, peace and social ministry. It continues McLeod's originial mission in inner city Glasgow as well.
McLeod's biography is included in one of the books in my library: Prayers with Celtic Saints, Prophets, Marytrs and Poets by June Skinner Sawyers. She has a small reflection after each biography. Here is was she has to say about MacLeod: "When everyone else thought he had lost his senses, George MacLeod soldiered on, knowing he was doing the right thing. How does the opinion of your peers affect your decision making process? Once you make a decision, do you stick with it?"
I really resonated with this short reflection. (Perhaps it was the influence in the 1950's of watching Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, whose famous phrase was "Be sure you're right, then go ahead.") Ernan, Columba and McLeod all had to make decision about life changing directions. Without them we would likely had neither the flourishing of the early Christian Celts, nor the magnitude the modern revival of interest in their teachings.
Lord, thank You for the renewal and rediscovery of the values and teachings of the early Celtic Christians like Columba and his uncle, St. Ernan. Thank You for the vision and energy of people like George McLeod who reallized the need to bring back the Celtic way into our mainstream and to combine it with ministry to the underserved. Help me with my life decisions as You did with them, and allow me listen to You as they did. Amen.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
December 21st--Solstice, thought on Celtic Holidays
Celtic Advent December 21st
The 21st has literally no true Celtic saints feasts. There are a couple of Anglo-saxon saints, but they have no Celtic connections like St. Hilda. But...it is Winter Soltice. That got me to thinking about Celtic Holidays in general and the idea of Christian/Non-Christian synthesis. I will finish up with some tribute to saints, so if you are reading this because you are a saint-a-holic, despair not.
Today is the shortest day of the year, the least amount of light. The ancient pre-Christian Celts divided up the year into a season of light and a season of dark. We know from the megalithic monuments that they were certainly aware of the equinoxes and soltices (like today). Yet they marked their year primarily by the midpoints between these solar events. Their festivals were November 1st Samhain, February 1st Imbolc, May 1st Beltane, and August 1st Lughnasa. Once the Celts converted to Christianity, these feasts didn't go away. Two of them were fairly succesfully converted to Christian feasts; November 1st became All-Saints day and February 1st became the feast of St. Brigid--which is followed on February 2nd by Candlemas, the presentation of Christ in the Temple. May 1st was "sort of" a Christian holiday at times: the later medieval designation of the feast of Mary, Queen of Heaven, or the Central European feast of St. Walpurgis. Lughnasa or Lammas was for a while the Feast of St. Peter in Chains, but this largely disappeared. Yet we, as humans, seem to have a persistance connection to these times of the year. Lughnasa is still celebrated in some parts of Ireland, and we Americans celebrate May Day, Ground Hog's day, and have made the eve of All Saints (Hallowed even: Halloween) the 2nd most celebrated Holiday in the US.
The early Christian Celts had a kind of mixed response to the pre-Christian traditions of the areas. The megalithic monuments and burial mounds were felt to be areas of demonic influence and were either avoided or approached with a sense of "spiritual battle" in mind.
Yet the Celts loved the stories of the ancient pre-Christian heroes and "gods." It was the Celtic Christian monastics who wrote down the stories of the Tuatha de Danaan, the early Celtic Warriors whose invasion of Ireland is documented in the Book of Conquests. There group included Lugh, a god-warrior after whom Lughnasa is named. The also wrote down the great Ulster cycle which included tales of the hero Cuchulain, who later morphed in medieval legend to the Christian knight Gawain. Cuchulain's main opponent was the queen of Connacht, Medb or Maeve, who has been held up as an example of early gender equality. There are even a tales which include encounters between the Irish gods and the Christian saints, as the former faded into either a less heroic and more humorous, mischief-making group: leprachauns.
Is it OK for me as a Christian to celebrate any of these non-Christian holidays? Could I, tonight, go to a solstice celebration? Or on August 1st, could my family have a Lughnasa party (which my son Bryan and I keep planning)? My very right wing Christian friends would say "no," this is paganism and should be avoided. Yet tonite, I will be singing in a Christmas concert in a church where one of the pieces includes the words "Welcome Yule." Yule has nothing to do with Christ, but is the ancient Germanic mid-winter celebration that included the myth of the great Wild Hunt. In another few months I will celebrate Easter, named after the German fertility goddess Oestre, whose cult involved symbols of fertility (eggs and rabbits). My own personal opinion: the influence of the solar cycle on human consciousness is not going to go away; it is a gift from God as a foreknowledge that light is still coming, it will overcome the darkness. Life will be reborn in the spring. As long as I celebrate with God and Christ in mind and heart, the peripherals of that celebration, like a pine tree with lights, or an Easter egg hunt, are just fun reminders of the joy of that time of year and an opportunity for family love and connection. If their origins are in pagan myths, so what.
I will end, as promised with a tribute to "saints" which was written by William John Fitzgerald, a Catholic priest who has authored several wonderful books, including A Contemporary Celtic Prayer Book, which this is from. It includes some non-saints in the prayer, note the pre-Christian Maeve is among them:
Prayer to the Vibrant Women of Celtic Lore
At eighty-three by the side of the sea,
She served us tea at Dun Laoghaire.
To an old tin shack,
Her friends would come back,
From one generation to three.
Her face was wrinkled and folded
But her eyes were a light,
And her smile was so bright
For all who passed by at Dun Laoghaire.
So this day, a toast and prayers
To the vibrant women of Celtic lore.
Ancient tea brewer of Dun Laoghaire,
Give me the vigor for life's daily jousts.
Countess Contance, holstered rebel,
Give me courage to make my stand.
Grace O'Malley, swachbuckler,
Guide my ship through stormy seas.
Brigit of Kildare, "Bride" of the Gaels,
May your shepherd's staff lead o'er high hills.
Maeve, mythic queen of ardor,
May her memory energize us for every challenge.
Hilda of Whitby, abbess of men and women,
Join the sexes together--our world to mend.
Ita of Limerick, foster mother of Brendan,
Help us to seek the Promised Land.
Amen.
The 21st has literally no true Celtic saints feasts. There are a couple of Anglo-saxon saints, but they have no Celtic connections like St. Hilda. But...it is Winter Soltice. That got me to thinking about Celtic Holidays in general and the idea of Christian/Non-Christian synthesis. I will finish up with some tribute to saints, so if you are reading this because you are a saint-a-holic, despair not.
Today is the shortest day of the year, the least amount of light. The ancient pre-Christian Celts divided up the year into a season of light and a season of dark. We know from the megalithic monuments that they were certainly aware of the equinoxes and soltices (like today). Yet they marked their year primarily by the midpoints between these solar events. Their festivals were November 1st Samhain, February 1st Imbolc, May 1st Beltane, and August 1st Lughnasa. Once the Celts converted to Christianity, these feasts didn't go away. Two of them were fairly succesfully converted to Christian feasts; November 1st became All-Saints day and February 1st became the feast of St. Brigid--which is followed on February 2nd by Candlemas, the presentation of Christ in the Temple. May 1st was "sort of" a Christian holiday at times: the later medieval designation of the feast of Mary, Queen of Heaven, or the Central European feast of St. Walpurgis. Lughnasa or Lammas was for a while the Feast of St. Peter in Chains, but this largely disappeared. Yet we, as humans, seem to have a persistance connection to these times of the year. Lughnasa is still celebrated in some parts of Ireland, and we Americans celebrate May Day, Ground Hog's day, and have made the eve of All Saints (Hallowed even: Halloween) the 2nd most celebrated Holiday in the US.
The early Christian Celts had a kind of mixed response to the pre-Christian traditions of the areas. The megalithic monuments and burial mounds were felt to be areas of demonic influence and were either avoided or approached with a sense of "spiritual battle" in mind.
Yet the Celts loved the stories of the ancient pre-Christian heroes and "gods." It was the Celtic Christian monastics who wrote down the stories of the Tuatha de Danaan, the early Celtic Warriors whose invasion of Ireland is documented in the Book of Conquests. There group included Lugh, a god-warrior after whom Lughnasa is named. The also wrote down the great Ulster cycle which included tales of the hero Cuchulain, who later morphed in medieval legend to the Christian knight Gawain. Cuchulain's main opponent was the queen of Connacht, Medb or Maeve, who has been held up as an example of early gender equality. There are even a tales which include encounters between the Irish gods and the Christian saints, as the former faded into either a less heroic and more humorous, mischief-making group: leprachauns.
Is it OK for me as a Christian to celebrate any of these non-Christian holidays? Could I, tonight, go to a solstice celebration? Or on August 1st, could my family have a Lughnasa party (which my son Bryan and I keep planning)? My very right wing Christian friends would say "no," this is paganism and should be avoided. Yet tonite, I will be singing in a Christmas concert in a church where one of the pieces includes the words "Welcome Yule." Yule has nothing to do with Christ, but is the ancient Germanic mid-winter celebration that included the myth of the great Wild Hunt. In another few months I will celebrate Easter, named after the German fertility goddess Oestre, whose cult involved symbols of fertility (eggs and rabbits). My own personal opinion: the influence of the solar cycle on human consciousness is not going to go away; it is a gift from God as a foreknowledge that light is still coming, it will overcome the darkness. Life will be reborn in the spring. As long as I celebrate with God and Christ in mind and heart, the peripherals of that celebration, like a pine tree with lights, or an Easter egg hunt, are just fun reminders of the joy of that time of year and an opportunity for family love and connection. If their origins are in pagan myths, so what.
I will end, as promised with a tribute to "saints" which was written by William John Fitzgerald, a Catholic priest who has authored several wonderful books, including A Contemporary Celtic Prayer Book, which this is from. It includes some non-saints in the prayer, note the pre-Christian Maeve is among them:
Prayer to the Vibrant Women of Celtic Lore
At eighty-three by the side of the sea,
She served us tea at Dun Laoghaire.
To an old tin shack,
Her friends would come back,
From one generation to three.
Her face was wrinkled and folded
But her eyes were a light,
And her smile was so bright
For all who passed by at Dun Laoghaire.
So this day, a toast and prayers
To the vibrant women of Celtic lore.
Ancient tea brewer of Dun Laoghaire,
Give me the vigor for life's daily jousts.
Countess Contance, holstered rebel,
Give me courage to make my stand.
Grace O'Malley, swachbuckler,
Guide my ship through stormy seas.
Brigit of Kildare, "Bride" of the Gaels,
May your shepherd's staff lead o'er high hills.
Maeve, mythic queen of ardor,
May her memory energize us for every challenge.
Hilda of Whitby, abbess of men and women,
Join the sexes together--our world to mend.
Ita of Limerick, foster mother of Brendan,
Help us to seek the Promised Land.
Amen.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Day 36 St Ursician and the Swiss connection
Celtic Advent December 20th St. Ursician of St-Ursanne.
I am going to digress a little from my usual launching into the life of the saint of the day and talk a little about Switzerland. Bear with me. Despite the fact that I have Irish and Scottish backgrounds on each side of my family tree, I am mostly (25%) Swiss. My grandmother, Sophie Pauline Eggenschwiler, was from just outside the town of Solothurn, in the canton by the same name in northwest Switzerland. She visited there in the late 1950's, having been gone from the area for close to 60 years. During that time period seven new houses had been built in the town, which otherwise remained unchanged.
The next Canton to the west of Solothurn is Jura, and one of the towns in Jura is St-Ursanne, which takes its name from Saint Ursician or Ursicinius, who was a disciple of the great Irish saint, Columbanus, whom I wrote about towards the end of November. The town and area didn't really change much from medieval times until 1875 when a railway came into the town.
Switzerland is one of the places that is on my bucket list, especially the Northwest area. It is also the "birthplace" of the Celtic peoples. Long before the existance of the 7 celtic nations, the La Tene and Halstead sites in and around Switzerland give evidence of a group of tribes with a particular swirling circular artwork on buckles and brooches...these were the early Celts, who populated France and Britain. They were later driven out by the Frankish people and then the Anglo-Saxons into the western fringe areas and northern Spain. So who knows, maybe my Swiss blood is actually also slightly tinged with Celtic genes...
Which brings us back to St. Ursician. Ursician, who died in 625AD, was according to one source of Frankish origin, and became a disciple of Columbanus during the sojourn of the latter in Luxieuil, France. Other sources list him as Irish, but his name is not of Celtic origin, so I personally am going with the Frankish descent. Columbanus' activities in Luxieuil eventually got him in trouble with the largely pagan authorities and he and his group of followers were told to "get out of Dodge."
The group travelled to Switzerland where at least 2 of Columbanus disciples, Ursician and Gall, remained. Gall was forced to stay because of an argument with Columbanus...we don't know what prompted Ursician to stay on. But in any event, Columbanus went south to Bobbio and Ursician stayed in Jura.
Ursician is reputed to have been a saint of great piety and humility, doing a lot of evangelism with the German tribes in the area. He decided to spend time as a hermit, and found a cave which he co-habited with a bear. The cave is still part of the tourist circuit in St-Ursanne, although one has to climb 150 steps to get to it. He is also reputed to have ahborred wine and to avoid the company of others who drank it. Knowing the personal preferences of my grandmother, my suspicion is that he was more of a beer person (OK, probably not...).
So what about Ursician inspires me or ignites a spiritual train of thought for me? I started to imagine what his life and motivations would have been like. If he was Frankish,and presumably originally pagan as most of the Franks at time were, he must have been greatly affected by the Irish missionaries to "join up." He would have then had to leave family and home and all he knew to continue to stay with Colubanus' group during the journey over the mountains to Switzerland. Then, he stays, apart from his new group, in an area where he knows no one, to preach a gospel that he has only recently found himself. Whew. One of the biographies of St Aidan, the founder of the monastery at Lindisfarne is titled "Flame in my Heart." Ursician must have had that flame also. What else could have explained his willingness to leave home and then have a lifetime in a country that was not his own? The "flame" would explain why, despite the lack of other details of his life, why his cave remained a pilgrimage site for many centuries. He must have "burned brightly."
It is so easy in our modern times for me to fall into a kind of "vanilla" approach to religion...show up for church, maybe take in an occasional adult formation, participate in a book group. But do I burn with love for my faith like Ursician must have? I hope that at times I do...
Lord, these early Celts had such devotion and greatness of Spirit in their daily lives. Guide me, as you did Ursician, that I may taste some of their "fire." Thank You for the inspiration that reading about them give me. In thy name. Amen.
I am going to digress a little from my usual launching into the life of the saint of the day and talk a little about Switzerland. Bear with me. Despite the fact that I have Irish and Scottish backgrounds on each side of my family tree, I am mostly (25%) Swiss. My grandmother, Sophie Pauline Eggenschwiler, was from just outside the town of Solothurn, in the canton by the same name in northwest Switzerland. She visited there in the late 1950's, having been gone from the area for close to 60 years. During that time period seven new houses had been built in the town, which otherwise remained unchanged.
The next Canton to the west of Solothurn is Jura, and one of the towns in Jura is St-Ursanne, which takes its name from Saint Ursician or Ursicinius, who was a disciple of the great Irish saint, Columbanus, whom I wrote about towards the end of November. The town and area didn't really change much from medieval times until 1875 when a railway came into the town.
Switzerland is one of the places that is on my bucket list, especially the Northwest area. It is also the "birthplace" of the Celtic peoples. Long before the existance of the 7 celtic nations, the La Tene and Halstead sites in and around Switzerland give evidence of a group of tribes with a particular swirling circular artwork on buckles and brooches...these were the early Celts, who populated France and Britain. They were later driven out by the Frankish people and then the Anglo-Saxons into the western fringe areas and northern Spain. So who knows, maybe my Swiss blood is actually also slightly tinged with Celtic genes...
Which brings us back to St. Ursician. Ursician, who died in 625AD, was according to one source of Frankish origin, and became a disciple of Columbanus during the sojourn of the latter in Luxieuil, France. Other sources list him as Irish, but his name is not of Celtic origin, so I personally am going with the Frankish descent. Columbanus' activities in Luxieuil eventually got him in trouble with the largely pagan authorities and he and his group of followers were told to "get out of Dodge."
The group travelled to Switzerland where at least 2 of Columbanus disciples, Ursician and Gall, remained. Gall was forced to stay because of an argument with Columbanus...we don't know what prompted Ursician to stay on. But in any event, Columbanus went south to Bobbio and Ursician stayed in Jura.
Ursician is reputed to have been a saint of great piety and humility, doing a lot of evangelism with the German tribes in the area. He decided to spend time as a hermit, and found a cave which he co-habited with a bear. The cave is still part of the tourist circuit in St-Ursanne, although one has to climb 150 steps to get to it. He is also reputed to have ahborred wine and to avoid the company of others who drank it. Knowing the personal preferences of my grandmother, my suspicion is that he was more of a beer person (OK, probably not...).
So what about Ursician inspires me or ignites a spiritual train of thought for me? I started to imagine what his life and motivations would have been like. If he was Frankish,and presumably originally pagan as most of the Franks at time were, he must have been greatly affected by the Irish missionaries to "join up." He would have then had to leave family and home and all he knew to continue to stay with Colubanus' group during the journey over the mountains to Switzerland. Then, he stays, apart from his new group, in an area where he knows no one, to preach a gospel that he has only recently found himself. Whew. One of the biographies of St Aidan, the founder of the monastery at Lindisfarne is titled "Flame in my Heart." Ursician must have had that flame also. What else could have explained his willingness to leave home and then have a lifetime in a country that was not his own? The "flame" would explain why, despite the lack of other details of his life, why his cave remained a pilgrimage site for many centuries. He must have "burned brightly."
It is so easy in our modern times for me to fall into a kind of "vanilla" approach to religion...show up for church, maybe take in an occasional adult formation, participate in a book group. But do I burn with love for my faith like Ursician must have? I hope that at times I do...
Lord, these early Celts had such devotion and greatness of Spirit in their daily lives. Guide me, as you did Ursician, that I may taste some of their "fire." Thank You for the inspiration that reading about them give me. In thy name. Amen.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
St Samthann--wise sayings from the 8th century
Celtic Advent Day 35 December 19th
St. Samthann of Clonbroney
St. Samthann could easily become one of my favorites of the Celtic Saints. Born in Ireland, she lived in and around County Meath, founding the Abbey of Clonbroney before her death in 739AD. Her feast day is alternatively listed as either December 18th or 19th.
It is reputed that she was promised in marraige against her will, but that she prayer fervently for a means to avoid the nuptuals. The morning of the ceremony a large fire broke out at the wedding site, scaring the guests and the groom...and allowing Samthann to escape to a abbey where she was able to take vows. She was soul-friend to a male saint, Maelruen, who later went on to be instrumental in the 8th century reform movement of Celtic Christianity, the Celi De, or Culdees.
The main aspect of her life that has caught attention over the centuries are the wise sayings that are attributed to her. There are three main sayings that I can find. A monk told Samthann that he was going to give up study so that he could better devote himself to prayer. Her reply was that he would never be able to fix his mind in prayer if he neglected study. Another monk announced that he wished to make a pilgrimage. She told him that Kingdom of Heaven can be reached without crossing the sea and the God is near to all who call on him. My favorite was when another monk asked her for advice on what position to assume for prayer. Her answer was "in every position: standing, sitting or lying."
I am a sucker for one line sayings like this. They seem to invite me to stop by brain's tendency for "what's next?," pause, and chew a little on that saying. I have a couple of collections of Desert Father and Mother sayings that I use for meditation. There is also a great page of Celtic Saint saying that is part of the Reformed Celtic Church site. It is most easily found at: www.celticsaintsblessings.com/wisdomofthesaints.htm
I was going to attempt to "wax eloquent" about the issue of prayer, how any time or position is appropriate for prayer, based on Samthann's admonition above. Then I realized that had already been done quite beautifully in a book that was sitting on my shelf: Holy Companions. Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints by Mary C. Earle and Sylvia Maddox. They have a chapter devoted to Samthann. Part of that reads:
"In the Celtic tradition we encounter a keen sense of God with us 'in every pass.'
Samthann's sayings and teachings reflect this. We can make the mistake of thinking
God is with us only in church, or only when we are saying a particular prayer, or only
when we are engaged in some activity of service. On the contrary, God in Christ reveals
to us that there is no place where God is not. Every moment of time, every speck of the
universe, is saturated with divine presence. Were that not the case, there would be no
time. no space.
Samthann calls us to allow ourselves to become aware of God's presence no matter what
position we pray in, whether we are at home or on pilgrimage, whether we are studying
or praying. This begins with simply paying attentin--paying attention to our lives, to our
surroundings, to our friends, to ourselves. This may sound easy. However, in a culture
as rushed and harried as ours, paying attention may require more practice than we'd expect!
Paying attention happens more easily when we slow down, become aware of our breath,
and see what is right in front of us. (page 112 of the book noted above)"
I try, often unsuccesfully, to incorporate this attitude of "pray at all times" in my life. Sometimes I will use the Way of the Pilgrim prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner) as a breath prayer when I am walking to my next destination. Other times I will pause before I enter a particular building, usually a Nursing Home or Assisted Living as that is where I spend most of my time, and realize that I am entering a place that can be as holy as a cathedral or monastery, depending on one's attitude to the people and surroundings. The town I live in has a plethora of trains that run through town. Murphy's law (another great Celtic saying) would ensure that the trains always comes at a time when I am being over scheduled and worried about being someplace on time. I used to take a perverse pleasure in seeing the crossing gates start to close a few blocks ahead of my route, then quickly turning and plotting out an alternative route in my mind to "beat the train." Now, most of the time, I will pause and wait, and use the time for a mini-contemplation. I hope St. Samthann would approve.
Lord, thank you as always for leading me to saints like Samthann. So often I need to slow down and remember that praying to you can be a delight to engage in, in whatever location or position that I am in. Despite the pre-Christmas rush, help me to return in these remaining days of advent to deliberation, prayer and peace. In thy name. Amen.
St. Samthann of Clonbroney
St. Samthann could easily become one of my favorites of the Celtic Saints. Born in Ireland, she lived in and around County Meath, founding the Abbey of Clonbroney before her death in 739AD. Her feast day is alternatively listed as either December 18th or 19th.
It is reputed that she was promised in marraige against her will, but that she prayer fervently for a means to avoid the nuptuals. The morning of the ceremony a large fire broke out at the wedding site, scaring the guests and the groom...and allowing Samthann to escape to a abbey where she was able to take vows. She was soul-friend to a male saint, Maelruen, who later went on to be instrumental in the 8th century reform movement of Celtic Christianity, the Celi De, or Culdees.
The main aspect of her life that has caught attention over the centuries are the wise sayings that are attributed to her. There are three main sayings that I can find. A monk told Samthann that he was going to give up study so that he could better devote himself to prayer. Her reply was that he would never be able to fix his mind in prayer if he neglected study. Another monk announced that he wished to make a pilgrimage. She told him that Kingdom of Heaven can be reached without crossing the sea and the God is near to all who call on him. My favorite was when another monk asked her for advice on what position to assume for prayer. Her answer was "in every position: standing, sitting or lying."
I am a sucker for one line sayings like this. They seem to invite me to stop by brain's tendency for "what's next?," pause, and chew a little on that saying. I have a couple of collections of Desert Father and Mother sayings that I use for meditation. There is also a great page of Celtic Saint saying that is part of the Reformed Celtic Church site. It is most easily found at: www.celticsaintsblessings.com/wisdomofthesaints.htm
I was going to attempt to "wax eloquent" about the issue of prayer, how any time or position is appropriate for prayer, based on Samthann's admonition above. Then I realized that had already been done quite beautifully in a book that was sitting on my shelf: Holy Companions. Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints by Mary C. Earle and Sylvia Maddox. They have a chapter devoted to Samthann. Part of that reads:
"In the Celtic tradition we encounter a keen sense of God with us 'in every pass.'
Samthann's sayings and teachings reflect this. We can make the mistake of thinking
God is with us only in church, or only when we are saying a particular prayer, or only
when we are engaged in some activity of service. On the contrary, God in Christ reveals
to us that there is no place where God is not. Every moment of time, every speck of the
universe, is saturated with divine presence. Were that not the case, there would be no
time. no space.
Samthann calls us to allow ourselves to become aware of God's presence no matter what
position we pray in, whether we are at home or on pilgrimage, whether we are studying
or praying. This begins with simply paying attentin--paying attention to our lives, to our
surroundings, to our friends, to ourselves. This may sound easy. However, in a culture
as rushed and harried as ours, paying attention may require more practice than we'd expect!
Paying attention happens more easily when we slow down, become aware of our breath,
and see what is right in front of us. (page 112 of the book noted above)"
I try, often unsuccesfully, to incorporate this attitude of "pray at all times" in my life. Sometimes I will use the Way of the Pilgrim prayer (Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner) as a breath prayer when I am walking to my next destination. Other times I will pause before I enter a particular building, usually a Nursing Home or Assisted Living as that is where I spend most of my time, and realize that I am entering a place that can be as holy as a cathedral or monastery, depending on one's attitude to the people and surroundings. The town I live in has a plethora of trains that run through town. Murphy's law (another great Celtic saying) would ensure that the trains always comes at a time when I am being over scheduled and worried about being someplace on time. I used to take a perverse pleasure in seeing the crossing gates start to close a few blocks ahead of my route, then quickly turning and plotting out an alternative route in my mind to "beat the train." Now, most of the time, I will pause and wait, and use the time for a mini-contemplation. I hope St. Samthann would approve.
Lord, thank you as always for leading me to saints like Samthann. So often I need to slow down and remember that praying to you can be a delight to engage in, in whatever location or position that I am in. Despite the pre-Christmas rush, help me to return in these remaining days of advent to deliberation, prayer and peace. In thy name. Amen.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
St. Flannan of Killaloe: Natural Justice
Celtic Advent December 18th St. Flannan of Killaloe
St. Flannan is a 7th century Irish saint who lived and worked at the monastery of Killaloe of county Clare. Of royal blood, he made an early decision to join the monastic orders. Early in his career he was assigned the job of baking bread. He was working at the end of a 36 hour shift, in the dark, and having trouble seeing, so God caused his left hand to glow with a great light so the he could finish up the job. The abbot walked in on Finnan and was so amazed at this blessing of his young monk that he resigned his position so that Finnan could be proclaimed abbot.
The monastery flourished under Flannan's leadership, so much so that the local populace pushed for him to be made bishop. After traveling to Rome to be approved in this position, Flannan returned to Killaloe. His tenure is described one of peace and prosperity with abundance of harvests, both from the land and sea.
Near the end of his life Flannan felt his life drawing to a close. Calling in his followers he pressed on them the importance of observing natural and human justice and to pursue peace amongt the provinces. After blessing them, he then breathed his last.
Flannan's story reads like a great "local boy succeeds in life" tale: not much controversy or violence and a transfiguration like episode to start it off. What attracted my attention was his death bed admonition to his disciples. It may be an apocryphal quote added centuries later, but I love the idea of promoting natural and human justice as well as peace. Remember these are Celts we are talking about, and a good fight or battle was sometimes hard to resist.
I decided to google "natural justice" to see what I got. There is a very legal definition that has to do with avoiding bias and promoting fairness in court procedings--probably not a Celtic theme there, although I am glad it is a tenet of the courts. There is a recent book by the title of Natural Justice that promotes a theory of social morality--that seems to fit better with Flannan's words. My favorite however was a South African coalition of Lawyers by the name of Natural Justice that promotes rights for communities and the environment. Most recently they have been working with other groups in India with concerns about the escalation of violence towards women in the subcontinent. Flannan and his fellow Celtic saints would have loved that one. As I have mentioned in prior posts, the Celts had a strong affinity with nature. Their sense of local community was a key to their success, and there was little if no descrimination by gender amongst the Irish religious communities of those early centuries.
One of my other favorite Celtic saints, David of Wales, has another a great death bed quote: "Be faithful in the little things." I am really glad that both David and Flannan decided to be spiritual and eloquent in their last words and not say something like... "Rosebud." (If you don't understand that you haven't watched enough movies). Actually, when I think about it, isn't the death of Jesus the ultimate benchmark of admonitions given during the dying process: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do!"
Flannan's story has no thrilling ups and downs. There are no poisonings, no Cliffs of Despair, no Dread Pirate Roberts. Yet I love stories like Flannan's and his last words inspire me to continue to pursue "natural justice."
Lord, help the last words of your servant Flannan continue to inspire not just myself but the church as a whole. We need peace. And we need both natural and human justice. Enshrine these values in our hearts in this season before Christmas, and let them continue to grow in us throughout this next year. In Thy name. Amen.
St. Flannan is a 7th century Irish saint who lived and worked at the monastery of Killaloe of county Clare. Of royal blood, he made an early decision to join the monastic orders. Early in his career he was assigned the job of baking bread. He was working at the end of a 36 hour shift, in the dark, and having trouble seeing, so God caused his left hand to glow with a great light so the he could finish up the job. The abbot walked in on Finnan and was so amazed at this blessing of his young monk that he resigned his position so that Finnan could be proclaimed abbot.
The monastery flourished under Flannan's leadership, so much so that the local populace pushed for him to be made bishop. After traveling to Rome to be approved in this position, Flannan returned to Killaloe. His tenure is described one of peace and prosperity with abundance of harvests, both from the land and sea.
Near the end of his life Flannan felt his life drawing to a close. Calling in his followers he pressed on them the importance of observing natural and human justice and to pursue peace amongt the provinces. After blessing them, he then breathed his last.
Flannan's story reads like a great "local boy succeeds in life" tale: not much controversy or violence and a transfiguration like episode to start it off. What attracted my attention was his death bed admonition to his disciples. It may be an apocryphal quote added centuries later, but I love the idea of promoting natural and human justice as well as peace. Remember these are Celts we are talking about, and a good fight or battle was sometimes hard to resist.
I decided to google "natural justice" to see what I got. There is a very legal definition that has to do with avoiding bias and promoting fairness in court procedings--probably not a Celtic theme there, although I am glad it is a tenet of the courts. There is a recent book by the title of Natural Justice that promotes a theory of social morality--that seems to fit better with Flannan's words. My favorite however was a South African coalition of Lawyers by the name of Natural Justice that promotes rights for communities and the environment. Most recently they have been working with other groups in India with concerns about the escalation of violence towards women in the subcontinent. Flannan and his fellow Celtic saints would have loved that one. As I have mentioned in prior posts, the Celts had a strong affinity with nature. Their sense of local community was a key to their success, and there was little if no descrimination by gender amongst the Irish religious communities of those early centuries.
One of my other favorite Celtic saints, David of Wales, has another a great death bed quote: "Be faithful in the little things." I am really glad that both David and Flannan decided to be spiritual and eloquent in their last words and not say something like... "Rosebud." (If you don't understand that you haven't watched enough movies). Actually, when I think about it, isn't the death of Jesus the ultimate benchmark of admonitions given during the dying process: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do!"
Flannan's story has no thrilling ups and downs. There are no poisonings, no Cliffs of Despair, no Dread Pirate Roberts. Yet I love stories like Flannan's and his last words inspire me to continue to pursue "natural justice."
Lord, help the last words of your servant Flannan continue to inspire not just myself but the church as a whole. We need peace. And we need both natural and human justice. Enshrine these values in our hearts in this season before Christmas, and let them continue to grow in us throughout this next year. In Thy name. Amen.
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